Babysitting hasn’t always been my strong suit.
I don’t know what to do with kids.
They blink at me…
They blink back…
I say, “Hey, do you like vampires?”.
They say, “Yeah”.
I put on the movie ‘Blade’.
They have nightmares.
Best. Babysitter. Ever.So when my sister left my nephew with me for the week, I decided to go another route.
“Hey, do you like pretzels?”.
“Yeah”.
“Cool.  Let’s make some, ok?”.
“Whatever”.
Pfffftt, pre-teens…
But once we were in the kitchen & baking, all that Justin-Beiber-too-cool-hipster-kid attitude flew right out the window & my sweet little nephew was covered in flour & dough, smiling ear-to-ear.
Like I said:
Best. Babysitter. Ever.So grab a kid (preferably one from your own family otherwise that’s just weird…or a felony…)
& bake some memories & delicious pretzels!

Enjoy!

Before we get to the recipe, let me share a couple of things we learned about pretzels…
(Because you totally care, right? I thought so.)

1. You must BOIL pretzels in water & baking soda!  This step should NOT be skipped.  It is this step that makes the inside of the pretzel “puff” giving it its signature chewiness.  The baking soda makes the boiling water an alkali (aka basic) solution which also helps to develop a soft pretzel’s signature brown crust & distinctive aroma.  Skip this step & you are going to end up with a pale, hard breadstick.  Ew.
2. Put an egg yolk wash on your pretzel before you put it in the oven to bake.  It helps make it look extra golden brown & almost too pretty to eat…almost….
3. Left over pretzels make the BEST breakfast sandwiches.  I am now a firm believer that all things should be served on soft pretzels.  EVERYTHING.