One Busy and crazy Life...A mom, a wife, an employee all in one.: Homemade pretzels

Week 2

So making pretzels seems like an impossible task. I have never made pretzels because I thought it was way to complicated. Now I think we will making them often, they were easier then expected and way yummier then those store bought ones. I learned from a couple of mistakes. I saw this recipe in Woman’s Day magazine and it looked easy.

Soft Pretzels
1 1/4 oz active dry yeast ( 2 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 to 4 3/4 c. flour
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp baking soda

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, salt, and 2 c. of flour. Warm 1 1/2 c. of water, add the water and 1 tsp oil to the flour mix. Using and electric mixer, beat until smooth, about 2 mins.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add 2 c. of flour( 1/3 c. at a time), mixing until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead in 1/2 c. of the remaining flour until dough is smooth (add more if still sticky), about 5 minutes.
3. Coat a large bowl with the remaining tbsp. of oil. Place the dough into the bowl, then turn it so it is oiled-side up. Cover with a clean towel and let rest in a warm place until it doubles in size. About 45 mins.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (we didn’t have paper so we used tinfoil, make sure you spray with oil before putting in oven. Preheat oven to 400* . Punch down the dough and cut into 8 pieces (they were really big, you could even cut them into 16 pieces for smaller sizes)

In the meantime put some water in a saucepan ( I used my wok because it was the perfect size), add 2 tbs of Baking soda to the water and get it to a simmering point.

with lightly floured hands (don’t put flour on counter because you need the friction) Roll each piece in 1/2 “ rope.

then take each strip and make a U shape then take ends twist and fold over to make the pretzel shape. Use water to secure the ends to the dough.

Next gather all the topping you wish to use on the pretzels for example: parmesan cheese, salt, cinnamon and sugar, any other toppings plus melted butter.