Paul Hollywood's Pretzels

I haven't posted in a few weeks. I know. But I have converted Dave to the Great British Baking Show and have been CRAVING these since we watched the episode since they made these (we watched it several weeks ago). I shouldn't eat gluten since I'm intolerant, but I just HAD to try the recipe. 

They turned out so well I had to give the extras away to neighbors so I wouldn't eat them all and I've had a few requests for the recipe. Since I had to convert it from British, I decided to just post it and make it easier on everyone. Side note, I did a TON less salt and seeds than the recipe called for. Poppyseeds called for 5 T but I did 2.5 because I ran out and it was Sunday so I wasn't going to head to the store. I swear you just don't need that much salt. 

Also, My pretzels weren't brown enough. I pulled them out to check them and the boys dug in before I could put them back. But they were still hard and tasty like they are supposed to be. This is a hard on the outside, Italian type pretzel. Not soft like you find at the mall. I'm sure if you cooked them less they could be more bread like.

Hollywood Pretzels

For the dough

4 c flour

2 t salt

2 1/4 t fast-action dried yeast

3 T unsalted butter, softened

½  T honey

1 ¼ c milk (little less, room temperature)

2 oranges zest

2 1/2 T poppy seeds

For cooking

30 c water

1 ½ T baking soda (little more)

To finish

4 t rock salt

5 T sesame seeds

1 orange zest

Juice of 3 oranges

1 c powdered sugar

1. To make the dough, put the flour, salt, yeast and butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the honey to the milk and stir well until dissolved. With your hand, gradually work the milk mixture into the flour, and keep mixing to make a stiff, non-sticky dough.

2. Turn out the dough on to a worktop (the dough shouldn’t need any extra flour for kneading). Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and glossy. Divide it in half and put one half into an oiled bowl. Add the orange zest and poppy seeds to the other portion of dough and work in until evenly distributed. Put this dough into another oiled bowl. Cover both bowls with saran wrap and leave to prove for about 45 minutes until doubled in size.

3. Heat your oven to 400F. Turn out the plain dough on to the worktop and divide into 6 equal pieces. Take one piece and, using your hands, roll it back and forth to make a rope shape 16-20 in long, tapering the ends and creating a slight bulge in the center. As you roll the dough rope, apply pressure to work it from the middle outwards, pushing out any air bubbles. You may find it easier to roll the rope part of the way, then leave it for a few minutes to relax before continuing the rolling to the full length – this helps prevent the rope from springing back and creating misshapen pieces. Shape the remaining pieces of plain dough, then divide and roll the sweet orange dough in the same way. Quickly shape pretzels

4. Bring the water to the boil in a large pan, then add the baking soda. Gently drop a pretzel into the boiling water and leave for 5 seconds, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon and set on a lined baking sheet. Continue blanching all the pretzels, keeping the differently flavored pretzels separate. While the plain dough pretzels are still wet from the pan sprinkle over the rock salt and sesame seeds.

5. Make a deep slash into the thickest part of the dough (the central bulge of the pretzel) using a small sharp knife. Place the pretzels in the heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until they are a deep brown.

6. Meanwhile, make the glaze for the sweet pretzels. Put the orange zest and juice and ½ c of sugar into a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and boil for 1 minute. Lift out the zest with a slotted spoon and roll in the rest of the sugar in a small bowl. Boil the orange syrup until reduced and sticky, then strain through a fine sieve.

7. As soon as the pretzels are baked, transfer them to a wire rack. Quickly brush the sweet pretzels with the syrup glaze and scatter over the candied zest. Leave to cool.