Bunny Shaped Pretzels

Consider yourself warned, this pretzel is a lot like Auntie Annies soft pretzels and you may not be able to stop yourself from taking another bite.

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I learned how to make pretzels when my son was assigned the country, Germany for his preschool International Food Fair. I am so glad I learned how to make them because I have had fun with shapes and flavors. The recipe I use is very easy and it doesn’t take that long compared to a lot of other recipes I found online.

This was super fun to make with my three boys. They loved shaping the pretzel dough. When I make this with my boys I just clean a table top and spread flour all over the table so they can knead the dough. I know it will get messy but nothing a quick wet rag won’t take care of.

This was featured in our Spring Issue Online Publication. To view in flip page format click here.

I also recently made these Homemade Pizza pretzels that turned out amazing. They are perfect for snacking, lunch or even a play date gathering.

Bunny Shaped Pretzels

using our favorite German Soft Pretzel Recipe

adapted from Chef Grant Achatz

Water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 envelopes active dry yeast 4 tspn
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2tbl baking soda for the water bath dipping part
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
salt

In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour; the dough will be slightly sticky.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes; if the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour. Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper or I used foil and it worked fine.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough lightly, and pinch off dough the size of a golf ball. Roll each piece into a 9-inch stick about 1/2 inch thick.
Shape the dough like this: (don’t forget to add the cute little bunny tail w/ a small piece of dough)

6. Prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cps of warm water and 2 tbls of baking soda. Stir it often. Dip the pretzels in the water. Transfer the pretzel sticks to paper towels to drain, then return them to the cookie sheets, spacing them evenly.

7. Brush the pretzel sticks with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt or leave it plain so you can dip it in a sugar and cinnamon mixture later. Bake until richly browned, about 10 minutes.

The baked pretzels can be stored overnight in a plastic bag. Reheat before serving. Perfect for snacking or lunch!

For Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels:

For Auntie Anne’s famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!