I love when you go to the mall and walk past the soft pretzel stand. The wonderful aromas wafting in the air make it near impossible for me to resist. Luckily, I found a recipe that gives me the ability to enjoy the taste of these fluffy, salty pretzels at home. Of course, making full size pretzels seem ridiculous when you can have an assortment of tiny knotted bundles that can easily be served at a party alongside your favorite cheese dip. Or, nix the salt and go straight for a dessert pretzel by sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top and dunking these little guys into a bowl of drizzly icing. Yum!

Mini Soft Pretzels
Makes approximately 36 pretzels

Ingredients
1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp kosher salt

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Then mix in the flours and knead for 8 minutes (use a bit of flour if necessary). Grease the bowl and dough with oil and allow it to rise for 1 hour covered with plastic wrap.

Dissolve the baking soda in the remaining water in a separate bowl; set aside.

Create ping pong-sized balls and begin rolling each piece into thin ropes (about 1/4″ wide). Form each rope into a pretzel shape, coat with baking soda mixture and place an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to rise for 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 450 degrees F.

Bake for 8-10 minutes; then remove, brush with butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm.

Adapted from AllRecipes.com