Pretzels and spam buns.

i made pretzels!
never in my life would i think of making them.
only the other day,
a friend mentioned to me how she craved for an Aunty Anne's Cinnamon pretzel.then it occured to me...
HEY. I CAN MAKE SOME.
i got a bread machine... so why not.so today, i chucked everything into the trusty machine and let it tumble and rest for an hour.
took out the dough and made some pretzels.
i remembered i had some left over spam in the fridge so i decided to use some of the remaining dough to make spam buns!i was surprised at how soft the texture of the bread was inside,
all fluffy and almost like those buns you get from an asian bakery.

i coated the pretzels with 2 different toppings, rock salt and cinnamon sugar.
yuummmm.

Soft Pretzels
Makes 8.

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs plus 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
rock salt
1/4 cup sugar and 3 tbs cinnamon powder

Bath:
2 cups warm water
3/4 cup baking soda

1. Place the ingredients in order into the bread machine and set on dough mode.

2. After the cycle is done, take the dough out and oil it lightly with some vegetable oil. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

3. On an unfloured surface, roll each piece into 36 inch strips and about the thickness of your finger.

4. Pick up both ends of the dough and give it a little spin so the middle of the dough spins around once. Lay the dough down with the loop nearest to you. Fold the ends down toward you and pinch to attach them to the bottom of the loop. The twist should be in the middle.

I found this link from Aunty Anne useful.

5. Holding the pinched ends, dip each pretzel into the bath solution (dissolve the bicarbonate soda in water). Put each pretzel on a paper towel for a moment to blot the excess liquid. Arrange the pretzels on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

6. Sprinkle the salt over those you want to be salted and leave those you want to be covered in Cinnamon sugar.

7. Bake the Pretzels tray by tray in a preheated oven (220 degrees) for 3 minutes and rotate, and bake for a further 3-4 minutes.

8. When pretzels come out of the oven, brush with butter and sprinkle unsalted ones with cinnamon sugar.