Easy Pretzels

Easy Pretzels

Prep 1 hr 30 mins        Cook 12 minutes        Makes 8 palm sized pretzels



350 g (3 1/2 level teacups) plain or all purpose flour
150 g (1 1/2 level teacups) bread or high protein flour
1 1/2 level tsp fine salt
3 level tsp sugar
2 level tsp instant yeast
350 ml (1 3/4 teacups) water
4 Tbsp (30 g / 1 oz solid butter) cooled melted butter

Glaze

1 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp milk

Toppings

garlic salt, piri piri flakes, crushed toasted nori, sesame seeds and sea salt flakes

Combine flours, salt, sugar and yeast (making sure salt and yeast don't come into direct contact with each other) and stir everything together with a whisk.

Add water and melted butter and knead on low speed for about 5 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky with a dull, matt look instead of the almost satiny sheen of well kneaded dough. Scrape dough out onto a lightly greased surface and grease inside of bowl.

Shape dough into a neat ball, grease dough and return to bowl. Cover and leave to rise for an hour or until slightly more than doubled in volume.

Turn dough out onto work surface, gently deflate and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece with your palms (in one direction) into a rope about 30 cm (12 in) long, cover lightly and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven at 200 C (400 F)

Roll rope out again until 60 cm (24 in) long and about finger-thick. It should be a little thinner at each end then in the middle. Twist into pretzel shape and transfer to a greased or parchment lined baking tray. Repeat with other ropes. I could only get 4 on each tray.

Brush each pretzel gently and thickly with the milk and baking soda mixture. Make sure glaze doesn't drip down to the (unlined) tray or pretzels may get 'glued' to the tray after baking. Sprinkle pretzel generously with toppings and immediately bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack immediately. Eat and repeat. And stop making Aunty Anne a billionaire.