Fine, soft pretzels

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 700 g flour
• 2 ½ tsp salt
• 21 g yeast, fresh
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 360 ml water, lukewarm
• 85 g butter, melted
• 3 dl water
• 190 g baking soda
• 1 egg(s), beaten, for brushing
• 1 tbsp water, cold
• Salt, coarse, for sprinkling
• Butter, melted, for the baking tray

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Put the flour in a bowl, mix with the salt, and make a well in the center. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the sugar and a little of the lukewarm water. Pour it into the well and stir it into the flour with your finger. Then add the melted butter and the remaining water and knead into a yeast dough. It should be a soft, non-sticky dough. You may need a little more water; mine are spot on. Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured work surface and return it to the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour. It should have increased in volume considerably during this time. In the meantime, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Knead the dough again briefly and divide it into eight equal pieces. I always weigh the dough pieces, so the pretzels are the same size. Return all but one piece of dough to the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Now, on an unfloured work surface, shape one piece into a 57cm rope. This is best done with slightly moistened hands. Always work from the center outwards. The rope should be thicker in the middle and taper off towards the ends. Now grab the ends and wrap the rope around yourself, pressing it onto the thicker piece of dough on the top right and left, so that it forms the shape of a pretzel. Place this on the baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth. Then shape four pretzels and place them evenly on the baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for another 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C, whisk the egg with one tablespoon of water. Brush the baking paper on the second baking sheet with a little melted butter. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, then remove it from the heat briefly and add the baking soda. Be careful! It will foam up a lot, so put it back on the heat and let it continue to cook. Now it’s best to add two pretzels one after the other. Hold them so that you have the ends with the dough in your hands. Briefly place the pretzels in the lye and moisten the tops with the lye using a slotted spoon. Remove them with the slotted spoon and place them on the buttered baking paper. Do the same with the other two. Now make a crosswise cut in the thick top of the pretzels using a sharp knife. Brush a thin layer of the egg mixture, sprinkle the tops with salt, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. In the meantime, repeat the same process with the remaining four pretzels in the bowl. Let the baked pretzels cool on a wire rack.