Salted Pretzels

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, instant yeast and 8 g fine salt. Add 280 ml lukewarm water and the softened butter and mix to form a dough; the water should be slightly warm, not hot. Knead on a clean counter by hand for about 10–15 minutes or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed for about 8–10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, firm and elastic, with no visible pieces of butter; do not add flour while kneading.

Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and leave in a warm, draft-free place for about 60–75 minutes. It should increase noticeably in size, almost doubling. If your kitchen is cool, wait longer for this to happen.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and spread a thin layer of oil over the paper, using 5 ml in total. Briefly knead the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a short log, seam side down; cover and rest for about 10 minutes so the dough stretches more easily. Work on a clean counter without dusting it with flour so the dough grips the surface as you roll.

Roll each log from the center toward the ends until about 55–60 cm long, leaving the middle thicker and the ends noticeably thinner. If the dough springs back and shrinks, cover it for another 5–10 minutes, then finish rolling. Form the rope into a U with the rounded, thicker belly closest to you; cross the thin ends above the U, then cross them again to make a twist. Fold the twisted ends down toward the belly and press them firmly onto its left and right sides, leaving three distinct openings. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, leaving space between them.

Cover the pretzels loosely with a kitchen towel and leave for about 15–20 minutes, until only slightly puffy. Toward the end of this time, preheat the oven to 200°C on the convection setting, preparing two racks for the baking sheets. Start heating the remaining 2 l water in a tall, wide pot; leave plenty of headroom above the water, as adding baking soda will cause foaming. The pot should comfortably fit one whole pretzel.

When the water boils, remove the pot from the burner. Slowly add 60 g food-grade baking soda in small portions, stirring with a long spoon; wait for the foam to subside after each addition. The solution foams vigorously, so do not add all the baking soda at once. Once it has dissolved, return the pot to the burner and adjust the heat so the bath bubbles only gently.

Use a wide slotted spoon to transfer the pretzels and lower them into the gently bubbling bath one at a time. Boil each for about 20–30 seconds in total, turning carefully halfway through. Lift out, drain briefly over the pot and place on the prepared baking sheet. Score and salt each pretzel immediately as described in the next step before dipping the next one; boiling and finishing all 8 pretzels will take about 10–15 minutes.

While each pretzel is still damp, use a sharp knife to make a lengthwise score about 5 mm deep in its thicker belly. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt, dividing the reserved 6 g among all 8 pretzels. Boil, score and salt the remaining pretzels in the same way, placing 4 on each baking sheet with space between them. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, turn off the burner and discard the baking soda bath.

Put both baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake at the same time for about 20–25 minutes. Halfway through baking, switch the sheets between racks and rotate them front to back so the pretzels brown evenly. The crust should be browned, the score paler and the bottom dry and lightly browned. If the pretzels are still pale, bake for about 5 minutes more.

Transfer the pretzels to a wire rack and let cool for about 20–30 minutes so steam can escape while the center stays springy. Serve slightly warm or once cooled, one per serving.