Sharjah24: Children were in attendance early in the morning to make soft pretzels from scratch and eat the baked snack they had designed during the “Twist and Taste Pretzels” cookery workshop at the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah from May 1-12.

Guided by chefs Lamia Msallam and Massa, the under-12 bunch of kids learnt about the process of kneading dough, shaping pretzels – dividing them into small balls, and then rolling them into thin rope-like strips and folding them inwards to create a loop or bow – sprinkle salt and sesame seeds on top after lining them on a baking sheet and bake that at 180 degree Celsius for five minutes to create a tidy brown snack.

“We use the same dough as in a pizza – refined flour with baking soda and water to knead it. It is an easy breakfast snack – for a change from the usual sweet stuff, we have created a salty snack that kids can enjoy. But the toppings can be changed to cinnamon sugar too,” said Lamia.

“I like pretzels because it is a perfect snack, crispy and filling. At home, I have it with juice or a drink,” said 10-year-old Arwa, who was waiting impatiently for her creation.

The Cookery Corner is extremely popular and is hosting 60 workshops and 36 live cooking sessions led by 12 renowned chefs and 25 experts from 12 countries.

SCRF has 1500-plus activities this year and the festival organiser, Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), has ensured that the 12-day festival is completely action packed for young readers, artists and creatives as well as their families. 

While millions of books including latest releases in children’s and Young Adult literature from across the globe will be at the heart of SCRF 2024, the event will offer the region’s largest platform for cultural and artistic appreciation with theatrical performances, workshops in STEM, social media, music, exciting competitions, animation events and more.