Soft Pretzels (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:
2 packages of active dry yeast
1 and one half cups of water at 110F
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Dash salt
2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup potato starch
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 Tablespoon baking soda
½ cup warm water
1 cup real butter, melted
Toppings (See below)

Directions:
Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Mix rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum in a medium bowl. Put half the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. Mix with a hand electric mixer on low speed until all ingredients mixed in. Add the other half of the flour. Mix with the mixer until well combined. Do not over beat.

Grease a bowl with Crisco or a few teaspoons of vegetable oil. Transfer the dough to this bowl and turn dough over so that it is greased on all sides. Cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Grease a large cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 550F. Mix baking soda and ½ cup warm water in a shallow pan (a round cake pan works well).

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Gently roll each into a rope with your hands and/or on waxed paper. The dough is fragile and will come apart easily so rest the parts that are not between your hands on the waxed paper so that it is supported. Shape the rope into a pretzel shape. If parts of the dough feel dry, put a few drops of the baking soda water on your hands. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda/water, then lay them on the greased cookie sheet.

Bake 7-8 minutes. They will be a faint tan but not brown. Remove cookie sheet from oven when done. Dip each pretzel in the melted butter and place on a plate. Sprinkle generously with topping. Eat immediately.

Toppings: For salted pretzels, use sea salt, Kosher salt or pretzel salt. For cinnamon sugar pretzels, use ½ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon mixed together. For Parmesan pretzels, sprinkle with a mixture of ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.