Seeing that we are having Oktoberfest in October, instead of in September as it is traditionally held, I thought I’d get into the spirit of things and pair some good, ol’ fashioned biergarten pretzels with our October mixed case.

Mixing this yourself and rolling out the dough just adds to the fun, so give it a bash and impress your friends with your freshly crafted pretzels complimenting your personally crafted beer.

Now you might want to take a chance and bake them on the braai, but we can’t guarantee the end result of that. I just had my better half pop them into the oven, much easier. Whichever you choose I can guarantee you they are truly delicious and will do exactly what pretzels are supposed to do:  make you thirsty for more craft beer.

• Sift 300g plain flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt
• Warm 200g milk in the microwave (about a minute should be enough)  and add a packet of dried, active yeast and a spoonful of honey
• This milky mixture will bubble up and you just give it a stir and then add it to the flour mixture once it’s nice and frothy
• This dough should be nice and malleable, so roll it into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with a dishcloth (or whatever you have handy) and leave in a warm place to rise

Seeing that there is a break while the dough rises, (around half an hour to an hour) take this opportunity to grease the pan and heat the oven to 175˚ for baking later while enjoying a beer.

• So, once the dough has risen, (it should double in size) you knock it down and knead until it has been beaten into smooth, glossy submission
• Roll this out into 30cm tubes and twist these into a pretzel shape
• So here is the unusual part – bring a pan of water to the boil and drop the pretzels into it for a minute or two and then turn out onto your greased oven dish
• Sprinkle with coarse salt and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes
• Serve with craft beer, mustard and your favourite sport channel.

And then all you need to do is enjoy! And remember, sharing is caring.

Cheers

Rob Heyns