Homemade Soft Pretzels!

I have been trying to think of yummy snacks that would make a good lunch. It's hard to get past the Sandwich idea so I went online looking for a little inspiration. I found PRETZELS! mmmm - they always taste so good in the mall and it's always a great little morsel to tide you over til the next meal. I do LOVE sandwiches, but I was excited for this little "twist" of variety.



They turned out great, although I would make a few alterations to the recipe. Here is what I recommend:

Get a large bowl and put in
1 and a half packets of dry yeast
1 and a half Cups of warm water
Let sit for a few minutes until foamy.

Then add
2 Tbsp brown sugar (White sugar works too)
1 tsp salt
4 Cups flour (normal or bread flour)
Knead flour in then place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise for 30 min.

Roll dough into "snakes" about 14-16 inches long. Maybe even longer. Roll them skinny for crispier pretzels and fatter for softer bread-like pretzels. I made 6 pretzels from this recipe.

Combine
2 Cups warm water
2 Tbsp baking soda

Dip snakes into this baking soda mixture then shape into pretzels. Put some melted butter on them and sprinkle with salt. (If you don't have coarse salt, just use regular.)

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Then eat your heart out!!!

My husband melted some Velveeta for some cheese dip. I put a little Cinnamon and sugar on mine. Now you don't have to splurge at the mall when you feel like a fantabulously yummy pretzel.