Pretzels

Yesterday, I made German pretzels (German: Brezeln). It's a little labor intensive but it's definitely worth it. There's something about baking your own bread that is extremely satisfying. Similar to bagels, Brezeln are briefly cooked in hot water before baking. To get their unique look and flavor, the water is mixed with baking soda. The original recipe calls for a different chemical but baking soda works just as well (and is a lot safer).