my world my life my love: Soft Pretzels!

I love pretzels but i’ve always thought they might be really difficult to make.

So, when i came across this video on youtube, i decided that i would try it!

It was quite successful. Could be better, but i am very happy with this first batch.

I used the recipe exactly as Laura’s recipe. Below is her recipe but i have added alternate measurements and some notes in brackets.

Makes 1 Dozen

1 ½ cups of Water at 110 degrees
1 Tbsp of Sugar
1 ½ tsp of Salt
1 package of Dry Yeast (7g or 2 1/4 tsp)
2 Tbsp of melted Butter (28g)
4 ½ to 5 cups of All Purpose Flour (i only needed 4 cups)

6 cups of Water
½ cup of Baking Soda

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water (use the smallest egg you can find)
Kosher Salt for topping

Process,

1) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the water sugar and salt, stir to mix and sprinkle the yeast on top. (Stir to combine) Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to foam.

(I didn’t add the salt together, in case it ‘kills’ the yeast, so i added it together with the flour instead)

2) Add the flour and butter and turn the mixer to low and mix until everything is combined. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for about 5 to 7 minutes or until you have a smooth dough.

(I didn’t turn my kitchenaid to medium, because the manual says to only use speed 2 with the dough hook, so i left it at speed 2 for around 9 mins, keep checking on the dough to make sure that it becomes smooth and elastic but still a little sticky)

(I had to throw the first batch because i kneaded it for too long and it definitely over kneaded because the dough was tough and not at all elastic)

3) Brush the bottom and sides of a bowl with some vegetable oil and put the dough in the oiled bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour.

(It’s still quite cold here, so i preheated the oven to the lowest temperature and left it in there – make sure you cover it tight)

4) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (220 degree Celsius), lay 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush some vegetable oil on the parchment paper. (I didn’t brush vegetable oil on my baking paper, it was fine)

5) Add the water and baking soda to a roasting pan and set the roasting pan over a burner and turn the heat on to medium and let the water come to a rolling boil, meanwhile form the pretzels. (I used a wok instead)

6) Once the dough has risen, cut it into 12 equal pieces, roll each piece into a rope and make a U shape, then press the ends of the rope at the bottom of the U shape and pinch the ends. Place your shaped pretzels onto the oiled parchment paper line baking sheets.

7) Carefully place the pretzels into the boiling water for 30 seconds one at a time, remove from the boiling water using a flat spatula and put them back on the oiled parchment paper lined baking sheets. Continue to cook all of them and then brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a little kosher salt. (Make sure you don’t cook it in the baking soda water for too long, i cooked it for a little too long and the flavor of the baking soda on the crust was quite strong)