Pretzels - Hard and Soft

Impera_Magna's Note:

Posted in response to a request for a recipe for hard pretzels. EDITED TO ADD: After seeing Marlene's photo and reading her review, I just had to try this recipe immediately. Made soft preztels w/ my granddaughter this morning and they were both easy and good. From start to finish, it didn't take very long at all. A great project to do w/ kids!

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• coarse salt, to taste

Directions:

1. SOFT PRETZELS:
2. Dissolve yeast in water, add salt and sugar.
3. Blend in all the flour and knead until smooth.
4. When smooth, cut dough into small pieces and roll into ropes. Twist ropes into conventional pretzel shapes and place on a paper-lined cookie sheet.
5. Brush pretzels with beaten egg, sprinkle with coarse salt.
6. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until brown. These do not keep long.
7. HARD PRETZELS:
8. Do everthing above, but decrease water to 1-1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup of melted butter.
9. Make pretzels smaller and bake until browned.
10. These pretzels will stay good for months in a tight container.

Reviews

[Marlene.]

Ok, I wouldn't give my pretzel shaping technique 5 stars by any means , as you can see by the photo LOL but the recipe is a winner! Very easy to prepare , instructions are crystal clear, and the best part is, I can have homemade soft yummy pretzels whenever the urge strikes , as I always have these ingredients on hand! Thanks so much for submitting this recipe Impera Magna!

[Chef #548685]

i made these b/c marlene said they are easy to make with children. i did substitute 1/2 of the flour for whole wheat and then added some fun toppings like cinammon and sugar, pizza seasoning, and garlic powder. They turned out great and my children loved them!! Do not try to roll out on floured surface b/c it doesn't work and make them about 2 feet long and they turn out just like Auntie Annie's.

[Amanda Beth]

Easy, delicious and so so good for kids to help with! We made these specifically because they didn't require boiling. While the texture isn't JUST like a traditional soft pretzel, they are good enough that you don't care. We will make these again for sure! Thanks for sharing!