Pretzels

MAKES 6

There is a very dangerous ingredient used in making pretzels the traditional German way, and that is caustic soda. The shaped pretzel dough is dipped in a lye bath – a diluted solution of caustic soda and water – for about 5 seconds. The pretzels are then baked in a hot oven, where a chemical reaction occurs that neutralises any dangers from the caustic and also creates that wonderful colour, texture and taste of the outside of the cooked pretzel. In my recipe I dip my formed pretzel dough into a boiling solution of bicarb soda and water, which achieves pretty much the same outcome as a lye bath without any of the inherent dangers of using caustic soda around the house. The purists will say that it is not as good as the traditional way – however I think it is, and as you are about to find out, these pretzels are pretty damn fine.

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) hot water

2 teaspoons raw (demerara) or white sugar

2 teaspoons dried yeast

1 tablespoon butter, softened

300–450 g (10½ oz–1 lb/2–3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour or bread flour

4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

good-quality salt flakes, such as Murray River or Maldon, for sprinkling

Combine the milk and hot water in a jug – the mixture should be warm but not hot. Add the sugar, yeast and butter and give it a stir, then set aside. After 5–10 minutes the yeast should be active and you will see lots of froth sitting on top.

Attach a dough hook to an electric mixer. Put 300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) of the flour into the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on. Give the yeast mixture a stir and then slowly add it to the flour, mixing all the time. The flour will come together but will still be quite wet, so add some of the remaining flour a handful at a time until the dough begins to form a ball. How much flour you need will depend on what type of flour you are using, as they take up liquid to different degrees. You don’t want this dough to be too dry or stiff – it should be very soft and slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or so, until the dough texture takes on a more silky character. Put the dough in a floured glass bowl – I usually spray some oil around the inside of the bowl and then sprinkle flour around it, as this stops the dough sticking to the glass. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour or two, or until the dough has at least doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/Gas 8) and line two baking trays with baking paper. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured work surface and shape it into a log. Cut this log in half, then cut each half into three pieces.

Roll each piece out to about 45 cm (18 inches) long – there is a trick to this, which is to leave a fatter bit in the middle. Imagine a snake has swallowed a football (or an oblong shape) which is sitting in the snake’s middle. This fatter section should be about 6 cm (2½ inches) long. As this dough is quite soft you probably won’t be able to roll it on the work surface, so the easiest way to roll it is to pick it up and hold it between your hands. With palms together and thumbs pointing to the roof, make like you are rubbing your hands together to warm them. Allow the dough to hang down, and as you rub your hands together the dough will slowly fall down, stretching out with the rolling action. This all makes perfect sense when you start doing it. Let the dough drop to the work surface and then repeat the process, starting from the other end. In order to get the fatter bit in the middle, start the rolling motion 4 cm (1½ inches) past the centre of the dough, and when you turn the dough and do the other side, start again 4 cm (1½ inches) past the middle section – and voila, you will end up with a 45 cm (18 inch) length of dough with a fat section in the middle. With practice comes perfection!

To make a pretzel shape, have a rolled ‘snake’ lying on the work surface in front of you. Pick up both ends and hold the dough above the work surface so it forms a big ‘U’ shape. Now cross your hands in a circular motion so that the ‘U’ swings, turns and twists around itself, then lay it flat on the work surface, still holding onto the ends. Place one end on top and to the side of the fat middle section, and the other end on the other side. Wet your finger (no, don’t lick it – have a bowl with a little water nearby!) and dab where the two ends rest on the fat section to seal them down. Shape all the pretzels in the same way.

In a frying pan, bring 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) water and the bicarbonate of soda to the boil. Dunk a pretzel in for about 10 seconds, then turn it over using tongs and let it sit for another 10 seconds. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and tongs and place on a prepared baking tray. Repeat with the other shaped pretzels, so you have three pretzels on each tray. Sprinkle generously with the salt flakes and bake for 10 minutes, or until the pretzels are a dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven and try to wait until they are a little cooler before you devour them. Of course, eat them with your favourite beer.