My daughter Taylor attempted to make soft pretzels this past year and we were impressed! These delightful, chewy pretzels are every bit as good as the ones you can find at a mall pretzel stand…and cost much less! Mike and I are both from New York State, so we like ours topped with yellow mustard. These pretzels are so good you can experiment with toppings and still have a winner!
Soft Pretzels
1 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1/2 t. brown sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 c. warm water-110 degrees
4 c. bread flour
1 t. baking soda
4 t. warm water
1 c. butter, melted
Toppings (see variations)
Combine first 4 ingredients; let sit 5 minutes. Stir flour into mixture and knead for 5 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Divide dough into 8-10 equal sized pieces; roll each piece into a rope and shape into a pretzel. Stir baking soda into warm water. Dip pretzels into mixture and lay coated pretzel onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake in 550 degree oven for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush melted butter onto hot pretzels.
Variations:
Traditional Salt Pretzels: Brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt. Serve with yellow mustard.
Parmesan Cheese Pretzels: Brush with butter and sprinkle with a mixture of 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese and 1 t. garlic salt. Serve with marinara sauce.
Cinnamon-Sugar Pretzels: Stir 2 Tbsp. honey into melted butter before brushing on pretzels. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1/2 c. granulated sugar and 1 t. ground cinnamon.