by Tammy L Mahan

Created on: August 25, 2008   Last Updated: February 01, 2012

Soft pretzels are a great snack. I made my first batch a decade ago when my daughter generously volunteered me to help prepare the food for her class's yearly carnival. Much to my pleasant surprise the pretzels were easy to make and they tasted great.

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons of quick rising yeast
1 Tablespoon of baking soda
1 and three quarters cup of warm water

Preparation

In a mixing bowl add the water and yeast, then add the flour and stir. Knead the mixture until it is smooth and doesn't stick to your fingers, if it sticks just add a tablespoon more of flour. Cover the ball of dough and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes. In the meantime, you need a cookie sheet lightly greased and to preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Once the dough is ready use a rolling pin roll it out so it is about 2-3 inches thick. Use a sharp knife to cut it in to strips, you should get about 16 strips. Take two strips and twist them together to form your pretzel shape.

Once you have them all made set them on the cookie sheet and using a pastry brush or even a clean paint brush cover the top with a little water and add your salt. Bake for 15 minutes until the pretzels are a nice brown color.

Topping Variations

If you prefer something other than salt you can try one of these toppings.

Cinnamon, mustard (instead of brushing the pretzel with water, put a fine line of mustard on the pretzel). You can also melt some cheese and brush it on before baking.

Dipping Sauces

Pretzels are great with dipping sauces.

~Spicy Cheese Sauce~
One 8oz brick of sharp cheese (melted)
A half a cup of hot peppers
One half cup of milk
Bring to a boil in a sauce pan and let cool.

Honey Mustard
One cup of prepared mustard
A half a cup of honey
One tablespoon brown sugar
One tablespoon molasses
Three tablespoons of water
Bring to boil and let cool.

You can also use cream cheese mixtures as a dip. I prefer the already prepared ones such as the strawberry flavored or the green onion flavored. They are easy enough to make also.

One 8 oz. package of cream cheese
3 tablespoons of strawberry jam or any type of fruit preserve.

For a veggie flavor
One 8 oz. package of cream cheese
One half cup of finely chopped green onions or any type of vegetable. Fresh dill is great too.

With a little imagination, you can create an assortment of awesome tasting dips for your pretzels.

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