German: Pretzels

Recipe by Kayla Lammy <klamm3@illinois.edu>

(serves 6)

Traditional Bavarian soft pretzels, called “Brezen” in German, are an essential accompaniment to the ubiquitous beer served during Oktoberfest. This popular baked bread snack is typically served with mustard or a beer cheese spread called Obatzda. Twisted into a distinctive knot-like shape, this pretzel has a soft inside with a bread-like chewy texture and a deep brown crust outside that comes from bathing in a baking soda solution before baking. This homemade recipe is worth making because soft pretzels are best when served hot right out of the oven.  

For the sponge (quick pre-ferment):

• ½ cup bread flour
• 1 packet rapid yeast
• ⅜ cup water

For the dough:

• 2 cups flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted and slightly cooled

For boiling and baking:

• 8 cups water
• ½ cup baking soda
• Extra water for a “rinse”
• Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for topping

Procedure:

1. Turn oven on “warm”, or a very low heat, to create an environment in your kitchen conducive to bread rising  
2. Mix together sponge ingredients in a mixing bowl; cover and let rest for about 1 hour on the stovetop while the oven is on the warm setting
3. After 1 hour, sponge should be bubbly; add warm water and melted butter to sponge and mix until smooth
4. Add flour and salt, use hands to mix the dough until the dough is uniform and smooth (about 5 minutes)
5. Cover dough and let rest for 1 hour
6. Transfer dough to a non-floured surface; shape into a uniform ball and divide the ball in half, then divide each half into 3 balls for a total of 6 roughly equal pieces of dough
7. Take one dough ball and roll it into a 20–24-inch log
8. Take the log and form an upside-down U; take the two tails of the upside-down U and fold over each other twice, creating a twist about midway
9. Fold the two tails up to the now O shaped center to form an upside-down pretzel shape; adjust shaping as needed and make sure to secure the tails into the dough by pinching:
                    
10. Place shaped pretzels onto a sheet pan lined with parchment; repeat for all pieces of dough, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours
11. Remove the plastic wrap and let the pretzels remain in the fridge, uncovered, for 30 minutes
12. Preheat oven to 400F
13. Add 8 cups of water and ½ cup baking soda to a stock pot; bring mixture to a boil
14. Prepare a large mixing bowl filled halfway with cool or room temperature water and place it close to the pot of boiling water
15. Prepare a cooling rack with a towel underneath to transfer the boiled pretzels on
16. Place 1 pretzel into the boiling water and let it boil for 30-40 seconds; remove and place into the rinse water for a few seconds, then place on cooling rack; repeat for remaining pretzels
17. Transfer boiled pretzels back to the parchment lined sheet tray; sprinkle with desired amount of flaky salt
18. Bake at 400F until golden brown (about 15-20 minutes)
19. Optional: When pretzels have reached a golden brown, mist them with water and place them back into the oven for about 30 seconds to give them a shinier look
20. Remove from oven, let cool slightly before enjoying. Pretzels are best enjoyed warm from the oven, or the same day of baking

Notes: Traditional pretzel making uses lye (food-grade sodium hydroxide) to raise the pH of the water that the pretzels are boiled in. This gives the pretzel a darker finish when baking in the oven. Baking soda is more widely available to most home cooks and can serve as a replacement for lye, but the resulting color will be more of a golden brown rather than dark brown.