Since I was little I have loved baking, but recently I have been loving trying new recipes, new flavour combinations, and trying recipes which before I would’ve thought too difficult for me to do. Someone who has really helped open my mind to new combinations and the belief that I CAN do it is Nadiya Hussain. Winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya recently published her book ‘Nadiya Bakes’ to go alongside her BBC programme, and it is safe to say I am in loveee with these recipes (seriously, don’t mention Nadiya to my family, they have heard me rave about her many a time haha) and the whole ethos behind her new bakes. Simple, but exciting, and these recipes still give me that ‘baking fix’ I need at least once a week to de-stress!
The first recipe I tried from Nadiya’s book was her Onion Pretzels (the featured image of this post are hers!), which has added elements of chives (and in my version, chilli flakes!), and they are sooo super yummy. They took me about two hours to make in total, but that was with me faffing and chatting to my family, so they should take you just over an hour.
I served mine with homemade garlic butter and this combo got a double thumbs up from my dad (my loveliest, but toughest, critic).
Nadiya’s Onion Pretzels
Ingredients
For the pretzels
- 500 g strong bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 7 g fast-action yeast
- 25 g caster sugar
- 30 g crispy fried onions
- 1 tbsp onion granules or just 5g extra of crispy fried onions- this is what I used as I didn't have granules
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp chilli flakes optional
- 50 g butter, melted plus extra for greasing the trays
- 300 ml warm water
- 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
To finish:
- 1 egg medium, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion granules or crispy onions crushed up
- 1 tsp salt I used coarse which I feel worked a bit better
For the garlic butter
- 50 g butter softened
- 0.5-2 tsp lazy garlic depending on how strong you like it!
- a pinch coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Start by adding the flour to a large mixing bowl with the yeast, sugar, onions, onion granules, chilli and chives and mix until well combined.
- Add the butter and mix through using a cutlery knife. Make a well in the centre. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together.
- Attach the dough hook to a free-standing mixer and knead for 5 minutes on medium until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Cover and leave to double in size.
- Grease two baking trays. Take the dough out and divide into 12 equal-sized balls, about 75g each. Rollout each ball to a 30cm sausage shape and then tie into a knot, tuck the ends underneath and pop onto the greased trays. Leave covered with greased clingfilm for just 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the bicarbonate of soda, stir in well until dissolved, then leave to simmer. Gently drop in a few of the dough knots (just enough so they don’t touch) and cook for 10 seconds. Flip with a slotted spoon and leave in for another 10 seconds.
- Drain and pop back onto the greased tray. Repeat with the rest. Glaze them with the beaten egg. Mix the paprika, onion granules and salt together, sprinkle all over the knots and bake for 12 minutes.
- Whilst they bake, make the garlic butter by mixing the garlic and the butter together. Pop it into a small serving dish and sprinkle with the salt.
- Take the pretzels out, leave to cool a little on a rack and eat while they are still warm.
Do let me know if you try these by either tagging me on insta, messaging me or commenting below, I would love to know!
all my love,
Leave a Reply