guest post: soft pretzels from this chick cooks

hiya, friends!

still havin' a grand ol' time in florida with my mama!

while i'm gone, i've asked some of my favorite bloggers to guest post.

today, i'm happy to have katie from this chick cooks.

she has amazing recipes & posts great food finds from blogland by chicks who cook.

love it.

take it away, katie!

......

It is wonderful to guest post here at Delightfully Dowling. Thank you, Kristin, for inviting me to share a recipe with your readers. My name is Katie and my blog is This Chick Cooks. I love cooking and trying out new recipes or coming up with my own creations. I share all types of recipes from healthy to indulgent, and every Wednesday I feature amazing recipes from other blogs. This Chick Cooks focuses on using ingredients that any cook can get anywhere. Today I am going to share my recipe for soft pretzels.

Who can resist getting a soft pretzel? They are so delicious with their soft breading and chewy goodness. Ever since my son, little guy, was a toddler he always wanted one anytime we went to the mall. About 10 years ago I came across a pretzel recipe in our newspaper that I just knew I had to try. I am so glad I did, because my family has been enjoying homemade pretzels ever since. I'm delighted that I was able to share our family's recipe with you and I hope that you all will enjoy them as much as we do.

3 cup flour
3/4 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 3/4 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
For the dipping solution:
3 cups warm water
3 tablespoons baking soda

You can make the dough for these in your bread maker, with a mixer or by hand. I am writing this recipe from the perspective of using a mixer with a dough hook, but you can definitely do this by using a spoon and kneading the dough with your hands.

In the bowl with the dough hook attachment, stir together the yeast, a pinch of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm water (it should be warm enough that you can stick your pinkie in comfortably for just a few seconds). Allow the mixture to sit 10 minutes. Add to the yeast mixture the remaining 3/4 cup water, butter, brown sugar, flour and salt.

Mix on low speed for 2 minutes and then increase to medium speed until the dough starts to pull away from the sides- about 2-4 minutes.

If you are doing the mixing by hand then mix according to directions above, but once everything is mixed together, turn it onto a floured counter and knead it for 10 minutes. The dough will be stiff but smooth.

Turn the dough onto a surface and knead it for 5 minutes. The dough will be stiff but smooth.

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a clean towel and allow it to rest in a warm place for about an hour (or until doubled in size).

Punch down the dough and divide it into 6 pieces. Form the pieces into long ropes and cover them with plastic wrap. Rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Working with one piece of dough at a time roll the dough out to about about 30 inches. Lay it on the counter in a u shape and cross the ends and bring them down to form a pretzel shape.

Place the pretzels on the baking sheet and let rise, uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Prepare the dipping solution by mixing warm water and baking soda in a stainless steel bowl.

A a few pretzels to the bowl and soak for about 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and return them to the greased pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade pretzels are best served on the same day :)

I hope you’ll join me in my culinary adventures as I share recipes, cooking tips and tricks on my blog, This Chick Cooks. Thanks again for having me, Kristin. It was a pleasure.

whoa, baby.

i love soft pretzels.

love them!

but, i've never tried making them...

i think i can do it thanks to katie!

make sure you check out this chick cooks for even more great recipes!

until next time,