If you like The Office even half as much as I do, you’ll understand why I spent three hours of my day off making soft pretzels. For the record, I didn’t realize they were going to take me that long… Now I have enough pretzels to feed a soccer team, but boy were they good. IT’S PRETZEL DAY… GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus some for kneading
1 tsp. table salt
1 1/4 oz. package active yeast
1 1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 tbs. sugar
1 egg, beaten
Toppings for sprinkling (I just used coarse salt)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

In a glass bowl, mix yeast, sugar and water and set aside until it gets foamy, which should take no more than 10-15 minutes (if it doesn’t foam, start over with a new packet). In the meantime, mix flour with table salt. Once yeast mixture has foamed, stir into the flour using a spoon until it’s shaggy. Transfer to a clean, floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes (the dough should become very smooth and tacky). Return to it’s original bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for about an hour.

Once it has doubled in size, remove from bowl and cut into eight pieces. Roll each piece of dough until it’s about 24″ in length, then shape into a pretzel (I googled cause I sadly needed help with this). Place on an oiled baking sheet for 20 minutes to rise again. In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees and get a large pot of water boiling on the stove.

Place pretzel in boiling water (no more than two or three at a time) and let cook for about 3 minutes. Flip occasionally. Remove from water and set on a rack or plate to dry off/cool. Transfer back to the oiled sheet pan, brush with egg, sprinkle with toppings, then bake for 25-30 minutes (or until golden brown). They will be EXTREMELY hot when they’re finished, so let cool for 15 minutes before eating!

Note for making perfect pretzels: I can’t believe these came out of my kitchen! Totally worth the 3 hour wait… Although they’re made of only water, flour and yeast, they taste so buttery and delicious! My only tip is to be patient (which I have little of. If I can do it, you definitely can). Sometimes yeast can be fussy so it might take a little longer than expected! These would be SO AWESOME to bring to a party. I’ll host an Office party, cover them with chocolate and lots of junk, then watch all my guests whine until they all pass out. EVERYONE’S INVITED!