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Do your kids like helping in the kitchen? My kids enjoy cooking and baking with me. Now that they are older, they tend to do more of it independently while I supervise them. We still have fun trying out new recipes or techniques together.  So, the other day I decided we were finally going to make soft-baked pretzels. I have had this recipe saved on Pinterest for years. It was time we finally tried it out. 

I found this soft pretzel recipe that you can make in a bag on Housing a Forest. It is easy to follow and tastes fantastic.

Soft Baked Pretzels

I like this soft-baked pretzels recipe because it is simple enough for kids to make. It is also fun for kids because they mix all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag instead of a mixing bowl. 

To get started, I wrote out the recipe and broke it into simple steps for my kids. Then I got out all the ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (130°F)
• 1 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast (active dry or instant yeast)
  
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
  
• 3 3/4 to 4 cups flour
  
• 1 egg, beaten (used for an egg wash to put on top of the pretzels before baking)
  
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions for Making Soft-Baked Pretzels:

Get a gallon-sized Ziploc bag that seals well. Add warm water and rapid-rise yeast to the bag. Seal and shake the bag to mix. 

Add the sugar and salt to the bag. Seal it up well and shake it again. I let the yeast mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it was a little foamy. The original recipe didn’t say to do this. Whenever I bake bread, I let the yeast sit for a few minutes so it can activate. I decided to stick with what I am used to and did it with this recipe, too. 

Next, add 2 cups of flour to the bag and knead the mixture until it is blended. Once it is blended, slowly add in the remainder of the flour and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky. 

Now you will turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for approximately 3 minutes (or until the dough is smooth).

Form a ball with the dough. Cover it with a towel and let it rise for 10 minutes or until it is doubled. Ours took a little longer than 10 minutes.

Now it is time to cut the dough into 12 smaller pieces. Form each piece into the shape you desire. It helps if you roll the balls into a long rope and then shape them. My kids went crazy and began making all sorts of shapes. My son made his huge! He is always over the top.

Place the dough shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the egg wash on top of the pretzels and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Oops! We didn’t have any coarse salt, but the pretzels came out fine. 

Cover and let the pretzels rest until doubled their size. I began preheating my oven and placed the cookie sheets on the stove to help them rise faster. 

I baked the pretzels in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. I put the oven on broil for the last 3 minutes to brown the tops. 

Voila! We finally had soft-baked pretzels.

Soft Baked Pretzels are So Fun For Kids

The kids had a lot of fun making the soft-baked pretzels and seeing how their creations baked up. It is a great baking activity for preschoolers to adults. It is simple, and making it in a bag adds a little more fun for kids.

Need help teaching cooking skills to your kiddos?

Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Check out The Basic Cooking Skills You Need to Teach Your Kids. I will give you some tips and a checklist to help you out.

If you want to make sure to work on cooking skills on a regular basis AND learn about cooking around the world, you need to take a look into Kitchen Adventures by Little Passports. Each month, you receive a box with recipes, information, a kitchen tool, and a project to make. It is SO.MUCH.FUN!

What things do you like to bake with your kids? Comment below.

Happy Homeschooling!