These guys have been on my list for a while now, ever since I made my rainbow bagels over a year ago now. Being on lockdown due to Covid-19 has inspired me to start ticking things off my baking goals list and this is the first one I decided to have a go at. This recipe makes seven rainbow pretzels.I used red, yellow, green and blue in my rainbow pretzels as I love how vibrant these colours are – especially with the contrast of the white sesame seeds.
IngredientsFor the sourdough:
- 175ml water (warm)
- 125g strong white bread flour
- 3g fast action yeast (I use Allinson’s easy bake yeast)
For the dough:
- 200g strong white bread flour
- 10g sugar
- 5g salt
- Gel food colouring (red, yellow, green and blue)
To decorate:
- 25ml olive oil
- 10g sesame seeds
- 5g course sea salt
To boil:
- 1.5l boiled water
- 10g sugar
- 4g bicarbonate of soda
Step 1 – make the sourdoughMix the water, flour and yeast until combined.Cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for 3 hours.
Step 2 – make the doughIn the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook) combine the sourdough, flour, sugar and salt.Mix on a medium speed for 15-20 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough.
Step 3 – colouring and rise #1This stages takes quite a long time and is quite tedious, but worth it.Divide the dough evenly into 4 smaller bowls.Add a little food colouring gel to each portion of dough and – this is the tedious bit – knead each portion to incorporate the colour.Tip: keep the portions you aren’t working on covered to keep them from drying out.Once all your portions are coloured, cover with a towel and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
Step 4 – shaping and rise #2Flatten each dough ball into a circle, layer on top of each other and shape into a roll.Divide the roll into seven pieces (each piece should weigh around 70g).Roll each piece out to around 50cm and shape into a pretzel.Place each of the pretzels on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, cover with a towel and leave to rise for about 20 minutes.
Step 5 – boil and bakePreheat your oven to 180ºC (fan oven) and bring a large saucepan of water (with the sugar and bicarbonate of soda) to the boil.Drop the pretzels into the water (depending on the size of your saucepan, you may be able to add more than one at a time) and boil for 30 seconds on each side.Let the pretzels dry out on a wire rack (this stage is key to avoid a soggy pretzel).Once dry, place your bagels on the lined baking sheet(s), brush them with olive oil and sprinkle on top the sesame seeds and the sea salt.Bake for around 12 minutes or until they are cooked through. You can test this by tapping the base of the pretzels, if they sound hollow, they’re baked.Cool on a wire rack.
Step 5 – enjoyPerfect on their own or with something more indulgent like a nutella dip.
Prosecco & Cake 