It’s been a busy couple of weeks here in London! If that means anything, it means that spring is on its way. Projects have been picking back up at work, my dad came for a visit over the Easter holidays, and Ben got a job offer for when he finishes his PhD this fall. Now if only the weather would actually warm up and the sun would come out – then it would really be spring!

After a couple of weeks off from baking, it was time to dive back in and get my hands dirty – literally. Because this week was bread week!

I found these pretzel rolls through Pinterest, and was instantly drawn to them. I’d actually been craving the salty, yet buttery taste of a warm, soft pretzel. Plus they were so simple – actually much simpler than normal pretzels (which was a bit of a mission last time I made them).

The recipe is pretty much exactly the same, just a smaller batch and using water instead of milk.  I also noticed that the dough was a bit more durable (for want of a better word) – so it would work really well for making normal pretzels too. This recipe makes 8 3-inch (ish) rolls, which are perfect for sandwiches – a few slices of roast beef, a bit of mustard, and you’re golden. Or, you can be like me and just tear them apart and eat them straight from the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 5 Tablespoons (72 grams) butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• olive oil
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• coarse sea salt

Directions

1. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with a dough hook (or just a large bowl), pour in the warm water, brown sugar, yeast, and melted butter. Give them a gentle stir to bring them together, then allow them to sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.

2. Mix together the flour and salt in a separate bowl so that the salt won’t come in direct contact with the yeast, because this would kill the yeast. Once they’re mixed, add them to your mixer and mix on a low speed until everything is combined. Increase the speed to medium and allow the dough to knead for 3-4 minutes, until it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.  You can knead the dough by hand if you’d like – it’s a good workout for the arms!

3. Coat a clean large bowl with a bit of olive oil to help prevent the dough from sticking to it. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl, cover, and allow to rise until it’s doubled in size – about an hour.

4. When your dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425°F (210°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring a pot of water to boil, then slowly add in the baking soda. Don’t add it too quickly, because sometimes it’ll bubble over. 

5. Divide your dough into 8 evenly-sized chunks (or make them smaller, bite-size rolls if you’d like – just remember to reduce your baking time) then shape them into a nice roll. Place each dough ball into the boiling water for 30 seconds. This will give your rolls the deep brown colour that’s characteristic of pretzels! Set each roll on your prepared baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with the sea salt while it’s still wet, then cut an ‘X’ into the top of each roll.

6. Bake your rolls for about 15 minutes until they reach that deep golden brown. Once finished, remove them immediately onto a wire rack to cool so that the bottoms don’t get soggy. Then either eat them on their own or slice and make into sandwiches! These rolls will easily keep 2-3 days if kept in a paper bag, or covered in a clean cloth. Don’t put them in plastic containers or bags, because the moisture will condense and make your rolls soggy.