A lot of people associate sports with soft pretzels – many concessions sell them, so I thought they would make a nice addition to our Superbowl Snacks. I decided to make mini versions, to help keep the calorie portion in check, and to make a cute lil platter full of the guys!

Of course, we had the more traditional shaped ones:

and some fun themed ones as well. (In case its not too obvious, this was supposed to be a goal post.):

They were great and a hit with everyone, especially the tot!

I halved this recipe and you can see the plate full I got from them, so adjust this accordingly!

Soft  Pretzel Minis

adapted from Fit To The Finish

• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 1 1/2 t. dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 cup bread flour
• 3 cups regular flour

for pre-baking “bath”:

• 2 cups very warm water
• 2 T baking soda

1. Put warm water in mixing bowl. Add flour on top of water. In separate parts of the bowl, place brown sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix with a dough hook or by hand until very elastic. (It takes me about 10 minutes of hand kneading, or about 5 minutes of mixer kneading.) You may have to add in more flour,  You are looking for a soft, almost sticky dough – not tough!

2. Let rise for about 45 minutes. It won’t completely double.

3. Break into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 1/2″ thick or less. Wrap into pretzel shape.

Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Spray with spray butter (I used I can’t believe its Not Butter Light Spray) and sprinkle with coarse salt.

If you like a sweet pretzel, then spray with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.