Homemade Fluffy Pretzels

Ok, when I found this recipe, I was sooo excited!! I love giant pretzels. There is something about them that is just so tasty! I especially like them with mustard, so when a friend of ours brought us some spicy mustard from their vacation, I knew it was time to finally try it! Josh doesn't like mustard, since he is gone I thought this would be a good time to try them. Plus, if they didn't turn out he'd never have to know about my mishap :)

Before we get to the goods...don't forget! We have a giveaway from Kara's Knits going on, and it ends on Saturday!! So get check out my first ever giveaway here!!!

Alright, here's some carb goodness! Makes 4 pretzels! Original recipe was for eight. You can find it at Fifteen Spatulas.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/8 tsp instant yeast (half of a packet)
1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup warm water
1/2 Tbl baking soda
salt for sprinkling pretzels
cooking spray for baking sheet
butter for spreading

Directions
Mix together all of the dough ingredients (the first list) in a large bowl with a spoon. Then knead the dough for approximately two minutes by hand. You can use a stand mixer, but mine is packed away until we move into a house :( Anyway, the dough should be soft, but not sticky. Sprinkle it with flour lightly and place in a bag to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from bag and place on baking mat. Cut into four pieces and let rest for five minutes. While waiting, make the baking soda wash. Mix together the warm water and baking soda and mix until mostly dissolved.

Roll each piece of dough into long ropes and shape into a pretzel! If you need help with that, I didn't take step by step pictures because I had to hurry a bit (had to go to work) but the original post does a great job showing how to do it, so check that out for help!

Once you have your pretzels, dip them into the baking soda mixture and place on your sprayed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake for approximately 8-9 minutes. Keep an eye on them though because ovens can vary. When nice and brown, remove from oven and spread butter on top while they are still hot. YUM!

I enjoyed mine with the mustard, but they were amazing by themselves too!