Soft Pretzels

1/2 to 3/4 C sugar (depending on taste)
1 T yeast (or one small package)
approximately 5 C flour
2 C warm water
kosher salt
oil or butter
3 T baking powder

Activate yeast by combining yeast, warm water and sugar, stir and let stand for approximately five minutes, or until yeast is activated (bubbly). Add in flour until you get a soft dough consistency. Kneed dough until soft and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and cover in a well oiled bowl for approximately 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Once dough has risen,  preheat your oven to 350f.  Softly flatten and divide the dough into desired proportions for the pretzels. You can make small or large pretzels. Roll each proportion into a long roll and make a pretzel shape. Dip the pretzel into a bowl of warm water mixed with baking powder and then place onto an floured cooking sheet. You can coat the pretzels with any topping, including butter, oil, kosher salt or cinnamon and sugar.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to coat the pretzels with butter when I remove them from the oven and use a bit more salt. Enjoy!