Soft Pretzels & Bread Bowls

These are a bit time consuming, but so worth the effort. We love them! Soft and chewy and buttery. We ate them with this delicious Beer and Cheddar Bacon Soup. Fantastic!

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• About 4 1/2 cups flour
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
• 2-3 quart pot full of water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• course salt

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, sugar, yeast and salt on low speed for 10 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and butter. Mix on low until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approx. 4 minutes. Take the dough out of the bowl and spray the bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for approx. an hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Spray a pastry mat or cutting board lightly with oil. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into about a 24-inch rope and then make into a pretzel shape. See link below for detailed pictures! Cover the remaining dough with a towel while you work, so it doesn't dry out. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Bring the pot of water and baking soda to a rolling boil. Using a flat spatula, gently lower the pretzels into the boiling water and boil them for about 30 seconds. you can probably boil 2-3 pretzels at a time. Remove the pretzels from the water using your spatula, draining as much water off as possible and place on cookie sheet. Brush with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with course salt. Bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Serve warm.

To Make Pretzel Bread Bowls OR Rolls:

After the first rise separate the dough into four even balls, for bread bowls, or into 6-8 balls, for dinner rolls. Place on floured surface, about 2 inches apart, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes. Continue as above directs with the baking soda bath. Brush with butter and sprinkle salt and bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned. When cooled scoop out inside, if using for bread bowls, leaving about an inch of pretzel and fill with your favorite soup.

Freezer directions: pretzels, bowls and rolls can be frozen after baked. Just cool completely and then place in a freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months. When ready to eat, thaw to room temperature and then wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes.