Pretzel

Name: Pretzel
Prep time: 49 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 134 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3.5 cups flour; 1 tablespoon instant yeast; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons soft butter; 1.25 cups warm water; 1/3 cup baking soda; 1 teaspoon coarse salt

The German knotted bread with a shiny brown crust and coarse salt — addictively soft inside.

Vegetarian

Cooking time: 2 hr 14 min
Hands-on time: 49 min
Free time: 1 hr
Difficulty: Medium
Cuisine: American
Calories: 480
Contains: Gluten, Dairy

The secret of the pretzel is not in the knot but in the bath: a quick dip in boiling soda water before the oven is what creates the shiny brown crust and the distinctive taste that is unlike any other bread.

Before you start

Before you beginRead the steps completely, measure the ingredients, and prepare the tools before turning on the fire or oven.
Rising and the ovenAllow enough time for the dough to rise, and preheat the oven fully before the tray goes in.

Ingredients

6people

Amounts follow the number of people

To prepare pretzels

3.5 cups flour — Sifted, then spooned lightly into the cup
1 tablespoon instant yeast — Instant, and within its use-by date
1 tablespoon sugar — fine white
1 teaspoon salt — Add gradually, tasting as you go
2 tablespoons soft butter — At room temperature
1.25 cups warm water — approximately
1/3 cup baking soda — For the boiling bath
1 teaspoon coarse salt — For the top

When increasing the quantity, knead in two batches and leave space between the pieces in the tray so that they rise evenly.

Equipment

Kneading bowl — Big enough for the dough once it has risen.
Wide pot — Two liters of water with bicarbonate — this dip is what gives pretzels their color and taste.
Strainer — To lift each piece out after exactly fifteen seconds.
Baking tray — At 220°, after the coarse salt goes on.

Method

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and leave it until it foams.
10 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
A clear layer of foam on the surface — if it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead.
Tip: The water is warm, not hot: high heat kills the yeast.
Knead the flour and salt with the yeast mixture until it becomes smooth and elastic.
12 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
It stretches without tearing.
Cover and let it rise.
1 hrYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
It has doubled in size.
Divide the dough and roll each piece into a long rope with thin ends.
15 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
Even ropes, thinner at the ends than in the middle.
Form each rope into the familiar pretzel knot.
12 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The shape holds and the ends are pressed on firmly.
Boil water with baking soda and boil each piece for a few seconds.
10 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The piece floats and its surface changes color slightly — thirty seconds is enough.
Tip: This boil is the secret of the brown, shiny crust. Skip it and you get ordinary bread.
Lift it out, sprinkle with coarse salt, and bake at 220°.
15 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
Dark brown and shiny, with a firm crust.