I made pretzels

These came out really fat.  I tried another batch a day or two ago and they also came out fat.  I think my problem is that my kitchen is so small I can’t make the rope long enough ( and thin enough ) before I twist it.

The taste of my last batch was really good.  In Japan, I can’t find “All-Purpose” flour.  I have the choice between “Home Baking Flour” and “Bread Flour”.  My first batch I went with the “Home Baking Flour” but the pretzels came out very chewy ( not good ).  My batch over the weekend was made with “Bread Flour”.  They really were great.  Still too fat though…..

Recipe:

5 cups “Bread Flour”
4 tsp yeast
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup baking soda

1) Mix the yeast, sugar, and water.  Let stand for about 10 minutes until foamy.
2) Put the flour in a big bowl then put the yeast mixture on top.
3) Kneed for about 10minutes until smooth on the outside.  I do this in the bowl because of the limited space that I have.
4) Let stand for about 1 hour or until 2 times the original size.
5) Cut into 12 equal pieces and roll into long ropes.  I think the length should be about .5 meters and the thickness should be like a thick pencil.
6) Mix baking soda and water in a bowl and dip each pretzel in it.   I remix after each dipping to make sure each pretzel gets a lot of baking soda on it.  Baking soda is the secret to pretzels.  Pretzels without baking soda are call bread 8)
7) Bake at 230c for about 8-9 minutes.   I always make the mistake of putting to many on each sheet.  My oven is small so I think that I can only cook 3 at a time.  They shouldn’t touch.
8) I melt a stick of butter and dip each one as it comes out of the oven.

Get some mustard and beer and enjoy.