RECIPE: YogurtNest Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

There are so many great ways that a YogurtNest can benefit your homemade food and yesterday we used it to help make these delicious Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels. To say that they were popular would be a massive understatement! Here's how we made this perfect accompaniment to your tea and coffee break.

INGREDIENTS:

• 300g plain flour 
• 275g strong white bread flour
• 2 tbsp. golden caster sugar
• 2 tsp. (7g) easy-bake yeast
• Pinch of salt
• 150ml strained whey liquid from your homemade natural yoghurt
• 200ml skimmed or semi-skimmed milk
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2-3 tbsp. bicarbonate of soda
• Mix of caster sugar (roughly 50g) and cinnamon (1-2 tsp. plus more if required) spread evenly onto a plate for dusting immediately after baking.

METHOD:

1. Firstly, collect the whey liquid by placing your freshly made natural yoghurt into your Better Cloth above a bowl. For instructions on how to do this you can refer to our article here - How to make Greek Yoghurt. This stage takes a couple of hours to complete.
2. Gently warm the whey liquid and milk together in a saucepan until just above room temperature and then set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
4. Sieve the two flour types into a large bowl to remove any lumps and combine with the sugar, yeast and pinch of salt. Gently stir together.
5. Add the milk mixture and almost all of the butter, saving some in the saucepan (approx 3 tbsp.) for glazing after baking. Make sure that the milk is only just warm to the touch - too hot and it will kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising.
6. Stir with a wooden spoon or, if using an electric mixer, combine with the dough hook, until you have a smooth, soft dough in the bowl with all ingredients combined and nothing sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add a touch more plain flour if the dough feels too wet and sticky.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead evenly for around 10 minutes.
8. Transfer your dough ball to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cotton cloth and place in your YogurtNest for 1 hour. In this time it should double in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 200C.
10. Cut your dough into even portions (with this recipe you should be able to make 12-16 pretzels, depending on how big you want them!). 
11. Roll your portions into long, thin sausage shapes and tie into the traditional pretzel shape. If required, use a dab of water to join the ends of the knot to the edge of the pretzel ring so that it forms a complete shape that won't unravel and open out. Place your pretzels onto a non-tick surface, ready for their bath.
12. Fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil. Add the bicarbonate of soda and reduce the heat to a simmer.
13. Slide your pretzels onto a spatula and bathe them in the simmering pan for 1 minute. They should float to the surface and, depending on big you have made them, it should be possible to cook 3 at a time.
14. After the bath, place the pretzels on a non-stick pan and bake for a maximum of 10 minutes, until golden brown. If you find that your first pretzels stick to your pan during baking you can try air-drying them for 10 minutes after they leave the bath so that the bases are a bit less tacky.
15. As soon as they are out of the oven, glaze with the remaining butter and roll them in the sugar and cinnamon mix. Best served whilst still warm with a fresh coffee! 

Here are some photos to help you. Enjoy!