Soft Pretzel

Prep Time- 30 minutes + 1 hour rise time | Cook Time- 15 minutes | Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Cup Warm Water (around 105°F or about 40.5°C)
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 2.25 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 4.5 Cups Flour
• 2 Tbsp Oil + a little extra
• .25 Cup Baking Soda
• 8 Cups Water
• 2 Eggs for an egg wash
• Pretzel Salt to top them with

* See notes at the bottom for ingredient alternatives and other ideas!

Instructions:

1- Gather all ingredients. Set oven to 250°F or about 120°C.

2- Mix the warm Water with the Sugar and Yeast. Let this rest for a bout 5 minutes until the mixture looks foamy.

3- In a large bowl, mix the Flour and Salt. Add the Yeast mixture and Oil. Mix well and kneed for about 5 minutes until smooth dough ball forms.

4- Coat the bowl with a little extra oil and put the dough ball back in. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 – 1.5 hours.

5- While the dough is rising, spread out the Baking Soda on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

6- After the dough has risen- Set your oven to 450°F or about 232°C. Place a (stainless steel) pot with 8 Cups of Water and the baked Baking Soda to boil. Once its boiling, set it to simmer.

7- Place the dough ball onto a floured surface, and cut it into 4 or 8 equal parts (depending on how large you would like your pretzels to be). Roll each portion out and shape each one into a pretzel shape, making sure to press the ends in well (if you’re not sure how to shape a pretzel, you can google this part. It’s easier to “see” than to “read” those instructions, lol).

8- Take one or two pretzels at a time, and place them in the simmering pot for their Baking Soda Bath. Leave them in the bath for about 1 minute, flipping them over halfway through.

9- Transfer the pretzels to a lined baking sheet. Mix the Eggs and brush the egg wash over each pretzel, then sprinkle them with Salt.

10- Bake for 10- 15 minutes (I start checking their color at the 7th minute because ovens are all different). They should be a lovely dark golden brown. Place them on a cooling rack and try your hardest to let them cool to a safe temp before devouring them 🙂

NOTES:

ALTERNATIVES– You can make 8 smallish pretzels, 4 medium pretzels, or 2 very large ones; you can top with salt, everything bagel seasoning, or anything you want; enjoy plain, with butter, or make some yummy pretzel sandwiches!