Saffron Pretzels with Browned Butter and Sugar

Here's how:

• 1

  Use cold milk, no warmer than 15 °C.

• 2

  Crumble the yeast into a mixing bowl and pour in the cold milk (if you're using a stand mixer, you don't need to dissolve the yeast, but if you're kneading by hand, it's best to dissolve it thoroughly before adding the other ingredients).

• 3

  Add almost all of the wheat flour (set aside a little for rolling out the dough), salt, and granulated sugar.

• 4

  Grind the saffron with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of vodka, then stir it into the dough mixture. Add the egg.

• 5

  Add the room-temperature butter in batches.

• 6

  Knead the dough for about 10–12 minutes in a mixer, or twice as long by hand, until the dough is elastic and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

• 7

  Spread the dough on a baking sheet or in a baking pan so that it is as flat as possible. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

• 8

  Gently knead the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into about 40 pieces. Roll each piece into a long strip and shape it into a pretzel.

• 9

  Place the pretzels on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 45–60 minutes.

• 10

  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees using top and bottom heat.

• 11

  Bake the pretzels in the center of the oven for 6–8 minutes until they are nicely browned.

• 12

  Let it cool on a wire rack covered with a kitchen towel.

• 13

  Brushing

  Melt the butter in a saucepan and let it cool slightly.

  When serving, brush the pretzels with the browned butter and dip them in granulated sugar.