Tomorrow is my turn to bring a snack for my preschooler’s spring camp—we’re on spring break, hence the dearth of posting—and we’re bringing homemade pretzels. My friend Susan makes these with her two sons, who are old enough to help roll out the dough and shape the pretzels. The technique is a bit beyond Tiny G’s abilities at the ripe old age of 2 1/2, but I thought he could handle sprinkling on the sesame seeds. Made with love, these pretzels were a huge hit here tonight. Let’s see how they play out at camp tomorrow.
Soft Pretzels
Based on a recipe from Cooks Illustrated
Makes 12 pretzels [Foodinista Note: I made 16 smaller pretzels since they were destined for tiny hands.]
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse salt or sesame seeds
Mix together the yeast, honey, salt, flour and water in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, knead at low speed until a smooth, elastic ball forms (the dough will be quite stiff), about 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack at the middle position. Pour 6 cups of water into a 12-inch skillet, adding the baking soda, and bring to a boil. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with vegetable cooking spray.