Hello, February! I don’t know about you, but this year has started off incredibly busy! Between starting a new job, prepping for an upcoming move, and just plain old life stuff, I swear I blinked and suddenly we’re well into February. Shoutout to yerba mate tea for getting me this far. And thank goodness for the three-day weekend—I finally had a chance to bake!

With Valentine’s Day upon us, I had all these ideas. Something with raspberries, strawberries, cherries… you see where I was going with this? But after a long week, my big baking plans turned into a night of binging Valentine’s Day-themed horror movies with wings and a heart-shaped pizza. No regrets though—it was lovely.

But the baking itch didn’t go away, so I finally decided to tackle something that’s been on my must-try list forever: soft pretzels. I’d been putting this recipe off because I was a little intimidated. Something about boiling dough before baking just sounded like it would be a disaster for me. But they turned out amazing! Soft, chewy, and with the perfect golden crust. And because I’m cinnamon sugar’s number one fan, I went pretty heavy with the dusting, and they were simply wonderful. I absolutely will be making these again and am already brainstorming additions: creamy glazed icing for dipping, or go savory and do a pepperoni topping with melted cheese for dipping, YUM.

Moral of the story: sometimes the best bakes are the ones you weren’t even planning for. Same goes for special moments with loved ones.

How do you like your soft pretzels? Classic coarse salt fan, or do you like a sweet twist like me? Let me know!

Recipe:

Ingredients – 1½ cups warm water, 2 tsp dry active yeast, 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 cups all purpose flour, 1½ tsp salt, ⅓ cup cinnamon sugar, ¼ cup baking soda

1. Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, butter, and vanilla extract. Add yeast mixture and stir until it becomes a shaggy dough.
3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. If too sticky, add a little flour and continue kneading. If too dry, add a little water instead. Add what’s needed one tsp at a time, until the dough is tacky but not too sticky.
4. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and cover for 45 min-1 hr, until it doubles in size. You can set it on the counter or in an off oven with the light on.
5. Separate dough into your preferred size pretzels. I was able to make 6 medium-size pretzels, but you can make them smaller and throw in some pretzel bites too! I did a mix of twists and hearts by rolling out into a long noodle, folding in half, and twisting the ends together.
6. Once pretzels are twisted up, let them rest on a baking sheet, covered for 20-30 min. Meanwhile, heat a pot of water with ¼ cup baking soda until you’ve reached a low boil/simmer and drop each pretzel into the water 1-2 at a time for 2 minutes each.
7. Put the pretzels back on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, top with egg wash, and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cover with plenty of cinnamon sugar and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!