Homemade Pretzels

Hey foodies,

Some people don't dare to try making homemade pretzels... probably because of the brine.

What is brine? It's a mixture of water and baking soda that gives pretzels their distinctive taste and also gives them a beautiful brown and golden colour.

And you know what? It's super simple to make! :o)

So yes, sure, purists will tell me that in bakeries they use corrosive sodium hydroxide (also called caustic soda) and not baking soda... But this product is very aggressive and can be dangerous if not handled with care. So I prefer to offer you an adapted recipe for home use that presents no risk.

Let's go! Here are my homemade pretzels.

For 10 pretzels, you will need:

Pretzel dough

- 1 cube of fresh yeast (or 7gr of dry yeast)

- 150gr of water

- 150gr of whole milk

- 500gr of flour

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1 tsp of sugar

- 50gr of butter

- Coarse salt

Brine

- 1L of boiling water

- 3 tbsp of baking soda

Pretzel dough

First, we are going to prepare the starter.

To do this, heat 150gr of whole milk in the microwave at 600Watt for 30 seconds. Be careful! The milk should be lukewarm and not hot. Set it aside at room temperature.

In another bowl, crumble 1 cube of yeast and add 2 tbsp of flour (taken from the 500gr of flour) as well as 1 tsp of sugar. Mix with a spoon.

Add 3 tbsp of lukewarm milk (taken from the 150gr of lukewarm milk) and mix everything together again with a spoon. And there you have a quick mini starter. :o)

Cover your starter with cling film and let it rise for 20 minutes at room temperature.

If you are looking for a great cling film, we really recommend the one from our range. It comes with a very handy cutter. It's the only one we use here.

While the starter is resting, you can already melt 50gr of butter in the microwave at 600Watt for about 30 seconds and let it cool down.

After the 20 minutes of rest, your starter will have done its work! It will have doubled in volume.

Pour the remaining flour (500gr minus the 2 tbsp used earlier) into a large bowl, then make a well in the centre.

Pour the starter into it and knead the dough using a dough hook at speed 1 or 2.

During the kneading which will last about 5 minutes, gradually add the remaining milk, 150gr of water and the 50gr of melted butter.

Once the 5 minutes are up, add 1 tsp of salt and continue kneading the dough at the same speed for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until you get a smooth, supple dough.

The dough is ready when you can stretch it and a thin skin forms without tearing.

Once the dough is ready, shape it into a ball, place it in your bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let your dough rise for 30 minutes at room temperature. Your dough should double in volume.

Once the dough has risen, divide it into 10 pieces of about 85gr each using a dough scraper.

Work the dough so that the surface is as smooth as possible. Place the seams facing down so that one side is smooth and the other has the seams.

Then roll the pieces into ropes about 30-35 cm long. Make them very thin at the ends and a little thicker in the centre.

Time to shape! :o)

Grab the two ends of your rope and cross them over each other twice.

Take the two tips and fold them back onto the pretzel, pressing lightly. And there you have a lovely pretzel! :o)

Flip the pretzel over so the seams are not visible.

To help you, here is a video where we show you how to shape a pretzel.

Once all the pretzels are shaped, place them on a perforated baking tray lined with a perforated mat. Make sure to space them well on your tray.

Let the pretzels rise for 15 minutes at room temperature, covered with a damp cloth.

Preheat your oven to 220 °C, top/bottom heat.

After 15 minutes, the pretzels should be nicely puffed up.

Brine

We are now going to prepare the brine.

To do this, bring 1 litre of water to a boil and pour it into a large shallow container.

Add 3 tbsp of baking soda.

Briefly mix everything together with a whisk.

Then dip the pretzels (pretty side down) into the brine for about 30 seconds.

No need to flip them in the brine. Just soak the pretty side only.

Drain them and place them back on the baking tray (seams facing down).

If you like, sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt.

I tried scoring the thickest part of the pretzels with a lame but the result wasn't really satisfying...

I think I didn't cut deep enough and the fact that the knife is designed for right-handed people certainly didn't help me being left-handed. ;-)

Normally it gives a nice marbled effect to the pretzels so I still recommend you try it at home. :o)

Bake the pretzels for 20 minutes at 220°C, top/bottom heat.

And there you have beautifully crispy pretzels!

Spread them with butter or fill them for a sandwich version. They are absolutely delicious! :o)

You can store freshly baked pretzels at room temperature for two days in a bread box. However, do not store them with other breads as the salt on the pretzels absorbs moisture and your breads may go stale faster.

You can also freeze your pretzels in an airtight bag and keep them for up to 4 months in the freezer.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! :o)

Have a great Sunday!

Jenny

P.S.: You will find all the equipment used at the bottom of the recipe.