Pretzel Rounds

Into your bread machine, add, in this order, the flour, brown sugar, and finally the water. Add the yeast to the dispenser. (For your information, 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast is not an entire packet, so you’ll have to measure out this quantity.) Set the machine to the dough setting and go about your business. Mine took 2 1/2 hours.

When the dough is ready ,scrape it out onto a well-floured board. Cut it into eight pieces. Pinch off about 5 pieces from each of the eight sections. Roll each piece into a ball. If things get too sticky, just remember that flour is your friend.

Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Grease two baking sheets with vegetable spray.

To prepare the pretzel balls, in a 3-quart saucepan, add the water and baking soda. Stir and bring to a simmer. When the water has begun to simmer, add the pretzel rounds about 8 at a time. Allow them to simmer for 15 seconds. Remove and place on a clean tea towel to drain.

Place the pretzel rounds on the baking sheets and bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through.

Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt. Enjoy!