Seaweed Salt Pretzel Bites

Servings: 12-14 bites Cooking time: around 3 hours

Pretzels are traditional German fare – baked pastry which is commonly tied into a distinctive knot. The pretzels have a dark brown, shiny skin and unique flavour which is caused by the Maillard reaction. Before baking, the dough is blanched in an alkaline (lye) solution, which causes the dough to brown quickly in the hot oven, causing a chemical reaction between the amino acids and reducing sugars similar – but not as intense as – caramelisation. That’s a lot of scientific talk to say: pretzels are delicious! To keep things simple, we’ve eschewed the knotting stage in favour of these bitesize morsels. Easy to make and fun to share, these pretzel bites are dressed with seaweed salt for flavour and nutrition. Enjoy as they are, or dip them in your favourite mustard

Instructions:

  1. Whisk the yeast into the warm water. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together the rest of the dough ingredients.
  3. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl, and mix until it forms a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn over to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until doubled (2 to 3 hours).
  5. Punch down dough and divide into quarters. Roll each quarter into a long snake. Cut each snake into 12-14 pieces, roll each piece into balls.
  6. Heat oven to 230°C. Oil 2 large baking sheets.
  7. In a saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil (mixture will be foamy at first, but foam will dissipate). In batches add pretzel bites and boil for 30 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to baking sheets. Quickly sprinkle with seaweed salt before they dry.
  8. Bake in oven, 8 to 10 minutes (watch closely toward end of baking; bites brown quickly in last few minutes).

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