Arabic Pretzels (Baqsam) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon anise seed or 1 tablespoon cumin
1 cup sesame

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in warm water + sugar.
Mix the dry ingredients, milk powder + flour + (aniseed or the cumin).
Mix all together and knead for 10 minutes.
Cover and let rise until double for around 30 minutes.
Punch down.
Roll the dough into rectangle 10 x 20 cm and cut into 3 cm strings.
Fold the string and role gently with hand in sesame, shape it the way you like or leave as sticks.
Place on greased cookie sheet, cover and allow to rise for 10 minutes.
Bake at 400\u00b0F for 20 minutes. Reduce to 120\u00b0F for another 10 minutes to let it dry if desired.