Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1.5 cups additional whole wheat flour

1. In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients together very well.
2. Cover with a clean, damp towel. Set in a warm place for 1/2 to 1 hour, or until you can see good bubble activity.
3. Remove mixture from warm place and stir.
4. Add the baking soda, yogurt and the additional 1.5 cups of flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes into a very light but cohesive dough.
5. Set to rise again in a warm place, for 1.5-2 hour, until quite well risen. Knead down.
6. Divide the dough into roughly 10 equal pieces. Roll a piece into a long snake, about 20 inches by 1/2 inch, then twist into an overhand knot or into a pretzel shape. Place twisted pretzel on a clean surface. Repeat until all pretzels are twisted.
7. Simmer a few inches of water in the bottom of a small Dutch oven or a very wide pot.
8. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Lift a raw pretzel with a slotted pancake turner. Dip it into the barely simmering water. Allow it to stay under water for only a few seconds. Remove pretzel from the water, drain for a few seconds, then lay it on a greased baking sheet. Repeat, leaving room between each pretzel for some spreading, until you have a trayfull.
9. Then sprinkle the tops of the wet pretzels with optional coatings - caraway seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes, powdered garlic, salt, etc. Fill the other baking sheet similarly.
10. Starting in a cold oven, bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until quite brown