Bavarian Pretzels
by Jay Wadams
There's nothing quite like a traditional Bavarian pretzel with a golden-brown, salt-studded crust and a chewy, perfect texture. My recipe for homemade pretzels with step-by-step instructions and photos is simple to make at home.
Ingredients
- 21 g fresh yeast or 7g (1 sachet) dried yeast
- 200 ml warm water
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 500 g all-purpose flour, see notes
- 2 tsp bakers malt powder optional
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 3 Tbsp baking soda / sodium bicarbonate
- coarse salt roughly crushed (or pretzel salt, see notes)
For Authenic Lye Pretzels:
- 500 ml food grade lye solution at 4% dilution
Scan the QR Code to view the online recipe with detailed instructions, photos, hints, tips and more at daysofjay.com
Instructions
- BLOOM THE YEAST: In a small jug or bowl, mix together the yeast, water and sugar. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- KNEAD THE DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook fitted, combine the yeast mixture, flour, malt (if using), salt and oil, then knead by hand or machine for 5 - 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. The dough should be quite firm, but not crumbly. Add water as necessary. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Turn the dough out onto the bench top, knock the air out and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough to about 50cm (20 in.) long, thicker in the middle and much thinner at the ends. Form the dough rope into a large U shape, then twist it into the classic pretzel shape (see photos).
- CHILL THE DOUGH: Wet the ends of the rope with a little bit of cold water and press them firmly onto the side of the pretzels to join. Place each of the shaped pretzels on a tray lined with baking parchment paper, then put the whole tray, uncovered, in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- PREPARE: After 20 minutes bring 1 litre of water (4 cups of water) mixed with the baking soda to a boil in a large pot, and preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F / Gas 7.
- DIP PRETZELS: Carefully dip each pretzel in the boiling baking soda solution one by one, and allow it to cook for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, allow excess water to drip off and lay each pretzel on a lined baking tray.
- BAKE: Scatter over the rock salt and bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the tray or on a rack before eating.
FOR LYE BATH PRETZELS:
- After shaping the pretzels, DO NOT CHILL THEM! Simply place on a clean cloth, cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a glass bowl with food grade lye diluted to 4%. You can reuse the lye if you have a suitable storage bottle.
- After 30 minutes, dip each pretzel in the lye solution (WEARING GLOVES!) and then place it on a baking tray lined with a baking mat or baking paper.
- Scatter over pretzel salt, then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until risen and deep, golden brown.
Notes
Notes: Authentic Bavarian pretzels are decorated with a type of coarse mountain salt called 'Hagelsalz'. It is perfectly fine to use roughly crushed rock salt instead.
Imperial and cup measurements are approximate. For best and most accurate results I use and recommend a digital kitchen scale like the one below.
Lye is corrosive and will burn and irritate your skin if not handled correctly. Be careful when using it, don't splash it or breathe in the fumes. Always wear gloves when handling lye.
Diluted lye can be reused multiple times. Otherwise, it can be safely disposed of in your kitchen sink (taking care not to splash).
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pretzel | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 3mg