Soft Pretzels

Suck it Auntie Anne's!  I'm sick of paying $3 for a pretzel.  Seriously, when did something so simple become so expensive???  My child asks for a soft pretzel every time we go to the mall or Target or Sam's Club.  She sees the signs for them and "needs" one.  If I bought one soft pretzel every-other week that's over $75 worth of pretzels for the year!!!! And embarrassingly enough there's weeks when I buy 2-3 of these suckers.  Our soft pretzel craving can just wait until we get home from now on because with this recipe I'm all set!  This will be a great recipe to use during football season too ... what a great snack to serve during a game.  The pretzels turn out picture perfect and taste delicious.  I brushed mine with melted butter when they came out of the oven.  I'm sure you could leave off the salt and use sugar & cinnamon to make them a sweet treat.  Enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1/4 cup baking soda 2 cups hot water 2 tablespoons kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one  tablespoon of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4.	When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.