homemade soft pretzels

husband and i might have a little obsession with the soft pretzels you can get at the mall. okay we do! so sue us! whenever we walk past an auntie ann's or wetzel's pretzel's, we give in to the smell. we love getting the cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, or the almond sugar pretzels. so finally i decided to attempt this little favorites of ours, and i was worried the homemade version would never live up to the real thing. well, news flash! as with many other foods, homemade wins. they actually turned out so yummy, and even chase approved. ding ding! here is the recipe we used..

homemade cinnamon sugar pretzels

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
to taste coarse salt
4 tablespoons melted butter 

directions:

sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. let rise at least 1/2 hour. 

while dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. make sure to stir often. once dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. *the longer and thinner you roll the dough rope, the better shaped they will be.* dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. allow pretzels to rise again. bake in 450 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. 

for the famous cinnamon sugar dipped pretzel we love, melting 1/2 stick of butter in a shallow bowl {big enough to fit the entire pretzel} .in another shallow bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides. then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy! 

 XO