Bavarian Pretzel Recipe

[passedpawn]

Mmmmm homebrew party with all the trimmings, I may be down in Cape Coral this fall, I might take the boat up the coast to "visit" you. By visit I mean drink your beer, eat your pretzels and homemade sausages.

You're more than welcome to come!

 

[azscoob]

Are you on the water, and can you dock a 53'?

Or can you pick me up from a slip?

 

[passedpawn]

Are you on the water, and can you dock a 53'?

Or can you pick me up from a slip?

Landlubber here!

 

[azscoob]

Lemme see if we are heading down there, I am thinking of grabbing a captain for the family boat if we head down there, that way I can get my vacation on while out to sea without worry. the boat can drive itself using GPS, but wrecking a boat that isnt mine because of a computer glitch really worries me.

 

[altenmuenster]

16 pounds of homemade bratwurst are ready to go for this weekend's Oktoberfest kickoff! (Although I have doubts about my first go at a wheat beer)

I've done test batches of Laugenbretzel recipe the original post this week, I felt that my first go at the recipe the OP put up was a little bit too sweet to be truly Bavarian & authentic. (Although it got rave reviews and was delicious)

I changed my second batch to be a touch lighter on the brown sugar (loose pack vs. packed) and added a 3/4 tsp salt to the dough.

I preferred the second batch and felt it to be pretty damned close to authentic Bretzeln.

Next project Riesenbretzel!

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I just made a batch myself. Very tasty. I used baking soda in the water, no egg wash. They came out with a good brown color and they are extremely tasty. I am happy enough with the baking soda that I'm not going to risk getting burned by lye to get a hint of a darker color.

The reason why you need the lye (or baking soda) is that it coats the outside with a very base solution which accelerates maillard reactions. I don't think there's anything special about the flavor of lye it's just that it's far more base than baking soda so you get a higher pH on the exterior.

 

[thegerm]

You would be very surprised how much difference it makes.

 

[passedpawn]

I just made a batch myself. Very tasty. I used baking soda in the water, no egg wash. They came out with a good brown color and they are extremely tasty. I am happy enough with the baking soda that I'm not going to risk getting burned by lye to get a hint of a darker color.

The reason why you need the lye (or baking soda) is that it coats the outside with a very base solution which accelerates maillard reactions. I don't think there's anything special about the flavor of lye it's just that it's far more base than baking soda so you get a higher pH on the exterior.

You are not going to get injured by the lye. That's been overplayed. But you're right, it does not make that much of a difference.

 

[thegerm]

caustic can burn through to the bone if handled improperly. It's danger has not been played up at all.

 

[passedpawn]

caustic can burn through to the bone if handled improperly. It's danger has not been played up at all.

I was referring to the properly diluted lye solution. You're right about the lye crystals, I should not have made that statement.

 

[Ricand]

Ahh... this thread got me thinking about pretzels again. Gonna have to do up a batch soon. I wanted to reiterate that you need to get food grade lye. I've heard about half of the lye out there is still made using the mercury-cell chloralkali process. This leaves trace elements of mercury in the lye. Food grade is readily available and for $6 you can get a lifetime supply here.

 

[bknifefight]

I just ordered some lye for this recipe. Now where's all the homemade mustard recipes?

 

[CHefJohnboyardee]

Making a bunch of batches this weekend for our Octoberfest. Can't wait!!

 

[Bulls Beers]

The dough is rising as we speak!!

 

[passedpawn]

The dough is rising as we speak!!

I make these without letting the dough rise. Never done it otherwise. Please post back with results.

 

[chiefkellen]

As an alternative to both lye and baking soda, one can use Sodium carbonate (commonly known as washing soda).

Sodium carbonate can be purchased directly, or produced by spreading sodium bicarbonate thinly onto a sheet of aluminum foil and baking for 1 hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

edit: For reference, the pH of sodium bicarbonate is 8.2 while the pH of sodium carbonate is 11.6

 

[Bulls Beers]

How do you store your pretzels? I've made two batches that came out great. The first batch I put them in a cookie jar. The next day they were too soft and a little oily. Not good. Do you guys just keep them out in room temp or what?

 

[thegerm]

How do you store your pretzels? I've made two batches that came out great. The first batch I put them in a cookie jar. The next day they were too soft and a little oily. Not good. Do you guys just keep them out in room temp or what?

I wish I knew, honestly. I've basically given up on storing them. Basically you need to eat them fresh. Like within the first 12 hours if possible. After that you can cut them in half and toast them and that helps overcome the chewiness problem a bit.

 

[passedpawn]

Yep. I make only enough for the same day too. I'd guess freezing in freezer bags might work, then toasting after thawing.

 

[chiefkellen]

Yep. I make only enough for the same day too. I'd guess freezing in freezer bags might work, then toasting after thawing.

The freezer storage method works. Frozen pretzels can be thawed in the microwave until soft and toasted quickly to restore the crunchy outer texture. Another option is to half back some pretzels and freeze those. When you would like to serve them, simply heat the oven back up to cooking temperature and complete the baking.

 

[bknifefight]

I've made these a few times and stored them only to have them end up soggy. Maybe a paper bag would work?

 

[GNBrews]

The salt crystals will pull moisture from the air and make them soggy. They are best eaten fresh.

 

[passedpawn]

Come and get it! Love the hot pretzels

 

[Bulls Beers]

I've made these a few times and stored them only to have them end up soggy. Maybe a paper bag would work?

I had that issue. Now I store them in the freezer. When I want one, I pop it in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes and it comes out nice and crispy.

 

[Bulls Beers]

Come and get it! Love the hot pretzels

Looking good...I made a batch tonight. They came out great.

 

[passedpawn]

I let this dough rise first (one batch, overnight, the other batch about 4 hours). When you do that, the pretzels grow a lot more in the oven.

Previously, I just rolled and baked and they didn't get so big. Jury's still out, but I think I like the unrisen form better. Also, letting the dough rise results in a much more pronounced yeast flavor that wasn't in the batch that was not allowed to rise - my wife didn't like that)

 

[Bulls Beers]

I let the dough rise only about a half hour. The next batch I make, I'm gonna try it without letting the dough rise. I haven't had that yeast taste. I guess we'll see on the next batch. Good to know though.

 

[bknifefight]

Am I the only one who can't get a fluid pretzel twist down? I have the hardest time...

 

[dataz722]

I don't think I have ever had a real Bavarian pretzel but that picture makes me need to try to make them.

 

[PatGerkin]

This recipe is courtesy of Hans Röckenwagner (January 2011 Food & Wine Magazine) and the pretzels are very authentic. The link for ordering lye is at the bottom of the page. Just make sure to wear rubber gloves and goggles when working with the lye, and to add the lye to your water not the other way around. Enjoy!

3 3/4 cups bread flour (20 ounces), plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
10 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup food-grade lye micro beads (see Note)
Coarse salt or pretzel salt, for sprinkling (see Note)

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 3 3/4 cups of bread flour with the warm water, yeast, kosher salt and butter and knead at medium speed until the flour is evenly moistened, 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms around the hook, 8 minutes.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Cover loosely with a dry kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and form each one into a ball. Cover the dough balls with the towel and let rest for another 5 minutes.
3. On an unfloured surface, roll each ball of dough into an 18-inch-long rope, tapering them slightly at both ends. To shape each pretzel, form the rope into a U shape. Cross the ends over each other twice to form the twist, then bring the ends to the bottom of the U and press the tips onto it. Arrange the pretzels on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper and let stand uncovered in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until slightly risen. Refrigerate the pretzels uncovered for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°. While wearing latex gloves, long sleeves and safety goggles, fill a large, deep ceramic, plastic or glass bowl with the lukewarm water. Carefully add the lye (always be sure to add lye to water, never the other way around) and, taking care not to splash, stir the solution occasionally until all the beads have fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, gently lower a pretzel into the solution for 15 seconds. Carefully turn the pretzel over and soak it for another 15 seconds. With the spatula, remove the pretzel from the lye solution and return it to the baking sheets.
5. Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt and bake on the top and middle racks of the oven until shiny-brown and risen, about 17 minutes; shift the pans halfway through baking. Let the pretzels cool slightly on the baking sheets before serving.

Make Ahead Pretzels baked without salt can be frozen for up to 1 month. Spray the frozen pretzels with water and sprinkle with salt before reheating in a 275° oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Food-grade lye can be ordered from http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-Sodium-dsh-Hydroxide-dsh-Lye-dsh-Food-dsh-Grade/Categories A 2lb container is $3.44.