KENZEY’S
Chocolate and Hazelnut Pretzels
As far as breads go, these pretzels are the simple indulgences that dreams are made of – and the perfect on-the-go treat for adults and children alike.
MAKES 8
For the pretzels
450g strong white flour
35g light soft brown sugar
½ tsp fine salt
1 × 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
275ml warm water
50g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, for greasing
3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1 medium egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
50g chopped hazelnuts
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
For the dipping sauce
60ml whole milk
120g chocolate hazelnut spread (we use Nutella)
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp honey
To make the dough, weigh the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other, making sure they don’t touch (if the yeast comes into direct contact with the salt it can retard it and stop the dough from rising). Toss the salt in some of the flour surrounding it, do the same with the yeast, finally mixing them all together until combined.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the warm water and melted butter. Mix with a bench scraper or wooden spoon until it comes together into a messy dough. Tip the dough and any remaining flour onto a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and supple. You’ll be able to tell when you have kneaded it enough with the ‘windowpane test’ (see here).
Transfer the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
Line a couple of large baking trays with baking paper and grease with a little vegetable or sunflower oil.
Once the dough has risen, knock out any large air bubbles from the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces (weighing about 100g each). Roll each piece of dough into a long sausage, about 30cm long. Make each sausage into a large ‘U’ shape, cross the ends over one another, then twist them round once before attaching them near to the base of the ‘U’, making the classic pretzel shape (see illustration).
Once shaped, move the pretzels to the prepared baking trays and leave to prove for 30–40 minutes until doubled in size again.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6.
Pour 1 litre water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Tip the bicarbonate of soda into the pan and let it bubble up and settle back down. One at a time, gently lower the pretzels into the boiling water and boil for 20 seconds – they should float. Remove the pretzels from the water with a fish slice or flat spatula and carefully lay them back onto the lined baking trays.
Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and sea salt flakes. Bake for 20–25 minutes until a deep golden brown.
To make the dipping sauce, warm the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat, then whisk in the chocolate hazelnut spread, vanilla and honey until smooth. Either drizzle the sauce over the baked pretzels or serve it in small dishes alongside the warm pretzels for dunking.
TIP
Brushing breads or pastries with beaten egg before baking gives them a golden brown sheen, but sometimes the egg can be jelly-like and hard to brush on without damaging the dough. To avoid this, beat a pinch of salt into the egg and leave it aside for 5–10 minutes before brushing it on.
