Soft Pretzels!

These are so perfect, so amazing, so full of carbs!  It's our second to last day of break and these were the perfect project.  The kids loved working with the dough.  It's really an easy dough to work with and super simple to make actual pretzel shapes (or whatever shape your kid dreams up).  We all enjoyed the process, so we'll be making these again and again.

Delilah gives her pretzel creations a thumbs up.

Check out the original recipe here or my ever so slightly modified version below.

Soft Pretzels
(slightly modified, original recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007)

Total Time: 1 hr 55 min
Prep: 30 min
Inactive: 1 hr
Cook: 25 min (less for smaller pretzels)
Yield:10-12 pretzels

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar OR honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups (or 3 cups white, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat)
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted (half stick or 4 tablespoons)

Vegetable oil, for pan (or olive oil or use silicone mats and skip the oil)

For boiling:
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda

For after boiling:
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water (we skipped this)
Pretzel salt (or kosher salt)

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (or food processor) and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment (or plastic blade if using a food proc), mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes (or less in a one speed food proc). Remove the dough from the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil (or use another bowl if using a food proc). Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with silicone mats (or parchment paper). Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface (spray oil works great) and divide into 16 equal pieces for equal pretzel shapes, or just let the kids grab a chunk and create.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30-90 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, quickly sprinkle salt on top OR brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.