Soft Homemade Pretzels, German-Style, perfect as a quick snack, and big favourite with the little ones. Throw some in the school lunch box or in the picnic basket, or munch on them in between meals. They are incredibly delicious, and super easy to make.
Looking for some nibbles to munch on? I’ve got you covered. My soft homemade pretzels are absolutely fantastic. Planning a picnic when the weather is nice? Need something to eat in between meals? Or maybe just a snack to get you going on those way too long office hours?
If the answer to all these questions is a big fat yes, then you must try my recipe. It only requires about 1 and a half hours of your time and they are cheaper and healthier than those bags of biscuits and crisps that keep winking at you.
If you have kids who can’t wait to get their little hands dirty, do get them to help you make them, they will love getting their reward at the end of their hard work. I remember that as a child my father always used to buy pretzels when coming home from work, and l used to run quickly as soon as we was home and search his bag for goodies. Those pretzels were demolished in no time. Sweet old days!
And guess who is mummy’s little helper now? My nearly 3 year old girl already loves baking with mummy, and she absolutely loved kneading the dough. Can you spot some little hands in there?
HOW TO MAKE THE PRETZEL DOUGH
If you want the pretzels to be crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, getting the dough right is crucial. FIRSTLY, make sure the milk is warm, not hot. Then mix a bit of sugar and dried fast-action yeast, give a good stir, then let the mixture rest for 10 minutes or so.
You will notice that the yeast mixture raises and becomes foamy. That’s when you know that yeast has worked and it will do its job nicely. If the yeast is not foamy, you will have to start again using another sachet of yeast.
Then, mix it with the other ingredients, and knead the dough well for at least 5 minutes. I know it can be hard work, but it will pay off, trust me. The dough should be elastic and not stick to the hands at all. Then, shape it into a ball, transfer it to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and a clean tea towel, and let it prove in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
HOW TO MAKE THE PRETZEL SHAPE
Once the dough has risen, transfer it to the work surface, divide it into 10 small balls, then roll each ball into a thin long rope. Cross the rope, then make a U shape.
Grease and flour a baking tray, then transfer the pretzels onto it, brush with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, anything you like, and bake for 20 minutes. And that’s your job done.
Just look how soft and perfectly baked they are!!! They spring back if you touch them, and that’s when you know you absolutely nailed the recipe.
As you can tell, making them is a lot easier than it looks. The waiting is a lot longer, but other than that, it’s not a big deal. Have some for your kids lunch box, or as an afterschool snack, and they will just love them.
Now, you can make them as flavourful as you like, if you’d rather not have plain. Add some lemon extract and zest, or vanilla extract, cinnamon, or coat them in honey and chopped walnuts, the posibilities are endless here. You have the basic recipe, tweak it the way you like, you can create so many variations of it.
The pretzels stay fresh for a long time, but best to store them in an airtight container until you eat them up. I absolutely love them warm, they are fresh, they smell amazingly well, and they remind me of childhood. What a treat!
If you’ve liked my SOFT HOMEMADE PRETZELS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Soft Homemade Pretzels, German-Style, a delicious snack that makes a great addition to the school lunch box or the picnic basket. Loved by the little ones and grown-ups alike.
- 400 g strong bread flour
- 2 tsp active dried yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 100 ml milk
- 150 ml water
- 1 egg
- sesame seeds, caraway seeds to garnish
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Warm up the milk in the microwave just for about 10 seconds, it has to be warm, but not hot to touch.
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Add the sugar and yeast and mix well.
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Leave the mixture to prove for 10 minutes, it will rise and become foamy.
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In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, yeast mixture, water, oil and knead for 5 minutes. The dough comes together really nicely, it does not stick to the bowl and is easy to work with.
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Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to double up its size for about one hour.
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Transfer the dough to a slightly oiled work surface and shape 10 balls.
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, (356 Fahrenheit).
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Roll each ball into a long thin rope, then shape it into a pretzel.
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Slightly beat the egg and brush each pretzel with it, the sprinkle sesame seeds and caraway seeds over.
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Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden.
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Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, then serve either warm or cold.
- To see the measurements in cups and ounces, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
- The amount of ingredients listed can be adjusted depending on the number of servings you need, just click on the number next to SERVINGS.
- MAKE SURE THE YEAST IS ACTIVE, IF THIS DEOS NOT BECOME FOAMY WHEN YOU LEFT IT REST WITH THE MILK, DO NOT USED IT, THE PRETZELS WILL NOT BECOME SOFT.
7 Comments
Silvia
April 13, 2016 at 3:55 pmArata mult mai bine decat cele cumparate. Si sigur, si gustul e mai bun. :). Eu am mancat doar sarate, nu am mancat niciodata cu vanilie.
Daniela Apostol
April 13, 2016 at 5:17 pmMultumesc! Sunt tare buni, i-au placut si bebitei mele ?
Chris
April 14, 2016 at 12:21 amLove the vanilla flavor!
Daniela Apostol
April 15, 2016 at 7:41 pmThank you! Vanilla brings such a lovely flavour to any dessert.
Sheryl
April 15, 2016 at 12:11 pmThis recipe sounds healthy. I was surprised that this recipe used very little sugar, and that the glaze doesn’t use any.
Daniela Apostol
April 15, 2016 at 6:03 pmThank you! It indeed has a little bit of sugar, it is more of a savoury kind of pretzels, but the vanilla gives a nice kick.
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