Soft Pretzels

When I was younger, there was a place in the mall that sold soft pretzels and slushies. I used to get them all the time. I must have been the only one because I haven't seen traditional soft pretzels for sale anywhere since. So here I am, attempting to re-create a fond childhood memory.

I looked for an easy recipe that didn’t require a ton of time, which means no boiling before baking and no yeast. Normally I would be a skeptic but my cinnamon buns without yeast were awesome, so here goes nothing!

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup of milk (I used skim)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg for egg wash
• course salt

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees, grease a large baking sheet.

2.  In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With fingers, rub in the butter until it resembles a course meal.

3. Add milk slowly, and until a dough forms (You might need a little more flour or milk depending on your batch) dough should not be too sticky or too dry.

4. Divide dough into small equal sections. I made one pretzel to judge how much dough was needed per twist. Roll out dough with fingers into a snake, and form into shape.

5. Place each twist onto the baking sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle salt onto each one. Bake for approx 10 minutes or until tops are golden.  Serve warm with cheese sauce, or by themselves. Makes approx a dozen pretzels.