Easy Homemade Pretzels - Your Way!

When the sweets of the season start to get boring (if that can possibly happen!), this is a fun way to provide the family with a new treat and not so much sugar. And, you can make them a lot cheaper than the ones they sell at the malls, too.

Easy Homemade Pretzels - Your Way!

1 ½ tablespoons dry yeast
1-1/2 cups cool water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
8-10 cups water
½ cup baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
Coarse salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, popcorn salt, etc.

　
Dissolve yeast in the 1 ½ cups of water. Add the sugar, salt, and enough flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on a well-floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased (use vegetable oil spray) bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let risedoubled, about 1 hour.

For large pretzels, divide the dough into 12 portions. Roll each into an 18-in. rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan until they are all made.

In a large pot, bring the 8-10 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. Carefully place each of the pretzels into boiling water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Put the ‘boiled’ pretzels back on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with egg; sprinkle with desired topping.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Timing depends on the size of your pretzels. Cool on wire racks and serve warm or cold.

Ideas . . .

You can divide the dough into 24 portions if you’d like smaller pretzels.

I’ve been known to add 1/4 cup of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese to the pretzel dough.

You can go with a topping of cinnamon and sugar, too. I like the sweet and not so sweet taste between the topping and the pretzel.