Homemade Mustard Pretzel: 4th of July Recipes To Cook With Kids

4th of July recipes for kids to cook!

Food culture is an important way of learning about a country and with 4th of July party season right around the corner, we’ve been talking a lot about how the United States was founded. We’re chatting about independence and immigration and it’s been fun teaching Alina about the legacy of our beloved country.

As a Walmart Mom, I was asked to share a 4th of July party idea and this recipe instantly came to mind. It’s SO fun to cook with kids – like maybe the best fun a recipe can be – and looks delicious on a festive 4th of July party table. Pretzels have a long history in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. Making this homemade pretzel recipe was easy, too, and I was able to find all the ingredients at my local Walmart store.

Homemade Pretzel: Ingredients

13 cups warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons mustard powder

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 packages active dry yeast (easy to find in store or on Walmart.com)

9 cups all-purpose flour

4 ounces melted butter

Vegetable oil, for coating pan

2/3 cup baking soda

2 large egg yolks beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt (coarse salt) for sprinkling

Homemade Pretzel: Directions

Combine 3 cups water, sugar, and kosher salt in a large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5

minutes. Add flour and butter and stir until combined. Knead together until the dough in smooth and does not stick to the bowl. Place the dough in a clean bowl that has been well coated with vegetable oil. Cover and allow to sit in a warm place for an hour. The dough should nearly double in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Combine baking soda and 10 cups water, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan or roasting pan.

Divide the dough, pulling apart equal sections approximately ¾ cup each. Roll each piece of dough into a 24 inch rope. Holding the ends of the rope, make a U-shape and cross over the ends to make a twist. Press the ends down into the bottom of the U in order to make a pretzel shape. Place onto lined pans and repeat until all the dough is formed.

One by one, place each pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove using a large flat spatula and place back onto lined pans. Brush each pretzel lightly with egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with pretzel (coarse) salt. Bake in preheated oven for 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool five minutes before serving.

Serve with yellow mustard, spicy mustard, cheese sauce, or the kids’ favorite: “sweet mustard” (equal parts yellow mustard and ketchup).

Check out all our 4th of July Party ideas, inducing this easy DIY festive bunting you can make with inexpensive Walmart table cloths. You’ll also learn a bit about Philly culture, too!