Pretzels

Andrew is sick again. It’s apparently an endless cycle in this house. Andrew gets sick, I get sick, Andrew gets sick…let’s hope this ends here.

That being said, this afternoon he requested soft pretzels. And as I was looking for something to make, I made pretzels. They require a bit of patience, but they actually weren’t too hard to make. Plus, playing with dough is always fun.

They’re soft and salty and make a delicious snack (or dinner in our case). Be sure to butter the baking sheet. I forgot on the first batch and it took a little work to get them off. I sprayed the second pan with some Pam before baking and the pretzels slid off no problem.

Soft Pretzels

adapted from AllRecipes

• 4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• kosher salt

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp sugar in the warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes until it starts to look creamy. It’s weird.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 3 cups of flour, and salt. Add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix to form a dough. As I kneaded the dough, I added the last 1/2 cup of flour. Knead for 7-8 minutes until it forms a smooth dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Coat the dough ball in oil and cover with a damp, clean dish towel. Let sit in a warm dry place for about an hour until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a large pot or bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the hot water.

After the dough has risen, divide into equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a rope on a lightly floured surface and twist into a pretzel shape. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda liquid before placing on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 10 minutes, until browned.