Soft Pretzels From Scratch

 You ever want a soft pretzel, but those freezer brand pretzels or stale convenient store brands won't cut it? Well turns out they're pretty easy to make, require few ingredients and are not at all time consuming.

To add to the benefits, these are vegan friendly

This is what you'll need:
1 1/8 tsp Yeast 
2 Tbsp    Brown Sugar
3/4 cup   Water
2 cups    Flour(you can use half wheat if you want)
Salt to taste (or cinnamon sugar is you want)

2 Tbsp   Baking Soda
More water (it's not rocket science, enough to fill a pot 2/3 full)

Equiptment: Mixing bowl, rubber spatula, pot to bowl water, thermometer, baking sheet, microwave

Yea...that's it

 Ok, you're gonna want to put your yeast and your brown sugar into your mixing bowl

Use your microwave to heat your water to about 120 degree fahrenheit, this temperature is important and will keep your yeast happy for it's short life. When this is done, pour the water in with the year, stir it to dissolve the sugar and then let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Yeast is alive, after getting the sugar to dissolve just let it sit. Seeing small bubbles grow is a good thing.  If you smell it now, it'll smell just like a soft pretzel

While your waiting, preheat the oven to 475

 Add your flour to the yeast mixture in 1/2 cup increments, mix it in with your spatula until it starts to become a thick dough then use your hands (this will be messy).
Once you have a dough that seems right (it will not yet be elastic and thick), move on to step 5 (but still read step 4!).

Use a pot that will be big enough for a pretzel to fit in. Add water till your pot is around 2/3 full and throw in your baking soda. Bring this mixture to a boil.

Flour your counter and knead the dough till it's smooth and elastic. the knead, smooth it out, fold it hard, rotate 90 degree and repeat the process.It might take a few minutes, be patient.

If the dough is too wet, keep adding flour to the counter and knead it in very gradually

If it starts to dry out knead it in the air a safe distance above your boiling water(you might want to turn the heat down for this, you don't want to scald yourself) the idea is to introduce the water vapor created by the pot back into your dough but this is a last resort

Sadly there's no trick to dough, when it's right it's right and you just have to know that or use your best judgement

 Ok, this amount of dough should make 4 to 5 pretzels. To make the classic pretzel shape, split up your dough and roll it in your hands to make a snake (remember play dough snakes? do it like that).
you'll want it as long as possible, but not too thin (after all, the soft insides are the best) then lay it on the counter and shape like so:

Both ends away from you, twist ends, and lay them down towards you. The pros can make this one movement...I'm not a pro.

Now, remember that water you have boiling, slide each pretzel into the mixture with a spatula. Left it boil for at least one minute of until it floats to the top of the water. Prod it to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. This process will make that moist, and almost sticky and rubbery. The baking soda will add a nice shiny coat to the pretzel and the salt will tick pretty easily now.

Once you have them shaped, add salt (preferably corse salt) or whatever you please to taste, put them on a greased baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 8 minutes or until brown.

 There you have it, your own soft pretzels from scratch, better and more rewarding then the freezer microwavable brand.