This is a favorite comfort food for a lot of people. Soft Pretzels bring feelings of nostalgia... they make me think of sporting events and Disney World! My husband loves pretzel bread used for sandwiches so I thought that it would be a fun thing to try to make. It actually isn't too hard it just takes a bit of time. I was inspired by a couple recipes and kind of made it my own (thank you

Smitten Kitchen

and

Half Baked Harvest

)

Here is the full recipe, but I actually cut this recipe in half when I made them and it worked out great!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (if you can't find this you can use light brown sugar)

1 package active dry yeast

1 stick unsalted (organic) butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons salt (I like kosher)

4 1/2-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

olive oil to grease the bowl

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup baking soda to add to the bowling water

Coarse sea salt to sprinkle over the pretzels

Don't worry if you don't have a stand mixer. This can be done by hand it's just more of a workout!

*Combine the warm water, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl or stand mixer with dough hook attachment.

*Sprinkle with the yeast and let stand for 5-10 minutes. I mixed the yeast in a bit.

*With the mixer on low add 1 cup of flour and the salt

*Slowly add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and beat on medium speed for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticky then add the last 1/2 cup of flour in small amounts until it is smooth.

*Remove from dough and knead on a floured surface a few more times to form a smooth ball.

*Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Coat the bowl with the oil by swirling it or using a pastry brush.

*Place dough in the bowl rolling it around till it is all covered with the oil.

*Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.

*Preheat oven to 425 degrees

*Fill a large shallow pot with water and bring to a bowl

*Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper

* Punch down the risen dough and place on a flat surface. Knead a couple times and separate into about 16 pieces (or however big you would like them to be)

*Roll each piece into a long rope using your hands (about 12-18 inches)

*Form into "pretzel" shape.... right over left and back around to the right. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel for 15 minutes.

*Slowly add the baking soda (and about a tablespoon of sugar...optional) to the boiling water...it will foam up.

*Slightly lower the temperature of the water so that it isn't a rolling boil. Add pretzels two or three at a time (depending on size) to the water and poach for about 30 seconds on each side. Use your slotted spoon or spatula to splash the tops of the dough with water.

*Use a slotted spoon or slotted spatula to remove the dough from the water. I patted it on a towel to remove excess water then place on the baking sheet.