Turtle Pretzels

My sister Tracy saw this on a random food blog and wanted to try these out:

Turtle Pretzels: makes 10-12 pretzels

2 teaspoons yeast
pinch sugar
1 tablespoon warm water

2 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2/3 cup water

1. If your yeast says "instant," you can skip this step. To wake up the yeast, mix with warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. You will start to see bubbles and smell the yeast working.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, oil, and water by hand. Knead by hand or machine for a few minutes until everything comes together, then add the yeast mixture. Knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is done kneading, it will be slightly tacky. If it is too dry, add a few drops of water at a time, and knead again. If it is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time. The dough should also be smooth and when you squish it around, you can observe the dough springing back.

3. Place the dough in a greased, covered container and place in a warm spot. Let the dough rise until it is doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Prepare to shape the dough. Clean a space for rolling out the dough and scatter flour over the space. Have some pans, a sharp knife, and saran wrap/moist dish towel ready for the pretzels.

5. Cut your dough into equal pieces. I cover my hands in flour or oil, remove the dough from the container as gently as I can, shape it into a rough disk, and cut the pieces that way. Save a piece of dough to make the arms, legs, and heads, then roll each remaining piece of dough into a smooth ball, and cover to prevent the dough from drying out. The weather will determine if you need to cover your dough in between uses or not.

6. Roll the ball of dough into a 12 inch strand. Swirl to make the turtle shell. You can use a little bit of water to make the ends stick. Shape the head, arms, and legs and attach. Keeping the limbs attached was the hardest part.

7. When you are close to done shaping the pretzels, turn the oven on to 425 degrees. Heat the water and baking soda in a pan that is at least 4 inches high. The pretzels will go in a baking soda bath before baking, which gives the pretzels their brown shell and distinctive taste. Each pretzel will simmer on low heat for 15 seconds. I used one tool to hold the pretzel in the pan, and then a spoon to baste the baking soda onto the pretzels.

8. Bake the pretzels for about 8 minutes.