Homemade Soft Pretzels

I was on FaceBook earlier and saw that it was "National Pretzel Day," and I thought what the heck. Let's try it. I had just had a great pretzel from a food truck recently and had contemplated the task. It didn't look so hard by the recipe. I was more worried about recreating the iconic shape to at least recognizable standards than I was the actual flavor. It also makes only six, so no big loss if I screw it up, either.  After reading quite a few recipes, I took what I liked best about each one and came up with this:

The PERFECT Pretzel!

 And Hunter had a GREAT time helping Mommy kneed the dough!

So here's the recipe!

The PERFECT Pretzel

1 c milk

1 pkg yeast

3 T brown sugar

1 t salt

3 T unsalted butter, room temp

2 1/4 c flour plus more for kneeding

1/3c baking soda dissolved in 3 c water

PLUS your favorite dipping sauces!

To make dough: Heat milk in microwave or in saucepan to 110 degrees. Lukewarm. Whisk in yeast and let sit for two minutes. Pour into large bowl and stir in brown sugar and salt. Add one cup of flour and stir with large spoon. When well-blended, add the remaining 1 1/4c flour and stir to form a sticky dough. Turn onto floured surface, and, adding flour as necessary, kneed for five minutes. Form dough into ball and place in greased bowl and cover until doubled in bulk, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place saute pan on stove and heat 3 c water with 1/3 c baking soda. Bring to boil. Punch dough in, and, using floured surface, divide into six equal sections and roll each into 24" ropes, shaping into "pretzel" shape. Let sit for two minutes, then place each one into boiling water mixture for ten seconds on each side. Using straining spoon, drain and place on well-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve with favorite dips.

Enjoy!