Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 7 g active dry yeast
• 120 ml warm water
• 1 tbsp barley malt syrup
• 420 g unbleached bread flour
• 120 ml cold beer
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
• 0.25 cup baked baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk
• pretzel salt or other toppings

Method

Bloom 7g active dry yeast in 120ml warm water with the barley malt syrup, then wait until it's visibly foamy — roughly 5-7 minutes. This is yeast-fermentation starting: the yeast is consuming the malt sugar and releasing CO2, which tells you the cultures are alive and ready to work through the dough. Add the flour, cold beer, butter, and salt to the bowl. Mix on medium-low with the dough hook until you've got a shaggy mass, then continue for another 5-7 minutes until the dough is firm, slightly tacky but not sticky. You're looking for dough-development — the gluten network tightening under the hook's action — not a slick, wet mass. If it clings to the sides, add flour in 10g increments. If it's cracked and stiff, add water in 5ml increments.

Transfer to a greased bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 1.5 hours until doubled. Cold-proofing-sourdough develops flavour in the cold and gives you dough that's easier to shape without overproofing. When you're ready to shape, tip the dough onto an unfloured work surface — the friction matters — and press it down firmly to release trapped gas. Cut into 8 equal pieces and cover with a damp cloth.

Pat each piece into a rough rectangle about 3.5 by 5.5cm, then roll it into a log thinner at the ends and fatter in the centre. Continue rolling until the dough resists — typically 12-16cm — then set it aside and repeat with the remaining pieces. Return to the first piece and keep extending until you've got a rope roughly 24-28cm long with a centre diameter of about 1cm. Form into a pretzel shape, lay on parchment, and cover. Let them proof at room temperature until they've increased by roughly 50% — around 20-30 minutes — but watch for the slight dimpling of the surface rather than relying on time alone.

Meanwhile, bake 60ml of baking soda in a 120°C oven for one hour. This converts standard sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate, which is much more alkaline and creates the distinctive dark mahogany crust and chewy crust texture through maillard-reaction. Dissolve the baked soda in 2 litres of water in a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer.

Dip each pretzel into the solution for roughly 20 seconds, flipping halfway through — this is what gives pretzels their characteristic texture and colour. Drain, return to parchment, and cut a 6mm-deep slit into the fattest part to score and release steam. Brush with egg yolk beaten with 15ml water, then bake at 260°C for 8-12 minutes until deep mahogany. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.