soft pretzels

These really are the greatest pretzels ever. I think we’ve made them at least 6 times, and they are consistently delicious. They are also good as pretzel bites; after rolling the long ropes, just cut into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces instead of twisting into pretzels.

Soft Pretzels

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
about 1 cup warm water
pretzel salt (I used sea salt instead)
1 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Slowly add warm water (don’t add more than you need!). Kneed dough until smooth and elastic. Dust dough with flour, and put in a plastic bag. Seal the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand. Let rest 30 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, and form each into a rope 28-30 inches long. Twist into pretzel shape. Dip each pretzel in warm water. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Let rest 10 minutes. Bake 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter.