Soft Pretzels and Pretzel Dogs

1 T yeast

1 ½ cup warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

3 ½ to 4cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Stir in the salt, sugar and two cups flour. Beat till smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. Shape. Then brush lightly with 1 T water and 1 egg white that has been whipped with a fork.**see below** and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 425* for 15-20 minutes. We dipped ours in a cheese dip that I threw together last minute***

Feb 7 2013 update** you can leave off the kosher salt if you'd like. Today I made these for my preschool class and left it off. we brushed them with butter and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar after baking them.**

***In a pan melt 2 T butter and add 2 T flour. Pour in about 1/2 c heavy cream and 1/2 c milk. Heat and then add about 1 c shredded cheese. Stir until melted.