Bavarian spelt pretzels with herb butter

Bavarian spelt pretzels with herb butter: baked until golden brown, with spelt flour, milk, butter, parsley and chives – savoury, classic and fresh.

At a glance

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 15 min
• Total time: 45 min
• Calories: 340 kcal per serving
• Protein: 10 g
• Fat: 10 g
• Carbs: 52 g

Ingredients

• 400g spelt flour
• 1 sachet of dried yeast
• 200ml milk
• 50g butter
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 handful of parsley
• 1 bunch of chives
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray

1. Warm the milk until lukewarm and dissolve the dried yeast and honey in it. Leave to stand briefly until the mixture is slightly activated.
2. Knead the spelt flour with the yeast and milk mixture and the salt to a smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until it has grown noticeably in volume.
3. Divide the dough into equal pieces, roll them into long ropes and shape into pretzels. Work quickly so the dough stays supple.
4. Bring water with the bicarbonate of soda to the boil and briefly dip the pretzels in it. Then place them on a greased baking tray, sprinkle with coarse salt and bake in the oven at 210 °C (190 °C fan) for 15–18 min until golden brown.
5. For the herb butter, stir softened butter with finely chopped parsley, chives and a little salt. Set aside until serving.
6. Serve the warm spelt pretzels with the fresh herb butter. They're best straight from the oven, while the crust still crackles gently.

Good to know

Freshly baked pretzels just have something comforting about them. Lightly crisp outside, soft inside – and even better with herb butter.

Swaps

Milk → unsweetened kefir (also provides calcium and some protein). Butter → ghee (lower in lactose and heat-stable). Spelt flour → wholemeal spelt flour (more fibre). Honey → date paste (unrefined sweetness).

Allergens

Contains gluten and milk. Suits children well if the pretzels aren't salted too heavily, and during pregnancy they're fine as long as the dairy is pasteurised.