Oh yeah its long weekend time!!!  It is such a great day when you leave work on a Thursday and you know you won’t be back until next Wednesday.  Clearly it’s time for some H-core eating.  I’ve been slack again and haven’t blogged for a while (I am pretty sure I have apologised for that in every post this year).

For Easter I decided to cook something fun.  After a quick search of the internet I found out that pretzels are a German Easter treat.  Pretzels also remind me of Easter last when year I visited Löwenbräu Keller at the Rocks.  As I was munching down on the fresh pretzels on offer  I decided to order the Schlachtplatte.  The menu described it as a selection of Bavarian specialties and I was hungry and keen.  Once the dish (I mean tray) reached the table I realised I was in for a very big challenge.  Approximately halfway through the meal I was struggling to make a dent.  But I kept battling on taking it bite by bite.  The waitress tried taking it away many times but I resisted the pressure and soldiered on eventually finishing.  I sort of felt a little ill, but I won.  Of the night all I can really remember eating was pretzels, pork crackling and feeling too full.  Thankyou meat coma!

The pretzels were really fun to cook and I recommend you give them a go.  I found rolling them into long sausages, tying them in knots and boiling the dough was a good backing challenge.  These turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Have a great long-long weekend.

Lye Pretzels
Inspired by SBS Food

Makes 15

Ingredients
500g Plain Flour
7g Dried Yeast
220ml Warm Water
15g Baking Powder
Salt Flakes

Method
  1. Knead flour, yeast and water together using a dough attachment on a mixer for about 4-5 minutes.  Cover with cling film and allow to prove for an hour.
  2. Knock down the dough and knead again lightly on a floured bench.  Divide into fifteen equal portions.  Roll each portion into a 40 cm long sausage and tie into a pretzel shape.  Place competed pretzels on baking paper.
  3. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  4. Bring a 1.5 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan.  Add baking powder to the water.
  5. Place each pretzel into the water.  Allow to cook for 20 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon.  Place on a baking rack to dry.
  6. Once the pretzels are dry place onto backing trays lined with baking paper.
  7. Season pretzels with generous helpings of salt flakes and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and enjoy whilst still warm.

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