Pretzels

Salted Baked Pretzel

You, and the kids, can take a lot of liberties with the fun toppings on these yummy pretzels.  Top baked pretzels with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat, sprinkle with coarse salt, or top with grated cheese and pepperoni.

Pretzel Dough:

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

¼ cup brown sugar

1 1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons baking soda

In bowl of electric mixer whisk yeast with warm water by hand until dissolved.  Add brown sugar and salt and whisk by hand.  Attach dough hook and mix in flour, adding one cup at a time until a dough forms.  Mix for 5 more minutes.  Cover bowl and rise until double, about an hour.  In a small bowl mix baking soda in hot water.  Prepare two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Remove dough and divide into about 12 equally sized pieces of dough.  On countertop, using no flour, unless necessary, roll dough out to about as thin as a pencil, if you can.  Wrap into pretzel form and dip in soda water and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, unless you are using the cinnamon and sugar topping.  Let rise a few minutes and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, or top with grated cheese and pepperoni and place back in the oven for a minute until cheese melts.  For a sweet treat, dip hot pretzels in the Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel Topping.  Serve hot!

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel

Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel Topping:

½ cup butter

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

In small saucepan melt butter and honey and vanilla.  In a medium bowl mix sugar and cinnamon.  While pretzels are still hot from the oven, dip top of pretzels in melted butter mixture and then into cinnamon sugar mixture.  Serve hot!