These Soft Baked Pretzels Taste Ballpark Perfect and They're Easy to Make!

These soft pretzels are an ideal bake-with-your-kids project that will introduce them to the magic of working with yeast. Soft, chewy and delicious, they’re fantastic on their own and would also make amazing burger or sandwich buns. Whip up a batch and take them with you on a spring or summertime outdoor adventure for a fun, fresh low-sugar snack option. 

Easy soft baked pretzels

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
5 tbsp white sugar, divided
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
2 3/4 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg at room temperature
Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

• Pour warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar into a large bowl (use a stand mixer with dough hook if you have one) and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit for about 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy.
   
• Add 1 cup of flour to the activated yeast and mix on low speed until combined. Add salt and 1.5 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
   
• Beat on medium-low until the dough begins to come together in a ball and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl (2 – 3 minutes). Add another 1/4 cup flour, and knead on low for 1 minute. If the dough is still too sticky to handle, add 1/4 cup more flour; knead until thoroughly combined.
   
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter, and knead by hand for about 2 minutes. The dough should now be smooth and elastic.
   
• Pour the canola oil into a medium bowl (twice the size of the dough ball).  Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough over and over to coat completely with oil.
   
• Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel (an oven preheated to 170F then turned off is great for this) for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
   
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (two sheets if making small pretzels). Punch down dough in the bowl, to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured counter.
   
• Knead the dough a few times just to bring it together into a ball again then divide into 8 pieces (about 1/3 cup of dough for each piece) or 16 if making small pretzels (3 tablespoons of dough per piece). Separate the pieces of dough from each other on the countertop and cover them with a clean tea towel.
   
• Roll one piece of dough at a time into a 24-inch-long rope about 1/2-inch-thick; form it into a u-shape then twist the two ends of the rope in the middle and draw the twist towards the rounded part of the U to form a classic pretzel shape.

• Transfer the shaped dough to the prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Let pretzels rest for 15 minutes.
   
• Preheat oven to 450F and fill a large, shallow pot with 4 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add remaining 3 teaspoons of sugar along with the baking soda. Stir to combine well and reduce heat so the liquid is just simmering.
   
• Gently place three or four pretzels in the hot water bath and cook one minute per side, then remove with a slotted spoon and put back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue with remaining pretzels.
   
• Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
   
• Let cool briefly on a wire rack, then eat while still warm, served with your favourite mustard (or mustard and mayonnaise combined) as a dipping sauce.
   
• Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but can be frozen and reheated in the oven very nicely.

Makes 8 full-sized or 16 small pretzels.

IMAGE SOURCES: COURTESY OF PAULA ROY

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