Pretzels

Making pretzels with the kids is so much fun!  Emily loves to  measure, mix, and knead. 

Aiden loves to punch the dough ~ his version of kneading. 

This is the first time we have made this pretzel recipe and I will never make another!  They were so YUMMY! 

What You’ll Need:

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• Optional: 1/4 cup kosher salt
• Optional:  melted butter and cinnamon and sugar

What You’ll Do:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.  We made most of ours into pretzel sticks.                                        
   Once you have shaped all the dough, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet.  Optional: Sprinkle with kosher salt.      
   Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.
   Optional:  melt butter and dip pretzels in butter then in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

The best part ~ taste testing!

~Cindy