Step by step recipe

---

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Put in a food-processor bowl: 100 ml milk, 500 g flour, 100 g butter, 20 g yeast, 9 g fine (or table) salt and, if possible, 50 g Soured dough.

---

Stage 2 - 10 min.

Knead for 10 minutes on slow speed.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.

---

Stage 3 - 2 hours

Gather the dough into one large ball and transfer this to another bowl, cover with a sheet of plastic.

Leave to rest for 2 hours, it's pointage (starting).

---

Stage 4 - 5 min.

After this time, cut and weigh the dough into 100 g portions.

---

Stage 5 - 8 min.

Roll these into balls. You can see the gesture in this video.

---

Stage 6 - 30 min.

Cover the balls of dough with a sheet of plastic and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

---

Stage 7 - 10 min.

After this time, roll out a ball of dough into a long "sausage" about 50 cm (25 inches) long, then wind it into the traditional pretzel shape. You can see how in the video at the side.

Make all the pretzels like this.

---

Stage 8 - 1 hour 30 min.

Arrange the pretzels on a baking sheet, cover with a sheet of plastic and leave to rest for 1 hour 30 minutes.

---

Stage 9 - 10 min.

After this time, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F).

Bring a pan with 1 litre of water to the boil and, when boiling, add the 50 g of bicarbonate of soda (be careful, as this reacts and may well make the pan boil over, so add it a little at a time).

---

Stage 10

Turn off the heat under the pan and plunge a pretzel into the water containing the bicarbonate of soda. It will sink, then rise back up to the surface...

---

Stage 11 - 10 min.

...take it out with a skimmer and place it on the baking sheet.

Do this with all the pretzels.

This bath of bicarbonate of soda in water gives a sharp flavour to the pretzels.

---

Stage 12 - 3 min.

Scatter poppy seeds or coarse salt crystals over the top of each pretzel.

---

Stage 13 - 20 min.

Put in the oven immediately. It is important that the pretzels are still wet when they go into the oven, so that they will turn a lovely golden brown.

If you have to wait and your pretzels dry out, wet them again with a brush dipped in the pan of water and bicarbonate of soda.

---

Stage 14

Bake until they are just starting to brown and are still soft, about 20 minutes.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Remarks

Nutritional information

How much will it cost?

• For 12 Pretzels : 9.04 €
• Per Pretzels : 0.75 €

Change currency:

Post your comment or question

You are welcome, if you wish, to comment on this recipe: why you like it or not, what you have changed, what results it gave, point out a mistake or omission, etc. You can also ask a question. I answer all questions (in a broken English, sorry) unless someone else does it before me.
Please feel free to say what you think, I'm always very interested in your opinion. Your comment will appear on line with the recipe, so please write in standard readable English, not SIM or only in CAPITALS, otherwise your comment may be rejected.

Please look at advice for submitting a comment or image (what you should or should not do). By the way, don't type your e-mail address in the comment, otherwise you might be spammed.