Pretzels
Pretzels are a salty snack originally from German. The distinctive character of pretzels is that chewy texture. The reason for this, is to first boil the dough before you put then in the oven. The soft interior and chewy outside with that salty touche is what makes this worth making yourself!
For extra fibers and a deeper taste I used old grain flour combined with the original wheat flour.
Boiling the pretzels
ready for the oven
Ingredients (12 pieces):
150 g old grain flour (or whole wheat flour)
300 g wheat flour
12 g dry yeast
20 g sugar
12 g salt
200 ml water (lukewarm)
50 g unsalted butter
1 egg
rough salt
nigella seeds
For the water solution:
3 liter water
9 teaspoons of natrium bicarbonate
Directions:
Combine the lukewarm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
Add the 2 flours and butter. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl (6-7 minutes).
Clean the bowl with vegetable oil and put the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for minimum 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside
Bring the 3L water and bicarbonate to a boil in a large saucepan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly floured work surface and divide into 12 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a thin rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels 1 by 1 into the boiling water for max 30 seconds each side. Place them on the baking sheet. Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the rough salt & nigella seeds.
Bake in the oven at 200°C until golden brown for about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Nina Beckers
