THESE PRETZELS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY!

Parmesan Pretzels

Pretzel-in-a-basket

Told you I was stuck on bread and ice cream! Just can’t think past that at the moment…work recipes are sucking my brains out through my taste buds I fear, but all to good result. Those big buttery pretzels you buy in a popular chain right now are so overpriced, that my Scottish heritage came to the fore and I just had to see what could be done about it. A lot, it would seem! After a less successful attempt, I tried again and frankly these were literally gone in minutes…(office staff, you know who you are)! Now I have to try again, just so the family can taste them…and how about trying cinnamon sugar, maple icing, lemon glaze, fruit into the dough, olives into the dough, pepperoni and cream cheese into the dough….oh heaven…should I stop now? So many options, so few occasions to eat pretzels!

NEED:
2 teaspoons yeast granules
290-300 grams cold milk
20 grams olive oil
80 grams sugar
550 grams bakers flour
good pinch salt
100 grams bicarb soda
Bowl of hot water
extra sea salt and melted butter for topping and/or cinnamon sugar, grated parmesan etc.

DO:
Place yeast, milk, oil and 1 tsp of the sugar into Thermomix bowl and blend for a few seconds on speed 5. Warm through for 3 minutes on 37oC on speed 2.
Add remaining sugar, flour and salt and mix for 10 seconds on speed 7.
With dial set to closed lid position, knead at Interval setting for 2-3 minutes. If the dough is dry or wet at this point add additional water or flour as needed! (You need a firm dough for pretzels.)
Wrap in oiled bread mat and set in warm place to double.
Meanwhile, pre heat oven to 220oC and if you have a pizza stone, heat in oven at the same time.
Place bicarb soda into hot water and dissolve with fork.
Divide dough into a bakers dozen (13…really!) and then form pretzels by rolling long ‘snakes’ out of each piece. Holding each end of the dough, hit the bread mat a few times to lengthen and even out the dough. Make large pretzel shape, push joins together and then dip into cooled bicarb water before placing directly onto heated pizza stone, (or paper lined baking tray). Cook for about 8 minutes until golden brown, remove and cool slightly before brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with toppings of choice.
You’ll never buy one of those delicious, yet over priced pretzels again, and alongside the whole Seinfeld crew, you’ll be telling everyone that ‘these pretzels are making me thirsty’!