Happy Friday everyone and if case you were looking forward to some plant-based burgers this weekend, I bring you a recipe for vegan pretzel burger buns that quite a few of you expressed interest in after my vegan ‘pulled pork’ recipe last week. These buns are really hard to resist – crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and with little pops of salt that melt on the tongue. They are not difficult to make but there are a few tips and tricks I gleaned from making them again and again so I thought I would share those, plus step by step photos below to give you the best chance of success, straight off the bat.

To create the dough, mix both flours (you can also use either of the flours on their own), yeast and salt with melted fat (I used vegan butter) and lukewarm water. Combine them to from a scraggly dough.

Once the dough is holding together, turn it out on to the work surface and knead by holding the dough in place with one hand and stretching it with the heel of another. Reform the dough and repeat, rotating the dough a little each time to make sure you stretch it in different directions. Carry on kneading for about 10 minutes. You can also use a machine if you have one.

Once the dough is elastic and smooth, put it in a clean bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and place somewhere warm until it doubles in size. This will take – depending on the temperature – about 60-90 minutes. You may find it helpful to take a photo of the dough ball at the start so that you can be sure when it has risen enough.

Punch the air out of the dough and divide into 8-10 portions, depending on how big you would like your buns to be. Shape each bun into a money sack and then place it on the work surface, seam down. Roll it against the work surface with a cupped hand to make its surface taut, smooth and perfectly round.

Instead of placing the buns on a single sheet of baking paper, I found it much better to use individual squares of baking paper as it makes the next step much easier to get right. Make sure to grease the baking paper with a little oil even if using non stick paper, as these buns have a tendency to stick after the second proofing.

The next step is very important and small squares of paper come into their own here. Basically, we need to handle the buns a little before simmering them in baking soda solution but we need to be super careful not to knock any air out of them after they’ve grown nice and fluffy. The way to do this is to lift each bun with its paper square off the tray, gently flip it upside down so that the top of the buns sits in the palm of your non dominant hand and peel the paper off with your other hand. Now, go round the bun’s perimeter and really gently pinch the surface between your thumb and index finger creating a tight seal in the very middle. This step keeps the buns taut and perfectly round during baking soda bath that is to follow.

The baking soda bath is what gives pretzel buns their handsome tan colour and satisfyingly chewy interior. Bring water and baking soda mixture to a gentle simmer – ideally you want small bubbles as big ones will misshape the buns. Lower as many buns as you can fit into your pot into the water and simmer gently for about 60 seconds on each side. Don’t worry if the buns become dimply – that’s perfectly normal – but do handle them very carefully to retain their perfectly round shape. After 120 seconds is up, fish them out and place on a drying rack to cool off completely.

Once the buns dry out and cool off, score them with a razor or a sharp knife and sprinkle with flaky salt (or another topping of your choice). Bake and enjoy once they have a chance to cool.