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Super Simple Homemade Pretzels

These are so fun to make with kids, plus they taste great! The dough is simple with only 4 ingredients and is very easy to make. Let your kids shape them into pretzels, Mikey Mouse, bunnies, letters, or anything else they'd like to do.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp yeast
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 3-4 cups flour I like bread flour
  • 2 cups hot water as hot as your tap will go
  • 2 Tbsp baking soda

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine your warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir in flour (starting with 3 cups) and salt. Knead on medium speed. Add remaining 1/4 cup of flour at a time until the dough clears the bowl. Knead for 12-15 minutes on medium speed.
  • Allow dough to rest for 15-20 minutes in a warm location. (This is a great time to clean up any dough mess you have so you don't have as much to clean up when they're done.)
  • After the dough has risen, spray your counter with non-stick spray. Turn out your dough and divide it into 12 pieces. (I divide my dough into 4 pieces, then divide each of the 4 pieces into three additional pieces, a great time to teach real-world division to your kids).
  • Roll each piece into large ropes and shape into desired shapes. This is a great time to have kids make whichever shapes they would like. We like to make bunnies, pretzels, and Mickey Mouse shapes, which are shown in the LIVE meet up for these pretzels.
  • While everyone is making shapes prepare the baking soda water. In a large square, pan combine 2 cups warm to hot water and baking soda (if you feel you need more water for your stuff to correctly dip, just know that the ratio is 1 Tbsp baking soda to 1 cup water. After the dough is shaped, dip them in the baking soda water and onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.
  • When you start dipping your dough in the baking soda water, it's time to heat your oven to 425 degrees. This will allow your dough to sit for a few minutes while your oven is pre-heating. Once your oven is ready, bake your dough shapes for 8-10 minutes.
  • While your pretzels are warm out of the oven, rub butter over the tops and sprinkle on your topping either coarse kosher salt, cinnamon sugar, everything bagel seasoning, or anything else that sounds good.
  • Dip in honey mustard sauce (there's a good one in the Outsmart Dinner Meal Planner) or nacho cheese sauce.

Notes

If you want you can make one freeze one (you know how I love doing that!) and freeze the cooked pretzels for another day.  Simply lay the pretzels out on a lined baking sheet and into the freezer until they're frozen (an hour or two), then remove to a ziploc bag and place in the freezer.  To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 30ish seconds or until warmed through.