Pretzels

Originated from Germany but well known all over the world. It’s a twisted strand, sprinkled with coarse salt and baked until a crunchy crust.

Method:

1. Mix flour, salt and sugar together. Add the Anchor Instant Yeast and mix.
2. Add enough lukewarm water to the flour mixture to form soft dough.
3. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, cover with greased plastic and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a strand about 40 cm long, leaving the centre part thicker and the end strips thinner. Make a loop and twist the 2 ends twice around each other. Pull the ends back towards the loop, and press down next to the thicker part of the loop. Cover and rise in a warm place for 10 minutes.
5. Combine 1.5 l water with the bicarbonate of soda in a saucepan. Bring the water to the boil.
6. Carefully lift pretzels off baking tray, place onto a draining spoon and lower into the boiling water. Cook until pretzels are puffy, about 15 seconds. Remove from water using a draining spoon and place onto greased baking tray. Brush with egg white and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 ºC/400 ºF for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.