How to make Pretzel bread

For the Pretzels

• 250 g strong white bread flour
• 90 ml milk, lukewarm
• 60 ml water, lukewarm
• 3/4 tsp brown sugar, or malt extract
• 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast, or active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp table salt

For Serving

• Rock salt
• Melted butter

For the Pretzel Bath

• Large Pan
• 1 litre water
• 3 tbsp baking soda

Step 1

To start add brown sugar to the lukewarm milk and water mixture. You'll want to stir this together until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 2

Drop the yeast on the top of the liquid and leave for 5 mins. The yeast should start to sink and after 5 mins there should be some bubbles appearing.

Step 3

While you're waiting for bubbles to appear, melt the butter over low heat or with a few short blasts in the microwave.

Step 4

Pour your bubbly yeast water into a bowl and add the flour, butter and salt to the mix and bring that into a dough using your hands or a dough whisk.

Step 5

Knead the dough for around 5 mins or until the dough feels nice and smooth. When kneading you'll be able to feel the change in the texture.

Step 6

Leave this to prove for 1 hour in a warm place, during this time it should have doubled in size.

Step 7

Knock the dough back with a couple of kneads and then section the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces.

Step 8

Make them into pretzel shapes and place on a tray. I've made a handy visual guide for how to shape pretzels​.

Step 9

Step 10

Time to Preheat the oven to 200 degrees / 180 fan / Gas Mark 6

Step 11

We now need to create our water bath with the water and baking soda. Mix the boxing soda in and bring this to the boil.

Step 12

Dip the pretzels in the water for no more than 5 seconds and add them straight onto some parchment paper and sprinkle some rock salt on top of them.

Step 13