Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Description:
Weng highly recommended Auntie Anne's pretzels, but since we don't get them here in CDO, I hunted around for a bunch of pretzel recipes and tried them out. We were in Jessica's house having a bake-a-thon when I taught them how to twirl pretzels (it's all in the wrist!). I don't know how close the recipe is to Auntie Anne's or if it was just plain dumb luck, but Weng and Jec attested that the results were surprisingly good. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C. warm water
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 C. bread flour
3 C. regular flour (or what the heck, 4 C. all-purpose!)
2 C. warm water
2 Tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt, to taste
2 - 4 Tbsp butter (melted)

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in oven at 450 for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy!

Toppings:
After you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.

But we really went for this topping reminiscent of Auntie Anne's famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel, or you can also try a cookie sheet) and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Yum!