One of the best classes at FTHS is World Cuisine, especially if you’re lucky enough to have Mrs. Arnold as a teacher!

Last week, my class made something that I think everyone can agree is delicious: soft pretzels! It’s a very simple recipe that anyone can make, even a beginner. This recipe takes two days because the dough has to rise, so make sure to take note of that if you plan on making this recipe. The full recipe makes twelve pretzels but it can, of course, be modified to however many you like.

To begin, I combined the yeast and brown sugar in a large bowl and then gradually added in the warm water, make sure that the water is 85° Fahrenheit! You may not need to use all of the water, so make sure that you remember that when mixing! Next, you can let that sit for about five minutes. After it has sat for a little bit, mix in the flour! You may also not need to use all the flour. Once this has all been mixed, you can knead for a minute or two. Now, you take all the dough and put it in a sealed plastic bag so that the dough can rise overnight, poke a small hole in the bag so that it doesn’t pop.

The next day, start by heating your oven to 475° Fahrenheit. After heating the oven, make the baking soda and water solution. Now you can take the dough out of the bag and divide it into eight even pieces using a pastry cutter.  Then, roll each piece into a long rope. Here’s a video on how to shape your pretzels:  

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After you’ve made your pretzels into the proper shape, dip each one in the baking soda and water mixture for just a second. Make sure to blot the wet pretzels a little bit so that they don’t come out soggy. Now, you can put the pretzels on a baking sheet with parchment paper and add some salt to the pretzels if you want. Then bake for 8 minutes!

Once your pretzels are golden brown you can take them out of the oven and brush them with some melted butter if desired.

Recipe:

¼ oz. Package of active dry yeast

¼ cup brown sugar

1 ½ cup water- 85° Fahrenheit

5 cups all purpose flour

Coarse salt (for topping, optional)

Melted butter (for topping, optional)

For the baking soda and water mixture:

4 cups water

1 ½ tablespoons baking soda