Soft Pretzels

I love Soft pretzels.....I mean who doesn't?

I have this vague memory of making them with my mom for Girl Scouts and them tasting weird. But I kept seeing these yummy pins of pretzels and I wanted to give it a try with the kids. I figured they were masters with pizza dough they would love to make pretzels. They did love it and they happily ate their project. They are a bit of work but if you are stuck home looking for something to do, it is an easy project that makes a total mess of the kitchen but the outcome is pretty yummy!

I made a panini sandwich with a leftover one the next day. I cut it in 1/2 and put some turkey and provolone on it with some spicy ground mustard. It was pretty spectacular, thanks Colleen for the suggestion

Soft Pretzels

taken directly from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

2¼ tsp. instant yeast

22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

For finishing:

Cooking spray

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water

Pretzel (or kosher) salt

Directions:

To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope. Make a U-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.