Soft Pretzels |

Soft Pretzels

Have you ever been tempted by the aroma wafting across the shopping centre from the local pretzel stand? If so have a go at making your own…

Put 625g plain flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp yeast in a large mixing bowl.

Add 55g melted butter and 360ml warm water.

Mix together to form a soft dough then knead until smooth and stretchy – I did this is a stand mixer and it took about 5 minutes. I seem to have lost the picture of this stage!

Leave the dough in the bowl covered for about an hour until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces – I weigh them but you could just do it by eye.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball.

Then roll the dough into a long sausage that bulges in the middle and tapers to the ends – mine were about 45 cm long.

Cross the two ends over making quite a large loop.

Cross them over again.

Then fold up and press down lightly.

Place the pretzels on a tray. You should leave them like this, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before the next stage. This allows them to form a skin and helps give them a chewy texture.

Bring 2 litres water to the simmer in a large frying pan with 55g bicarbonate of soda. Carefully cook each pretzel in the water one or two at a time for about 30 seconds. Take them out using a fish slice then place back on your baking sheet.

After this they will have puffed up slightly and be slightly rubbery to the touch – they don’t appear very appealing but stick with it; they will be lovely.