Who would have thought that? I tried to bake Pretzels years ago, and I failed miserably. Baking Pretzels, or in German “Laugenbrezel” or in Bavaria “Brezn”, seemed so complicated to me at the time, that I preferred to leave it to the professionals
I must admit, I feel a sense of pride. I can’t help but admire the photos of my pretzels. Aren’t they stunning? They taste nearly as good as those from a bakery. Just the idea of making Pretzels used to fill me with anxiety. No matter how enthusiastically I tried to twirl the strands of dough, I never managed to make perfect pretzels.
I had pushed all of this deep into my mind, but as fate would have it, I found myself in the kitchen, kneading and soaking the uncooked pretzels in baking soda, shaking with anticipation…. and voilà – the most stunning pretzel emerged from the oven.
Preparing the dough 
Let the dough rise 
Remove the dough from bowl, place on countertop and turn in flour 
Forming Pretzel from dough 
Boil water with Lye 
German Pretzel
Should I do a Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) or Baking Soda soak?
If you don’t want to mess with Food grade Lye or Sodium Hydroxide which requires safety goggles and gloves, you can soak the Pretzels in a prepared Baking Soda soak as below. It will have a very similar results, just follow the procedure below:
Shaping then Pretzels:
To create a baking soda solution that mimics lye for pretzels, first bake a layer of baking soda on a foil-covered sheet at 250 to 300 degrees for an hour to enhance its alkalinity. Then, dissolve 2/3 cup (about 100 grams) of the baked soda in 2 cups of water. Dunk the shaped raw pretzels in this solution for three to four minutes, rinse off any excess in plain water, and then bake them for that classic flavor and deep brown color.
The homemade Pretzels still fresh and warm plays in a completely different league. I will certainly reap a lot of admiration with my homemade pretzels!
Pretzel recipe
Ingredients
- Pre-dough:
- ½ cup white flour (Pillsbury or King Arthur)
- ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 4 tbsp lukewarm water
- Dough:
- 1 ¾ cup white flour
- 1/8 cup cold water
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tsp margarine
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- Soak:
- 2 cups water
- 100g Sodium Hydroxide, food grade (or Baking soda)
- Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Knead the ingredients for the pre-dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight to rise.
- The next day, put the remaining ingredients in a bowl and knead with the pre-dough for about 10 minutes.
- The dough should not be sticky, and of course not too dry. It should rather be elastic and have a very smooth, shiny surface.
- When you have achieved the desired result, cover the dough with cling wrap and let it rest for about an hour.
- After the rest period, the dough is dusted with flour and again vigorously kneaded.
- Cover again with cling wrap and let rest for another 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 7 pieces and roll into 6′ long strings.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and let it relax for about 5 minutes.
- Then roll the strands to a length of approx. 23 cm.
- The ends should be much thinner than the middle pieces.
- Lay the strands in a horseshoe shape. Now place one end over the other, then lay the lower strand diagonally upwards and press it down. It crosses the upper strand. This is then also placed diagonally upwards and pressed down.
- Place the pretzels in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Mix Sodium Hydroxide (lye) or baking soda with 2 cups of water and stir well.
- After the cooling phase, briefly drop the pretzels into the water with lye.
- Remove and let it drip off
- Place the pretzels on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the thick middle part of the pretzels approx. 1/3rd inch deep and pull the gap a little apart.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake the pretzels on the bottom shelf in a preheated oven at 450F for about 10-14 minutes.
The Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag) Pretzel or Fasting Pretzel
I remember it was a custom to bake pretzels on Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag). The customers came in droves to the bakery to buy the traditional pretzels freshly baked. What does a pretzel have to do with fasting?
From the old custom I find the following thoughts on this interesting: What we know today as a pretzel was originally a fasting pretzel. The looped arms of the pretzel are supposed to hold on to good things and banish bad things. They are a symbol of a prayer position. Perhaps the Maundy Thursday pretzel is reminiscent of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane or of his bonds?
The word pretzel comes from the Latin term for “arm” and was used for the bread with the looped arms. For a long time, the pretzel was mainly eaten during Holy Week. The special shape of the pretzel wants to remind us of the cross of Christ and his passion in the middle of everyday life.
Memories of a bakery owner about 80 years ago: In the week before Easter there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the bakery. The farmers from the village came and brought their own flour and milk in bowls, bakeries added the yeast and making the dough for the pretzels and baking them.
Pretzels were something special for everyone. You couldn’t afford that in everyday life. The smell of freshly baked goods was in the air. It meant additional work and it was natural that every free hand in the bakery should help. It was a special time so close to Easter!
