I've never had an authentic pretzel before; only those small, crunchy things in a packet that are usually disappointing because they just don't have enough salt on them.
While I was scrolling social media today, one of the local restaurants that I follow — Schnitzel and Ribs — shared a photo of their fresh-made German pretzels and I had this sudden inclination to give it a whirl and make my own.
I'm still only a beginner really when it comes to making bread and using yeast in my baking, and I have failed a couple of times. Just... over-kneading, under-kneading, not proofing for long enough.. et cetera.
When I was googling pretzel recipes, I found a couple that used Lye and a couple that used Baking Soda. Apparently using Lye is the authentic way of making these things, but I'm going to have to stick with the Baking Soda method because, well... I don't have Lye. 🤪
I am using this recipe here: Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels ~ Because I'm using someone else's recipe, I won't write it here, but absolutely check out that recipe if you're interested! There are so many comments on the recipe, declaring it one of the best pretzel recipes they've ever tried and so easy for beginners too.
Making the iconic pretzel shape was a bit hit and miss. 🤣 It looks easy, but it's really not. Probably easier once you've made pretzels quite a few times.
I didn't realise how long they would take to roll and make and I could only cook them in batches of four due to my small oven. So my third batch got rather loonnnnggggg when it came time to throw them into the boiling water.
As you can see they look disastrous xD but they're quite tasty.
My last batch was the most perfect batch of the lot as I got the twisting down pat and had them pre-boiled and ready for the oven at the right time.
Absolutely delicious. The recipe I used is utterly perfect except it doesn't take into account cooking time for beginners. xD Once you get into the swing of things though, and you know what you're doing, it's great.
The dough was perfect, my tastebuds taste the distinct pretzel flavour, and the final batch looked fantastic.
If you want to try and make your own pretzels, I highly recommend this recipe. It's great. If I can do it, you can do it!
