We have a canal right near our house where we go for bike rides and runs several times a week. One thing the boys really liked to do was ride their bikes to a German bakery located right off the canal. It was a perfect spot as it was easy to access from the canal and was at the halfway point in our bike ride. We would order those big soft pretzels and juice as a snack. One day when we rode our bikes there we found out it had closed down. The boys were so sad…actually me too! It had become such a fun routine place to stop for a snack.

We decided to go home and try making our own soft pretzels. I was actually surprised at how easy it is…and fun too! It’s kind of like playing with edible play-dough. I have tried a few different recipes/methods with varying success. Here’s a recipe that is so simple and works really well. It is from the book “More than Magnets“.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons dry yeast

3/4 cup hot water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Stir in the sugar. Add the flour. Divide the dough into equal parts, knead, and form into shapes. Place the shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.

We usually add flavors to our pretzels. One of our favorites is to brush pre-cooked pretzels with coconut oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Another simple, yummy idea is to brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can pretty much sprinkle any combination of spice flavors you like on your pretzel. You can also enjoy dipping cooked pretzels into dips/sauces such as mustard or honey or hummus.

Cooking with kids can be such a great learning experience for them. It involves science, math, and literacy concepts all rolled into one. Plus they learn an important life skill! This particular recipe adds a nice hands on sensory experience as kids can knead, roll, and shape the dough.

Do you involve your kids into cooking activities? What tips do you have for making it go smoothly? For example we have a little song we sing when it someone’s turn to stir. It gives them an idea of how long to stir before passing it to the next person. And helps the non-stirring person wait more patiently.

-Sarah