Week 14 - Pretzels

I had a lot of fun making these, rolling the dough into long strings wasn't working so I ended up whipping them around in the air to get them to the length they needed to be. And when they were finished, they tasted awesome!

These were the first bread product that I've made that really turned out the way I hoped it would. The dough rose well, the boiling process was easy and they baked great. The only changes I would make to this recipe would be to coat the pretzels in butter rather than egg before baking, and thats just to see if there would be a flavour difference.

They were a big success and I enjoyed these with my husband and neighbours with a little hot sauce for dipping.

Final Rating: 8/10

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp dried yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp salt
1 egg, at room temp lightly whisked
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp sea salt flakes

Combine the lukewarm water and sugar in a small bowl, sprinkle over the yeast and set aside for 5-6 minutes or until foamy.

Sift 3 3/4 cups of the four and the salt into a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until a course dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, adding a little more flour, 1 tbsp at a time until dough is only slightly sticky.

Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot for 45-55 min. Knock back the dough with just one punch to expel the air and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 10 equal portions. Working with just one portion at a time, roll into a log about 22 inches long. If the dough sticks to your hands, dust your palms with flour.

Working with one log at a time, hold onto each end to make a loop. Twist the ends of the dough together once or twice as you prefer, then bring them up to the top of the loop and press together to adhere. Place the shaped pretzels on a lightly greased baking tray, well spaced and sed aside for 20 min to rest.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 415℉ Lightly grease 2 baking trays with oil. Line 2 more with parchment paper. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Gently place 3-4 pretzels in the boiling water and cook for 1 minute, then gently turn and cook for a further minute until puffed and set. Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove, drain well and transfer to greased tray. Continue to boil the remaining pretzels. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, transfer them to lined trays. Brush with the egg, sprinkle with poppy seeds and sea salt and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the trays to ensure even colouring and bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Cool on the trays for 15 minutes.