Soft Pretzels galore!

The third treat of  Christmas: Homemade soft pretzels

While Hubby and I have been Virginians for 2.5 years now, we are Philly natives at heart when it comes to Philly pretzels. The past couple times we've traveled north, we've been sure to grab some nuggets (my fav) fresh out of the oven. Dear Lord, what a difference it made. Pillows of buttery goodness. Between the need for Philly pretzels and missing Wawa, sometimes PA seems a world away!

So naturally, Hubby and I proposed to try our own, homemade and baked soft pretzels. I'm very happy to report they were pretty darn easy and yummy right out of our own oven. However, my need to make them guilt-free backfired in taste. I threw in the last of my whole wheat flour combined with all purpose, and while they definitely came out tasty and fun, the "healthy" part of the flour came through. You could taste the wheatiness of the pretzel first, and I was a little disappointed with it. Still, they were yummy, I can't deny that. Moral of the story: sometimes the classic way, is the way to go!

As long as you have the time to dedicate to the rising of the dough, these are sooooo worth making at home! I'm definitely going to make these when family comes to town. I'm going to try thinner braiding next time because ours came out huge after the rising! Definitely a "gotta skip dinner" pretzel if you ate the whole thing! The whole boiling aspect surprised me, but aside from the rising, these babies puffed up like crazy when they hit the water. Very fun!

Courtesy of Cook.com

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm water
1 cup flour
4 cups flour, mixed with
1 tablespoon salt, more flour if needed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

coarse salt

Directions:
1. In large bowl, stir yeast, sugar and warm water.

2. Let rest til yeast is dissolved and is a little foamy.

3. Stir in 1 cup flour. Then rest of flour mixed with the 1 Tbl salt.

4. Knead on lightly floured surface til smooth.

5. Place in oiled bowl, rolling around til all oiled. Cover and let rise till doubled in size.

6. Remove and knead again just a little bit, gently.

7. Cut into 16 pcs., roll each pc.into 14" ropes, shape into pretzels and place on greased cookie sheet.

8. Cover and let rise 15 minutes.

9. Drop each, one or 2 at a time into a small pot of boiling water, boiling each 1 minute, and replace back onto greased cookie sheet.

10. Brush each with eggwash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs water), sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in preheated 450º oven for 12-15 minutes