Homemade Soft Pretzels; Better Than The Mall

My husband is a VERY picky eater. Like, would win a pickiest eater contest picky, so when he finds something he likes he wants it A LOT. He will try things at resterants and if he likes it then I will come home and try to copy it so he can have something new in his limited diet. His newest food addiction..Soft pretzels from the mall. I was getting suspcious as to why my husband was OFFERING to take me to the mall several times in the past few weeks and then I realized it was so he could get a pretzel from Auntie Annes.

I decided to try to make them at home. My copy cat receipes in the past have been good, but never taste EXACTLY like the oringinals. Until now!!! These pretzels are just as good if not BETTER than the ones from the mall!

Heres how to make them

Makes roughly 12 pretzels
Ingrediants

2 cups of milk
1 1/2 tablespoons (2 packs) of active dry yeast
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of butter, melted
4 1/2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of fine salt

1/3 cup of baking soda
3 cups of warm water
Course salt
8 tablespoons of butter, melted into a shallow dish


Warm up the milk in the microwave or on the stove for just about one and a half minutes.  If it's too hot it will kill the yeast. You should be able to comfortably keep your finger in it. Stir in the yeast and let it sit for about 3 minutes.

 Add the butter and sugar. Add the flour about 1 cup at a time and then add the fine salt. Kneed for about 10 minutes with a stand mixer if you have one, or by hand {which is how I did it}. Put it in a greased bowl and cover with greased cling wrap. Let rise for 1 hour in a moist, warm place until doubled in size.

 Preheat the oven to 450º. Punch down dough and divide into 12 lumps (I like to divide it in half, then divide each half into three, and then divide each remaining one in half again).

 Roll them all out as thin as you can. Combine the warm water and baking soda in a wide bowl. Form the dough into pretzel shapes, then dip in the baking soda water.

Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for about 7-11 minutes or until browned. Dip each in the melted butter while hot, turning to coat both sides.

 

We made pretzel sticks and also somm mini bites, which were my favorite.

 I have made them twice in the last week so beleive me, they are SO GOOD...Go make some, right now, you can thank me later by bringing one by my house. Your welcome :)