Soft Pretzels Recipe & Kids Can Bake Book Giveaway

Today we have a super kid friendly and easy Soft pretzels recipe to share with you – taken from the book “Kids Can Bake”

Kids Can Bake illustrated by Esther Coombs is the sequel to last year’s bestselling and award-winning Kids Can Cook. Just like the first book, this children’s cookery book expands on the culinary world by teaching kids the essentials of baking.

This essential educational illustrated book will inspire children to make YOU a birthday cake this year, teach them how to make their own flapjacks and whip up a pizza, vegetable quiche or even a chicken pie for dinner – so what’s stopping you from getting them this book?! 

Kid Friendly Easy Soft Pretzels Recipe

Soft Pretzel Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp fine salt

7g dried yeast

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar 

300ml warm milk

30g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vegetable oil 

500ml hot water

2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda 

Rock salt 

Makes 10

Soft Pretzels Recipe

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, then add the yeast and sugar. Stir together with a wooden spoon. Make a hole in the middle of the flour. 

2. In a jug, mix together the milk and butter. Pour into the middle of the flour and stir, bringing the flour in from the outside a little at a time. Mix to a soft dough. 

3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 7–8 minutes until smooth (see dough techniques below). 

4. Wash and dry your bowl, then brush the inside with vegetable oil. Put the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Put it in a warm place and leave to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. 

5. Mix together the hot water and bicarbonate of soda in a wide, shallow bowl. (Be careful, it might fizz up a little.)

6. Knock back the dough (see dough techniques below), then tip out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 10 equal-sized pieces. 

7. Take one piece of dough and shape it into a cigar shape. Place it on the work surface and gently roll it with your hands, starting in the middle and working your way out to the ends. Keep rolling until you have a long, thin rope about 55cm long.

8. Make a circle with the dough, crossing the two ends at the top. Twist the ends around each other again. Bring the ends down and stick them to the bottom of the circle to make a pretzel shape. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 with the remaining pieces of dough. 

9. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 

10. Using tongs, dip each pretzel into the bicarbonate of soda mixture, then place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with a little rock salt. 

11. Bake for 10–15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Dough Techniques

Dough techniques

How to knead dough

Sprinkle a little flour onto your work surface and place the dough in front of you. Using your right hand, push the dough away from you and over to the left in a diagonal line, and then bring it back to the middle. Then, do the same but use your left hand and push the dough over to the right. Keep doing this until it’s smooth and stretchy (this takes about 5 to 10 minutes). 

How to knock back dough

Punch down firmly with your fist to knock the air out of the dough.

How to roll out pastry or dough

Sprinkle a little flour onto your work surface and rolling pin. Press down with the rolling pin and roll across the top of the pastry, away from you. Turn the pastry and sprinkle more flour if needed. Keep rolling and turning until the pastry is the shape and thickness you need. 

Extract recipe from Kids Can Bake, illustrated by Esther Coombs, published by Button Books, RRP £12.99, available online and from all good bookshops.

Watch the video

Giveaway

Enter for your chance to win a copy of the Kids Can Bake book by Esther Coombs.

We have two copies to give away so there will be two lucky winners!

Enter via the Gleam widget below.

Kids Can Bake Book

You can complete as many entry options as you like, each one will give you an extra chance!

You might also like this Gingerbread People recipe from the original Kids Can Cook book

Good luck!