Soft Pretzels

I got this recipe from Elizabeth.

This is the first time I ever worked with yeast so I was a bit worried. My dough didn't really rise, but I didn't wait past the hour. I figured I had messed up. The rolling out the dough was weird because air would get in and separate the dough. But overall they were easy to make.

Result: AWESOME! So making these again.

Soft Pretzels

Photo by ALB

Ingredients

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 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 or two tablespoons of water (I added about 6-7). 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. (Mine didn't double but I went ahead with it...I think it did rise).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 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 greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. (I also sprayed with Parkay).

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 237 Total Fat: 1.7g Cholesterol: 0mg

I got 15, ran it through Sparkpeople...I got

Calories: 170

Fat:1

Fiber: 1.4

And sodium was very high.