Trader Joe's pizza dough has gotten great reviews on social media for a few important reasons: Among them are convenience, price, and flexibility. Trader Joe's pizza dough is one of those things that's always great to have on hand so you can make your favorite style of pizza: deep dish, Grandma-style, individual, New York-style thin crust ..

. Or perhaps you don't want to make pizza at all. Making things other than pizza — including pizza shop staples like focaccia, breadsticks, garlic knots, and calzone, and sweet delights like monkey bread, donuts, and cinnamon rolls – is among people's favorite dinner hacks using Trader Joe's products .

But, when people really want to put a twist on it, they throw the dough into a water bath with baking soda to make soft pretzels. Taking the shaped dough and placing it in boiling water with a teaspoon of baking soda is the key to turning pizza dough into pretzel dough. That critical step will ensure you get both the chewy bite and rich brown color you want in a soft pretzel.

Skipping that step is one of the mistakes people make when making pretzels at home – whether starting from scratch or getting a head start with Trader Joe's pizza dough. How the hot bath works Boiling the shaped dough in a baking soda bath for about 45 seconds helps gelatinize the starch on the outside but won't cook the dough on the inside. It also prevents the dough from rising too much in the oven, giving you the chewy texture you want in a pretzel.

Adding baki.