Do the (Mini) Twist

First things first: Do this recipe with a spoon and a mixing bowl.  Don't use your mixer.  I love my mixer, but really...it just makes things more difficult and gives you a lot more to wash at the end of the day.  And really, even though my husband does most of my dishwashing (I love him), I really do think it would be easier to do with a spoon and a bowl.

Yes, I said "I think"...because I, of course, mixed it with my beloved KitchenAid, which was a mistake.  Seriously.  I think the mixing took about twice as long as it would have if I had done it by hand.  Secondly, give yourself enough time to make these.  They're super easy, but they take awhile.  They're fantastic pretzels (I mean it, really fantastic), but they took me a few hours.  

I can never decide if I want salty or sweet when I make these pretzels, so I usually make half of them salty, and sprinkle half with a cinnamon sugar mixture. The sweet pretzels always finish first and have a slightly charred look on top, but they taste great.  They're especially good if a little bit of frosting finds its way to the top...

One more note before you get started.  A kitchen scale is really necessary for this recipe.  When we registered for a scale for our wedding, I honestly didn't think I'd get much use out of it, but I'm using it a lot more than I thought I would.  It's great for measuring out chocolate, and in this case, bread.  I use this one by Oxo.  It's not too expensive, but it's accurate and the display pulls out so you can read it even if you have a big bowl on the scale.  It looks like they've come out with a less expensive model with a smaller capacity as well, but I haven't used that one myself.

Mini Pretzels
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 36 mini pretzels

2 c. warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tbs. + 2 tbs. sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbs. salt
2 tsp. canola or other neutral oil
1/4 c. baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt

These are the directions I used with my mixer.  Making them with a bowl and a spoon should be about the same.

1. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray them with vegetable oil spray.  In a mixing bowl, stir the water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar together.  Sprinkle the packet of dry yeast over the top of the water/sugar mixture and set the bowl aside for 10 minutes.  It's kind of fun to watch...the yeast gets all foamy.

2. After 10 minutes, add 1 cup of flour and stir to combine, then add 4 more cups of flour and the salt and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  This part, I'll admit, is probably easier to do with a stand mixer.  But hey, build those muscles!  If it stays sticky, add an extra 1/2 c. flour and mix some more.  Repeat if necessary.

3. Dump the dough out onto a lightly flowered countertop (I have an excellent kitchen island from IKEA that I use for this. It was a birthday present from my dad and it's great.  Any ol' counter will work though.) and knead it a few times until it's smooth.

4. Pour the oil into a large bowl and swirl to coat the sides, then put your dough ball into the bowl and flip it around a few times to make sure it's coated.  Put a towel over it (a kitchen towel, kids, not a bath towel) and let it rise for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

5. Gently punch down the dough to get rid of the air bubbles.  Gently.  No smacking the dough around.  Dump it back out onto the counter and give it a couple of kneads.  Divide it into 1 1/4 oz. pieces.  If you want to make full size pretzels, double the size to 2 1/2 oz. pieces.  As you're dividing the dough, keep them covered with a towel or plastic wrap so they don't dry out.

6. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Unless you have a really slow oven, this should give it enough time to heat up.

7. Roll each dough ball into a rope about 12 inches long.  Twist them into a pretzel shape and put them on the cookie sheets.  Again, keep everything covered as you work.  Give them a rest for 15 minutes to let them puff up a bit.

8.  Bring a shallow pan filled with 2 inches of water to a boil.  Add the baking soda and STEP BACK - it foams!  Add the two tablespoons of sugar and give it a stir, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Drop 4-6 pretzels in, face down (this makes it easier to get them out) and let them poach for a minute.  Flip them over and poach them for a minute more and then take them out and put them on the baking sheets.  Keep going until you've finished all the pretzels.  I was able to fit 10 pretzels per small-ish baking sheet, but you may be able to fit more or less.  Once they're in the oven they don't get bigger, so they can be kind of close on the sheet - do leave some space in between though.

9.  Mix the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over the tops of the pretzels.  I didn't have an egg, so I brushed some milk on top.  They did brown, but they weren't nice and shiny.  Sprinkle them with salt - either sea salt or pretzel salt.  I also used cinnamon and sugar, but I don't have the mix perfected yet.

10.  Bake the pretzels for 12-15 minutes - until they're shiny and brown...and look like pretzels.  Cool them on a rack, or eat them warm.  They are awesome on the first day, but get a little tough on day two, so I highly recommend eating them on Day 1.