Deep wide cooking pan filled with water ⅔ or the way
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Electric mixer
Ingredients
¼ozpacket dry active yeast
2tspsugar
1cupwarm water
1tspsalt
3cupsall-purpose flour(plus more for surface)
2Tbspunsalted butter
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3Tbspbaking sodafor boiling
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Abot 1/4 cup poppy seeds
Coarse salt
Sliced black olivesyou will need 8 slices
Instructions
Mix yeast and sugar in a bowl. Add warm water and whisk until sugar dissolves. Let yeast bloom for about 10 minutes.
Mix flour and salt in a bowl of an electric mixer. Mix chopped, cold butter into flour on low speed until mixture starts to resemble coarse crumbs.
Slowly pour yeast mixture into flour mixture, while still mixing on low, until just combined. Using your hands, gather dough together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until no longer sticky, for a couple of minutes. Place in a medium bowl and cover with plastic.
Let dough rise in a warm, dry place for about an hour.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into a log and divide it into 4 equal pieces.
Divide each piece into two more pieces, one a little bigger than the other. The piece that is a little bigger, roll it into a log and divide into 8 equal pieces. That will be the spider's legs. The piece that is a little smaller, roll into an oval and then twist the top of it one time, to form the head and body of the spider.
Repeat with remaining 3 dough pieces. Let all the pieces of the spiders rest while heating up the water and preheating the oven.
Preheat the oven to 450 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bring a large, deep cooking pan of water to a boil and add baking soda, stir well. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Boil pretzel pieces in batches until puffed, about 30-45 seconds.
Take them out with a slopped spatula onto the baking sheet.
Gently press the legs of the spider into the body, so that they are touching each other at the base. Press very gently.
Generously sprinkle with poppy seeds. Sprinkle a little coarse salt over the top.