Mall Pretzels

Here's another great recipe I found on Allrecipes. I've made them twice now and was able to figure out all the little quirks this time. They are totally yummy!

With lots of kids in and out of the house all day long, it seems more economical to whip something up from scratch rather than open a box of something, and these are so worth the effort!

Here ya go:

MALL PRETZELS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 T brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour (more, if needed)

Baking Soda Bath:
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. The dough should be soft and workable--if it's totally sticky, add more flour until you can handle it without getting it stuck all over your hands. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2. Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.

3. After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on cookie sheet greased with butter or margarine and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

My own personal tips: Cutting the dough into 12 pieces (instead of pulling off random chunks, like I did the first time) is important, otherwise some of your pretzels will be too thick, others to thin. I roll mine into ropes on my glass stovetop and I know I've got them thin enough when the rope reaches from one side of the stovetop to the other. Also, I used regular table salt the first time because that's all I had, but then I bought coarse kosher salt to use on the next batch and it made a huge difference.

Enjoy!

Tamara