Soft Pretzels...just like the ones you find in the mall!

I could be a spokesperson for Pamela's Gluten Free products. They are the BEST! I really would love to make my own flour mixes but due to lack of money and being so far from a health food store I started using Pamela's flour and mixes. They do have xanathan gum in them, which I am not a huge fan of, but that's okay for right now. These products are a life saver. And one of the best one's I have tried so far is the Bread Mix. I first used it for pizza crust (UM let me tell you it made an AWESOME Chicago deep dish pizza) but decided to try it for pretzels after my sister showed me a recipe she found on Pinterest. This recipe came from Fifteen Spatulas and I adapted it to be gluten and dairy free.

Soft Pretzels

12.5 oz Pamela's Bread Flour (2.5 cups)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant quick rise yeast (1 packet)
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp baking soda
3 tbsp unsalted butter **i use earth balance vegan butter or coconut spread

1. Combine all the ingredients except the 3 tbsp of butter in the bowl of a mixer and mix until somewhat combined. You can also use a spoon and some elbow grease.
2. Lightly dust the dough with a tad more flour and let the dough rise in a ziploc bag for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (**please see note) and lightly grease a baking sheet OR use parchment paper.
4. Remove the dough and place onto parchment paper that has been sprayed with oil or brushed with coconut oil. Divide dough into 8 pieces.
5. Whisk together the warm water and baking soda and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Meanwhile start boiling water in a medium sized saucepan.
6. Roll each of the eight pieces into a long rope and shape each one into a pretzel.
7. Dip each pretzel into the soda wash and place into the boiling water for 30-40 seconds (or 15-20 if flipping sides). Then place the pretzel onto your baking sheet. Let them rest for 10 minutes.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until the pretzels are golden-darker brown. Brush the pretzels with melted butter while they are still hot and sprinkle sea salt OR my favorite - cinnamon and brown sugar.
9. Eat all the pretzels NOW because they don't taste as yummy the next day ;)
**note - you may need to play with the oven temperature and time. the original recipe said to bake at 450 for 10 minutes but this made the outsides hard and the insides uncooked. I would start at 400 and adjust as necessary. I think it's better to cook them at a lower temperature for longer.

If you are unsure of how to twist these into a pretzel, check out the original recipe for pictures and directions. I'll try to add pictures soon!