How to Twist a Pretzel

The U-Shape

Hand roll the dough into a long, thick strand. Place the pretzel dough on a floured surface and use the palms of your hands to roll it back and forth against the counter top. Push the dough outwards as you roll until you achieve the desired length. Pretzel dough tends to shrink back on itself after rolling, so a good technique is to roll it partway, then leave it to rest for a few minutes before rolling again. The ideal length is between 18 and 20 inches -- this will give you nice, large pretzel.

Form a U-shape with the dough and twist the ends. On the floured surface, form the length of dough into the shape of the letter U. Once you've done that, pick up the two ends and twist them around each other twice (as seen in the image).

Attach the twisted section to the bottom of the U. Take the twisted section of pretzel and fold it over until the ends meet the bottom of the U. Imagine the pretzel is a clock and attach the ends to the points where the numbers 5 and 7 would be, by pinching them firmly into the dough. If you're having trouble getting the ends to stick, use a little water or milk to press them into place. You now have a simple, neatly folded pretzel, ready to bake!

The Lasso

Roll out the dough. Use the palms of your hands to roll the dough into a long, thick strand, about 18 inches (45.7 cm) long and as thick as a cigar.

Pick up one end of the rope in each hand. Lift the pretzel stand off the counter, holding the ends about one foot away from each other. Your left hand should be slightly higher than your right.

Use a lasso movement to twist the dough. Use your right hand to gently flick the dough in a lasso movement, so the dough twists around itself. Only allow the dough to twist around itself twice -- you can stop the twisting by laying the dough on the counter top.

Attach the ends to the curve of the pretzel. At this point, you should still be holding one end of the pretzel dough in each hand. Fold the twisted part of the pretzel over and attach these ends to the curve of the pretzel, at the points where 5 and 7 would be on a clock.

The Twist

Roll out the dough. Take a piece of pretzel dough and use the palms of your hands to roll it out into a long strand, about 18 inches (45.7 cm) in length.

Fold and twist the dough. Fold the length of dough in half, then twist the two pieces around each other before pressing the loose ends together.

Fold the twisted dough in half again. Then pass the joined ends through the loop at the top. Press down on the dough to secure the twist.

Repeat with the remaining dough. When you're done, you should have between 8 and 12 pretzel twists. These provide thicker, doughier soft pretzel pieces than the classic pretzel shape.

Pretzel-Making Tips

Gather your ingredients. To make the perfect soft pretzels at home, you will need the following ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of warm water 1 tablespoon of sugar 2 teaspoons of kosher salt 1 package of active dry yeast 4 1/2 cups (or 22 oz) of all-purpose flour 2 oz of unsalted butter, melted 2/3 cup of baking soda 1 large egg yolk Coarse salt, for sprinkling

Combine the water, sugar, kosher salt and yeast. In a large bowl, mix the warm water, sugar and kosher salt. Sprinkle the packet of active dry yeast on top and leave the mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until it turns foamy.

Add the flour and butter. Add the flour and melted butter to the yeast mix and mix til combined. Keep mixing until a smooth dough forms, which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Leave the dough to rise. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and grease the bowl with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with cling wrap. Leave the dough to sit somewhere warm until it doubles in size -- this should take about 50 to 55 minutes.

Boil the baking soda and water. Combine the baking soda with 10 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Use this time to prepare two baking sheets -- line them with parchment paper and grease lightly with vegetable oil.

Twist the pretzels. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and use one of the methods described in the sections above to twist the pretzels into shape.

Dip the pretzels in boiling water. One-by-one, dip the pretzels into the boiling water for 30 seconds at a time. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove them from the water and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the pretzels with egg yolk. Mix the large egg yolk with a tablespoon of water, then lightly brush a little egg mixture onto the surface of each pretzel -- this will give them a nice, deep brown color once baked. Sprinkle each pretzel with a little coarse salt.

Bake the pretzels. Bake the pretzels in an oven preheated to 450 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, until they are dark, golden brown in color. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before eating.