Soft Pretzels
Soft pretzels with a chewy interior and glossy, pretzel-dark crust from a traditional baking soda bath. Serves 4.
as needed
30g
15g
500g
7g
10g
60g
1piece
10g| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | as needed | — | — | |
| 2 | | 30g | — | — | |
| 3 | | 15g | — | — | |
| 4 | | 500g | — | — | |
| 5 | | 7g | — | — | |
| 6 | | 10g | — | — | |
| 7 | | 60g | — | — | |
| 8 | | 1piece | — | — | |
| 9 | | 10g | — | — |
Pour the water into the small saucepan.
Water · 300 ml
Add the butter to the saucepan with the water.
Unsalted butter · 30 gSet the pan over a low heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the butter has just melted and the liquid feels barely warm to the touch — around 37 °C — then remove from the heat.
Add the sugar to the bowl.
Sugar · 15 g
Weigh the flour into the large mixing bowl.
Plain flour · 500 gAdd the yeast to the flour.
Instant yeast · 7 gAdd the fine salt to the bowl, keeping it on the opposite side from the yeast.
Fine salt · 10 gStir the dry ingredients together briefly to combine.
Pour the warm liquid into the dry ingredients.
Stir with the wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a rough, shaggy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured work surface.
Knead the dough firmly with the heel of your hand, pushing, folding and turning, for 10 minutes until it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the large mixing bowl.
Cover the bowl tightly with cling-film.
Leave the dough to prove at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven
Line the baking tray with baking paper.
Turn the proved dough out onto the board and cut it into 8 equal pieces.
Working one piece at a time, place a portion under both palms and roll it back and forth on the board, gradually moving your hands outward, until you have a rope about 60 cm long, thinner at the ends.
To form each pretzel, lift a rope by its ends, cross the ends over each other twice to make a twist, then fold the twisted ends down and press them firmly onto the lower curve of the loop.
Lay the shaped pretzels on the lined baking tray, spaced well apart.
Pour enough water into the large saucepan to give a good depth for bathing the pretzels.
Water · 2 l
Bring the water to a rolling boil over a high heat.
Add the bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water — it will foam up briefly.
Bicarbonate of soda · 60 gStir to dissolve the bicarbonate of soda completely.
Lower the pretzels into the bicarbonate bath 2 at a time and poach for 30 seconds per side.
Lift each pretzel out with a slotted spoon, let the water drain, and return it to the lined baking tray.
Crack the egg into the small bowl, discarding the shell.
Egg · 1 piece
Beat the egg with a fork until fully combined.
Brush the top of each pretzel generously with the egg wash, covering every surface for a deep golden glaze.
Scatter coarse sea salt liberally over the top of each pretzel.
Coarse sea salt · 10 gPlace the baking tray in the oven.
Bake the pretzels until they are a deep mahogany brown and shiny, about 15 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven using oven gloves.
Lift the pretzels off the baking tray and set them on the wire rack to cool briefly.
Leave the pretzels on the rack for 5 minutes until just cool enough to handle.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 300 ml | | Pour the water into the small saucepan.⏱ 5sResultWater |
| 2 | 30 g | | Add the butter to the saucepan with the water.⏱ 5sResultWater and unsalted butter |
| 3 | — | | Set the pan over a low heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the butter has just melted and the liquid feels barely warm to the touch — around 37 °C — then remove from the heat.⏱ 2 minResultWarm liquidused in step 9 |
| 4 | 15 g | | Add the sugar to the bowl.⏱ 5sResultSugar |
| 5 | 500 g | | Weigh the flour into the large mixing bowl.⏱ 10sResultPlain flour and sugar |
| 6 | 7 g | | Add the yeast to the flour.⏱ 5sResultPlain flour and sugar and instant yeast |
| 7 | 10 g | | Add the fine salt to the bowl, keeping it on the opposite side from the yeast.⏱ 5sResultPlain flour mixture |
| 8 | — | | Stir the dry ingredients together briefly to combine.⏱ 20sResultDry pretzel mixture |
| 9 | Warm liquidstep 3 | | Pour the warm liquid into the dry ingredients.⏱ 10sResultWarm liquid and dry pretzel mixture |
| 10 | — | | Stir with the wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a rough, shaggy dough.⏱ 1 minResultShaggy pretzel dough |
| 11 | — | | Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured work surface.⏱ 10sResultShaggy pretzel dough |
| 12 | — | | Knead the dough firmly with the heel of your hand, pushing, folding and turning, for 10 minutes until it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.⏱ 10 minResultSmooth pretzel dough |
| 13 | — | | Shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the large mixing bowl.⏱ 10sResultSmooth pretzel dough |
| 14 | — | | Cover the bowl tightly with cling-film.⏱ 10s |
| 15 | — | | Leave the dough to prove at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.⏱ 1 hrResultProved pretzel dough |
| 16 | — | | Preheat the oven⏱ 15 min |
| 17 | — | | Line the baking tray with baking paper.⏱ 20s |
| 18 | — | | Turn the proved dough out onto the board and cut it into 8 equal pieces.⏱ 30sResult8 equal dough portions |
| 19 | — | | Working one piece at a time, place a portion under both palms and roll it back and forth on the board, gradually moving your hands outward, until you have a rope about 60 cm long, thinner at the ends.⏱ 5 minResult8 long dough ropes |
| 20 | — | | To form each pretzel, lift a rope by its ends, cross the ends over each other twice to make a twist, then fold the twisted ends down and press them firmly onto the lower curve of the loop.⏱ 4 minResult8 shaped raw pretzels |
| 21 | 8 shaped raw pretzelsstep 20 | | Lay the shaped pretzels on the lined baking tray, spaced well apart.⏱ 30sResult8 shaped raw pretzels |
| 22 | 2 l | | Pour enough water into the large saucepan to give a good depth for bathing the pretzels.⏱ 10sResultMeasured water |
| 23 | — | | Bring the water to a rolling boil over a high heat.⏱ 5 minResultBoiling water |
| 24 | 60 g | | Add the bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water — it will foam up briefly.⏱ 10sResultBoiling water and bicarbonate of soda |
| 25 | — | | Stir to dissolve the bicarbonate of soda completely.⏱ 15sResultBicarbonate solution |
| 26 | — | | Lower the pretzels into the bicarbonate bath 2 at a time and poach for 30 seconds per side.⏱ 2 minResultAlkali-poached pretzels |
| 27 | Alkali-poached pretzelsstep 26 | | Lift each pretzel out with a slotted spoon, let the water drain, and return it to the lined baking tray.⏱ 30sResult8 shaped raw pretzels and alkali-poached pretzels |
| 28 | 1 piece | | Crack the egg into the small bowl, discarding the shell.⏱ 5sResultEgg |
| 29 | — | | Beat the egg with a fork until fully combined.⏱ 15sResultBeaten egg |
| 30 | Beaten eggstep 29 | | Brush the top of each pretzel generously with the egg wash, covering every surface for a deep golden glaze.⏱ 30sResultEgg-washed pretzels |
| 31 | 10 g | | Scatter coarse sea salt liberally over the top of each pretzel.⏱ 15sResultEgg-washed pretzels and coarse sea salt |
| 32 | — | | Place the baking tray in the oven.⏱ 10sResultEgg-washed pretzels and coarse sea salt |
| 33 | — | | Bake the pretzels until they are a deep mahogany brown and shiny, about 15 minutes.⏱ 15 minResultBaked soft pretzels |
| 34 | — | | Remove the tray from the oven using oven gloves.⏱ 10sResultBaked soft pretzels |
| 35 | Baked soft pretzelsstep 34 | | Lift the pretzels off the baking tray and set them on the wire rack to cool briefly.⏱ 15sResultBaked soft pretzels |
| 36 | — | | Leave the pretzels on the rack for 5 minutes until just cool enough to handle.⏱ 5 minResultRested soft pretzels |
| Total Time | 1 hr 52 min | ||
A batch eaten a portion at a time — about 4 portions. Serve what is wanted now and keep the rest.
- Arrange the pretzels on a serving board and bring to the table while still warm.
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 547kcal | |
| 15g | |
| 9g | |
| 5g | |
| 100g | |
| 4g | |
| 4g | |
| 1,984mg |
Soft Pretzels
Soft pretzels with a chewy interior and glossy, pretzel-dark crust from a traditional baking soda bath. Serves 4.
What you’ll doYou will mix and knead a dough, let it rise for an hour, then divide and roll it into eight ropes. Shape each into a pretzel, poach them briefly in a bicarbonate bath to develop their characteristic chewy crust, brush with egg wash and salt, then bake until deep brown.
Ingredients
- Wateras needed
- Unsalted butter30 g
- Sugar15 g
- Plain flour500 g
- Instant yeast7 g
- Fine salt10 g
- Bicarbonate of soda60 g
- Egg1 piece
- Coarse sea salt10 g