Soft Pretzel
Chewy, mahogany, salt-flecked and knotted by hand, and yes, this is the fast version built on a no-rise dough. A real pretzel wants a slow cold proof, but nineteen minutes still gets you that unmistakable bicarb tang.
- Total time
- 19 min
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Medium
What you need
Written for 4 — nudge the counter and the numbers follow.
0 of 9 in the basket.
How you make it
Heat the oven to 220C and bring the 1.5 litres of water to the boil in a wide pan.
Mix the flour, yeast, fine salt, sugar, butter and warm water into a firm dough and knead hard for 4 minutes until smooth. Divide into 4 and rest 2 minutes.
Roll each piece into a 50 cm rope, thicker in the middle, then cross the ends and fold them back onto the belly to shape the knot.
Whisk the bicarbonate of soda into the boiling water. It will foam hard, so add it a spoonful at a time and stand back. Poach each pretzel for 30 seconds, turning once, then lift out and drain.
Slash the fat belly of each pretzel, scatter with salt flakes and bake for 11 to 12 minutes until deep brown.
Read all that and thought “absolutely not”?
Completely fair. Soft Pretzel is sitting in the German kitchen right now, it costs nothing, and it will never arrive.
Order it insteadMore from the German kitchen
Crisp, brown and reassuringly enormous.