Rainy Day Fun: Easy Homemade Pretzels

It's almost as fun for kids to make their own snacks as it is for them to eat them! This pretzel recipe—adapted from one that my daughter brought home from school—is easy and perfect for small children to help with, and the results are pretty tasty, too. It's a great activity for rainy days and playgroups, too. Why not bake up a batch to eat during the big game this weekend?

They won't look like the dark brown store-bought pretzels, though; that color is achieved by dipping the unbaked pretzels in a lye solution, which is way too dangerous for kids—and adults, for that matter. Here we brush the tops with an egg wash, but if that's a problem you could use milk or even a little olive oil.

To make the pretzels you'll need:

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg + a few teaspoons water
• Salt for sprinking

Pre-heat your oven to 425ºF. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the honey and the salt and mix thoroughly. Stir in the flour until ingredients are mixed, then turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until it's smooth. Cut pieces of the dough and roll them into long thin cylinders, then twist them into a shape. The traditional pretzel shape is the obvious choice here, but you can twist them into any design your imagination can come up with.

Beat the egg with a little water to make an egg wash. Put the twisted pretzels on a lightly greased or non-stick baking sheet, brush the tops lightly with the egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse salt. You could also put sesame or sunflower seeds on top, too.

Bake the pretzels for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool a few minutes before eating, but a hot pretzel right out of the oven is a real treat!

This recipe makes anywhere from 6 to 8 pretzels, depending on how big you make them, and can easily be doubled if you're feeding a crowd.