PRETZELS ???

Friday.. the day after Thanksgiving was rather boring and I found myself in a baking mood. We still had all the leftovers from the day before, but wanted to be doing something.

So, I was just searching the internet or was it the different blog on here. I can't quite remember how I came upon this website, but found a great recipe for Pretzels? Well .. the name of the recipe is Pretzels, but they came out more like bread sticks. No complaints though..they were still delicious and the first batch went so quick, I had to make another one.
On the first try, I made "Pretzel sticks" and they tasted great, but I figured they would taste better if made into bread sticks. So, on the second batch I made them a little thicker and wider. They were delicious. I didn't use any salt on the "bread sticks/pretzels" . I just brushed on the butter and sprinkled some onion powder/garlic powder/and Parmesan cheese.. MMMmmmm.... the cheese really made them even more delicious. The second batch is almost all gone too and it's only been a day since I baked them. I didn't shape them into pretzel shape either time and I think I got more than 15 of them on the second batch.. but don't really remember.

Now on to the recipe....



PRETZELS?/BREAD STICKS?

For the dough:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water (you may need a little more)

For the pretzel topping:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• whatever toppings you like …

1. Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Work the ingredients together until you can form a ball. If the dough is very dry, add a bit more warm water until it comes together. The dough will look messy, but don’t worry about it.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, and then folding it back in onto itself. Push the dough away again and then fold back in. Continue this motion, working the dough until it’s smooth. This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a mixer with your dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes).
3. Once the dough is done, sprinkle some flour on the dough and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. It will rise considerably.
4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 450 degrees F worked for me and I used one baking sheet.
   
5. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and set aside.
6. Divide your dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rope that’s roughly 24 inches in length. (Don’t make it too long or your pretzels will be too thin.) I just cut slices off the dough ball and made each stick about 4 inches long I also skipped the neXt two steps because I went with sticks
7. Taking hold of the ends of the rope, cross the rope over itself to form a circle with about 4 to 5 inches on each end that are sticking out. Twist the ends over themselves and secure each end on either side of the pretzel.
8. Carefully dip the pretzel in the water and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
9. Sprinkle the pretzels with the kosher salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes. I
10. Put the pretzels in the oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pretzels so that they don’t burn.
11. Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with the butter. Keep brushing them with butter until you’ve used it all.
12. Add your toppings