Makes 1 dozen.
Courtesy of The Joy of Cooking.
Combine:
1 pkg active dry yeast
and 1 cup 105-115 degree Fahrenheit water
(If you don't have a thermometer like me, I just boil water and combine half boiling and half chilled water, it should feel hotter than your personal temperature but not too hot.)
Let it react... You will see it happen.
Combine this with:
1.5cups sifted flour
2 tbsp softened butter (unsalted)
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Mix (preferably whisk) for 3 minutes or more if you are feelin kinda crazy.
Add:
1.25 cups more sifted flour and knead until it isn't sticky any longer.
Let it sit, in a greased bowl, covered, until it doubles in size.
And then split into 12 even pieces. Roll each one into a skinny little dough stick, shape it into a pretzel (easier than it seems).
Now SERIOUSLY....
Grease the baking sheet real good!
Boil:
4 cups water
5 tsp baking soda
Boil the pretzels in the mixture for one minute each and then garnish with salt, cinnamon and sugar, honey and mustard, or any thing you damn please. You know how pretzels taste, what would be awesome?
Bake at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until they look pretty toasty.Take it out, hopefully you greased it good enough. Even if not, they will just be a bit malformed.
Eat it, love it. Hopefully you need not store it, but if so.... airtight, up to a week.
