Easy homemade Soft Pretzels

I was on the hunt to find a pretzel recipe that was easy, but definitely had the taste factor as well.  I tried this recipe out with preschoolers!!!! and it turned out amazing.  Super easy.  Alot of pretzel recipes require you to cook the pretzel in hot water/baking soda solution.  This recipe uses that method, but you just put the water and baking soda in a shallow dish.  Super simple, and flavorful.  As with all "bread" recipes, it is recommended to enjoy this the day of.  You could do so many options for toppings on these pretzels.  I did cinnamon and sugar, and also pink Himalayan salt (from Costco).  Both were equally good.  Get creative and have fun with this. Recipe and picture credit here.

Easy Homemade Pretzels

• 1 cup milk
• 1 package active dry yeast (not rapid rise yeast) (1 package contains 1/4 oz. or approximately 2 1/4 tsp.)
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons for the dough; 3 tablespoons for brushing on finished pretzels)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• Coarse salt, to taste*

1.  Warm milk in the microwave until very warm; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup of the flour with a wooden spoon. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups flour and fine salt to make a sticky dough. Add more flour if necessary (you'll probably need a few tablespoons) to form dough into a ball. Either knead doygh by hand or use your kitchen aid mixer and knead for 5 min, adding a little bit more flour to prevent sticking on the sides.  Shape into a ball, place in a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each into a pretzel shape (form a U-shape, then holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press firmly onto the bottom of the pretzel).
3. Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on a prepared baking sheet (re-shaping if necessary) and sprinkle lightly with course salt. Bake until golden, 10 – 12 minutes. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter and brush on baked pretzels. The pretzels are best enjoyed fresh on the same day.
4. *If you prefer a cinnamon sugar topping, omit the coarse salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar plus about 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon)