I find myself craving soft pretzels at times. Who can resist their soft, doughy saltiness?? I love these because you can put whatever you want on them – cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, Parmesan, or just plain salted. The best part is that they’re wayyy cheaper to make than to buy at the mall!

Making these is a ton of fun; I’ll have to keep making them so I can practice on my pretzel twisting…

Soft Pretzels
adapted from allrecipes.com
serves 12

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons butter, melted

toppings of your choice* (for the photo above, I used cinnamon sugar)

1. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl of warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until creamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour melted butter and yeast mixture into well and stir to combine. Slowly incorporate remaining 2 cups flour to form dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 7 – 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough into bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 415°F. In a large bowl, mix baking soda and hot water.
5. When dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 even pieces. Roll pieces into ropes and twist into a pretzel shape.
6. Dip pretzels into the baking soda water before placing on baking sheet.
7. Brush pretzels with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with topping of your choice.
8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

*For toppings, try the following:

• kosher salt, served with melted cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar
• garlic salt, served with melted cheese
• Parmesan cheese, served with marinara sauce