Sometimes, especially if you live in the middle of nowhere like I do, you need to take the time to learn how to make snacks other folks might take for granted. My first attempt was a success, so here are some notes on how I started making soft pretzels as I show off my more photogenic second batch.

The recipe and directions can be found at The Art of Manliness, so visit that site for the basics. They publish useful information on pretty much everything related to healthy masculinity, including etiquette, timeless fashion, wilderness survival, D.I.Y. ideas, and philosophy. Most important to me at the moment, though, was that pretzel recipe.

The only ingredients are flour, salt, sugar, oil, yeast, and water, plus some baking soda for the boiling stage. This recipe is perfect for my quest to dodge dairy, and it should also meet the requirements for vegetarian, kosher, and halal diets. Gluten is the only real potential issue, so I'm afraid you'll need to find an alternative bread flour which already works for you, and experiment.

Mixing the pretzel dough only is slightly more involved than pizza dough, and requires less kneading. Just remember there will be a waiting period while it raises. On both occasions, I found myself refrigerating the dough part way through the process due to interruptions of life, and it doesn't seem to harm the finished product.

Rolling out the strips of dough into ropes for the classic pretzel shape is aided by a slightly rough surface texture. I used a large white melamine cutting board, and it also helped me keep the lengths equal when I rolled each dough snake out to the edges. I may need to make my next ropes longer, or make more pretzels with thinner dough strips. You can see how these lacked the characteristic loops after baking. Such a shame. I need more practice.

The pretzels will be fluffier if they raise longer after being tied into shape. When I made these with colder dough, the texture was nice and chewy, not dense, so don't worry too much about giving them extra time after tying your knots. Boiling and baking lead to some extra raising anyway.

Coarse salt is not the only potential topping. I also used black sesame seeds here. Consider poppy seeds, chia seeds, or an everything bagel mix for a more savory pretzel. Add cinnamon and sugar if you want something slightly decadent. Sweet Baby Ray's honey mustard sauce (pictured above with errant sesame seeds) is a good dip if you want condiments, but maybe you should skip this if you went with the cinnamon and sugar topping.

What interesting kitchen concoctions have you tried making for yourself lately? What are you still trying to master? Share your stories below, or better yet, write a post of your own and share a link! I will be watching for good content worth my full upvote!