Honey-oat
pretzels
Can’t.
Stop.
Eating.
These!
Beatrix
Bakes
bread
queen
Emma
Lonsdale
held
my
floury
hand
every
step
of
the
laugenbrezel
(lye
pretzel)-making
way,
and
now
I
can
hold
yours.
The
thing
that
makes
these
pretzels
so
distinct
is
a
pre-bake
dip
in
alkaline
water.
Lye/caustic
soda
is
traditional – giving
the
exterior
a
rich
mahogany-hued
lustre
and
a
mineral-rich
flavour.
The
very
diluted
lye
solution
reacts
to
heat
during
baking
and
neutralises
to
a
harmless
(I
have
eaten
LOTS
to
ensure
this
is
true)
carbonate.
If
you
have
a
crumb
of
fear
about
lye,
I
offer
a
baked
bicarbonate
of
soda
option
which
is
almost
as
good,
flavour-and
colour-wise.
Think
a
really
good
tribute
band–
not
the
real
deal,
but
still
foot-tappingly
fun.
To
make
the
dough,
whiz
the
oats
in
a
food
processor
until
they
form
a
fine
and
flossy
meal.
Set
50
g
(1¾
oz)
aside
for
pre-bake
sprinkling
and
combine
the
remaining
120
g
(4½
oz)
with
the
bakers’
flour
and
salt.
In
the
bowl
of
an
electric
stand
mixer,
weigh
the
yeast
and
water
and
whisk
to
dissolve.
Add
the
butter
and
honey,
then
tip
the
dry
ingredients
on
top.
Using
the
dough
hook,
knead
on
speed
4
(below
medium)
for
8
minutes.
Stay
close
to
the
mixer – this
is
faster
than
a
normal
low
dough
speed,
and
you
don’t
want
the
mixer
to
walk
off
the
countertop.
The
dough
will
have
a
shaggy
start,
then
become
a
smooth
and
very
springy
pillow
with
clean
bowl
sides.
Remove
the
bowl
from
the
mixer,
spray
the
top
of
the
dough
with
cooking
oil
and
cover
with
plastic
wrap.
Set
aside
to
double
in
size,
which
will
take
about
1–2
hours
at
room
temperature.
When
the
dough
has
risen,
scrape
it
onto
your
work
surface
(no
flour
required)
and
divide
into
six
pieces,
weighing
around
120
g
(4½
oz)
each.
continued
…
Keeps
Pre-bake,
can
be
frozen
for
up
to
2
weeks.
Post-bake,
these
are
at
peak
delicious
20
minutes
to
2
hours
after
baking.
They
refresh
admirably
in
a
hot
oven
for
5
minutes.
Makes
6
pretzels.
Takes
Around
3
hours,
but
most
of
that
time
is
hands-off
proofing.
170
g
(6
oz)
rolled
oats
300
g
(10½
oz)
bakers’
(strong/bread)
flour
9
g
(¼
oz)
fine
sea
salt
12
g
(½
oz)
fresh
yeast
or
4
g
(⅛
oz/1
teaspoon)
dry
yeast
200
g/ml
(7
oz)
tepid
water
20
g
(¾
oz)
unsalted
butter,
room
temperature
soft
50
g
(1¾
oz)
honey
cooking
oil
spray
The
pre-bake
dip
15
g
(½
oz)
food-grade
caustic
soda/lye
(available
online –
don’t
buy
it
from
the
supermarket)
750
g/ml
(1
lb
11
oz)
lukewarm
water
or
90
g
(3
oz)
baked
bicarbonate
of
soda
(baking
soda)
750
g/ml
(1
lb
11
oz)
lukewarm
water
The
post-bake
glaze
30
g
(1
oz)
unsalted
butter
30
g
(1
oz)
honey