Pretzel Rolls

I desperately needed to take a hiatus from the sweets.  No good for my diet or my taste buds…

So pretzel rolls.  I landed on that recipe because I’ve been wanting to make my own bread, but haven’t had the nerve to actually do it yet.  I don’t have a mixer or a breadmaker, so I need to come at it with a patient mind and strong arms.  Unfortunately, I have neither of these things naturally, so I decided to ease myself in with pretzels.

Despite my lack of experience in the dough-making department, these things are actually hard to screw up.  Which was a nice change since I was unexpectedly entertaining that night as well.

Please excuse the crazy plate. *Note to self: Buy my boyfriend new china.

1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tablespoon, sugar
1 teaspoon salt (plus coarse sea salt for topping)
Vegetable oil
1/4 cup baking soda

Combine warm water and yeast in the bowl. Wait about 5 minutes until mixture bubbles. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt and add once yeast and water are ready. mix into dough for about 6 minutes (or as long as my girly arms can stand it).

Form dough into a ball and place in a bowl covered in oil and cover with a clean, damp dishtowel. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Knead dough on a floured surface for about 1 minute. Divide into 8 pieces and form into oblong balls. Place rolls on a baking sheet with oiled parchment paper and cut diagonal slashes across the top of each.

Cover with the damp towel and let dough rise for 20 minutes.  Heat the oven to 425°F and boil a large pot of water and stir in baking soda.  Boil two or three rolls for 2 minutes on each side.

Remove rolls, drain, and place on the baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle well with salt and bake 12-15 minutes until crispy and golden.

even these directions bore me… but the result tastes delicious