Homemade Pretzel Shapes With Sauces

These homemade pretzel shapes are surprisingly easy to make! What makes pretzels unique is that the dough is boiled before baking. You can make them the generic pretzel shapes or form them into hearts, twists, etc.

(This is a recipe for a whole batch, which makes alot)

Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, and 6 tbsp melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a dough hook until combined. Let rest 5 minutes. Add the 4 1/2 - 5 cups of flour and 2 1/2 tsp salt and mix until combined (and pulled away from the sides of the bowl; add more flour if necessary). Remove dough from bowl, knead into a ball, coat bowl with a tbsp of canola oil, and replace dough in the bowl. Turn to coat dough in oil. Now cover the bowl with a towel, and set aside for an hour to raise.

After an hour of raising, turn the dough out onto a pastry mat. Now you can divide, roll, and shape as you wish. It really doesn't matter how big things are, but they will expand slightly in the water. (Also, make sure to press any ends tightly to the rest, as it may undo itself in the water)

Bring 3 qts of water to a boil, and once boiling, add 1/3 cup of baking soda. (Leave burner on throughout.) Even if it has ceased to boil at this point, the water is ready for the shapes to be dropped in. After about 30 seconds per batch (they should look slimy, as seen in the 6th picture of this set), remove onto a greased baking sheet, (not touching, but they can be fairly close together), brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with salt as desired.

Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

For dipping sauces, I used dijon mustard and a butter/olive oil/garlic powder/Italian seasoning mixture, but the sauces are optional, and you can use whatever appeals to you!