Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white flour
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast
• 10 g salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 40 g soft butter
• 300 ml warm water
• 60 g bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• coarse sea salt, for the tops

Method

1. Make a firm dough

   Mix everything except the bicarbonate of soda into a firm, smooth dough and knead 10 minutes. Firmer than a bread dough — pretzels want a dense, chewy crumb, not an open one.

   10 min

2. Prove

   Cover and prove until doubled, about an hour.

   1 h

3. Roll long and thin

   Divide into eight, roll each into a 60 cm rope thicker in the middle than at the ends, then form the classic loop and twist. Rest the shaped pretzels uncovered for 20 minutes so a skin forms.

   20 min

4. The alkaline bath

   Bring 2 litres of water to a boil, then add the bicarbonate of soda a spoonful at a time — it foams violently. Poach each pretzel for 30 seconds. This alkaline dip is the whole thing: it is what makes the crust mahogany brown, glossy and unmistakably pretzel-flavoured. Skip it and you have bread in a knot.

   1 min

5. Slash, glaze, salt

   Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain, slash the thick part of the belly, brush with beaten egg and scatter over the coarse salt.

6. Bake hot

   Bake at 220°C for 14 to 16 minutes until deep glossy brown. Eat warm, the same day — they stale within hours, which is why bakeries make them constantly.

   15 min