Soft Pretzels

I wish I had a picture to share, but unfortunately these pretzels were gone before I got to the camera :(.  Because of the past few snow days which have kept me from school, we had to make snow day food.  Soft pretzels are a key element and are absolutely necessary for the full and grand snow-day effect.  I'm not going to say that they go amazingly with hot cocoa, because they don't, but it is still nice to have a cupful of that nearby.  I highly recommend the Hershey's recipe for hot cocoa, it is simple.  If your tired of the classic hot cocoa though, it's fun to add a small pinch of cinnamon, it creates a new sort of flavor.  Back to the pretzels.  They work great for breakfast, but with the recipe I use, you need to make sure that you have enough for people to take seconds and maybe thirds, because these aren't super huge.  I'll put the recipe below and you might want to try them next time it snows, just make sure yeast is somewhere around the house.

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart's website, so it isn't mine, but it's my favorite.  These are the best snow day food, or any time during winter.  Whether you are coming in from the cold or getting ready to curl up and read a favorite book, these pretzels are absolutely sensational!

Ingredients  

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 packet active dry yeast

5 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon salt

1 large egg

coarse or pretzel salt

Pour warm water into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  In a small bowl, combine water with sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Sprinkle the water with the yeast, and let sit for 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.  Add one cup of flour to the yeast and mix on low until combined.  Add salt and 4 cups of flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.  Beat on medium-low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Add one half a cup of flour and mix on low for a minute more.  If the dough is still to sticky add another 1/2 cup of flour.; knead until combined, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a lightly floured board, Knead once or twice and separate into 16 pieces and wrap in plastic. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; 8 will fit on each sheet. Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile bring 2 inches of water in a large shallow pot to a boil.  Add the baking soda and reduce to a simmer.  Add three to four pretzels to the water and poach for 1 minute, then used slotted spoon to put them on the baking sheet.  Brush pretzels with egg glaze and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  It sounds complicated but it has delicious results!