How to Form Pretzels

Form bread dough into pretzel shapes before cooking to make pretzels.

According to The Kitchen Project, pretzels had their origins as early as 610 AD when monks in France or Italy would create these shaped bread treats to give to young boys who sat quietly through the service. The shape of the pretzel resembled arms folded for prayer, and to the monks, the holes in the shape reminded them of the Holy Trinity. They named the treats the Latin word "pretiola" meaning "little reward," giving us the name pretzel. Treat yourself to your own "little reward" by making a batch of pretzels at home.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb. prepared bread dough
• Knife
• Flour

1. Cut the dough into eight equal pieces for large 2 ounce pretzels or into 16 pieces for smaller 1 ounce pretzels.

2. Lightly dust a clean, flat surface with flour. Roll out each piece of dough on the floured surface into a 30 inch long rope (or 16 inch long rope for smaller pretzels).

3. Cross the two ends of the rope 4 inches from the ends to form one loop in the middle (or 2 inches for smaller pretzels).

4. Turn the pretzel over onto its back.

5. Compare your pretzel to a real pretzel shape to use as a guide. brezel image by Christian Jung from Fotolia.com

   Bring the ends of the dough down to the opposite end of the loop so they cross each other again inside the loop, forming the three loops of the pretzel shape. Use a real pretzel as a guide for the correct shape.
   .

6. Transfer the formed pretzel to a baking sheet while you continue to form the rest of the batch. Let the pretzels rise for 15 minutes and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

References

• Global Gourmet: Neujahrspretzel (Soft Pretzels)
• Epicurious: New York Pretzels
• The Kitchen Project: Pretzel History

Resources

• Food Network: Pretzel Recipes