Soft Pretzels
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A delicious bread, in the shape of a twisted knot, popularly served alongside beer in Germany.
Author: Praerna
Recipe type: Breads
Cuisine: European
Yield: 8 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (not hot)
- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp sugar
- 1-1/8 tsp dry active yeast
- 2-1/2 cups AP Flour (approx)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp canola/vegetable oil (to grease bowl)
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 1 egg
- Toppings of your choice: sesame seeds, coarse sea salt, deep fried onions
- Equipment Used:
- Oven
- Stand Mixer
- 10x15 Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
- Pastry Brush
- Cooling Rack
Instructions
- Dissolve 1 tbsp sugar in the warm water. Then add the yeast to it, stir gently and let it sit for about 10 minutes until the mixture is cloudy and a little frothy.
- Pour this mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, or into a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of the flour and the salt and stir with a wooden spoon until there are no more lumps.
- Add the flour, ½ cup at a time and mix until all the liquid has been absorbed - the dough should be neither too wet nor too dry.
- Knead this mixture in the stand mixer (with dough hook) or by hand on the counter for about 7-8 minutes, until it is no longer sticky but still elastic and soft. Shape it into a ball.
- Smear a large mixing bowl with the canola oil and place the dough ball in it - roll it around to coat with the oil. Cover and let it rest in a warm place to rise for about an hour. It should double in size.
- Before handling the dough again, turn on the oven to pre-heat at 250 C and place a baking rack in the centre of the oven. Also, line a tray with parchment paper and grease it lightly.
- Gently punch down the dough and then roll it into a disc (without handling it too much or it will lose all it’s airy-ness).
- Using a sharp knife, divide this into 8 wedges.
- Roll each into a long rope, approx 18 inches, keeping the ends a little thinner than the rest. Cross the edges over each other like an inverted ribbon (like the breast cancer/ AIDS symbol). Now lift the loose ends and fold inwards so that the tips come to rest on the middle and fattest part of the pretzels. Look at the images in the above post.
- Place each on the prepared tray, a few inches apart to allow for more rising room. Cover with a tea towel or an inverted tray and allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
- Fill a large-ish (12”) pan with 2” of water. Place on the stove and bring to a rolling boil. Add the baking soda and reduce the heat to a simmer. It will cause the water to froth up a lot and very quickly. Once it settles a little, add the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Gently lower the pretzels into the simmering water, two at a time, and poach for 1 minute on either side. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift from the water and allow to drain on a cooling rack or a large, flat colander.
- Beat the egg with 1 tbsp of water to make a wash and keep aside.
- Line a 10x15 inch baking tray with parchment paper and grease it slightly. Gently transfer the pretzels to the tray and arrange them with a few centimetres between them.
- Brush the tops of the pretzels gently with the egg wash and sprinkle your choice of toppings over them - you can use poppy seeds, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, coarse sea salt, dried garlic and herbs, grated cheddar etc.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until golden.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool in the tray for 5-7 minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool further.
- Serve warm , with mustard (and a cold glass of beer to wash them down).
Recipe by Food-Dee-Dum at https://food-dee-dum.com/2012/10/01/soft-pretzels/