Pretzels

In Calvert Kindergarten, for one art assignment, Mark (translation: mostly Mom) made number pretzels. They provided a recipe for pretzel dough, and the child formed them into numbers. Well, he loved them, as did everyone else in the household. Friday night, he wanted to make number pretzels again; why not?

I used to bread machine to mix the dough, and let the boys measure out the ingredients. These are really good. While you don't have to shape your into numbers or letters, as my boys did, you certainly can - doesn't that make them more fun anyway?

SOFT PRETZELS

1-1/2 cups warm water
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp yeast

Sprinkle the yeast into the water to soften. If using a bread machine, add the flour and salt and let it run for about 10 minutes, to combine the dough. To mix by hand, stir in the flour and salt, then knead on a floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Let it sit 15 minutes, then break off pieces and roll into 1/2" diameter tubes. Twist them any way you'd like - letters, numbers, even the traditional pretzel knot! Beat one egg with 1 tsp water and brush on top of the pretzels, then sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Let them rise until doubled in size, about 20 minutes, then bake at 375 for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Ours are not that dark, because the boys were impatient.

Ryan brought them to the family room for a Friday viewing of the Hurricane Ike coverage. The boys and their Dad made pigs of themselves
Notice how hopeful Thor was.Too much salt for a dog.

There were none left.