This is a simplified and altered version of the recipe available at Sally’s Baking Addiction. These are great to make as a family project, where everyone can shape their own pretzel and individuals can work at different stations in the kitchen.

Use BREAD flour. Otherwise, when you’re rolling out the dough to shape it into pretzels, it tears instead of stretching.

I do NOT recommend trying this unless you have a Silpat. Without it, the stupid pretzels stick like glue to the baking sheet– I tried greasing the pan with butter or shortening, oiling it, coating it with a layer of salt, draining the boiled pretzels first, etc., etc., etc. I finally broke down and shelled out the money for a Silpat, and these pretzels bake crisply on the outside and slide right off with no trouble.