An authentic homemade German pretzel recipe.

Authentic Homemade German Pretzels
  • : Authentic Homemade German Pretzels
  • Prep Time: 35 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Serving:
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By 03/17/2013

 
Making homemade German pretzels isn't as hard as you might think.  This recipe is easy to follow, and yields the most chewy, dense, flavorful German pretzels.  Serve with a side of stone ground mustard and maybe a beer - these are delicious.

Ingredients

how to

  • In a small bowl combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast - then set aside until the yeast foams.
  • Put the flour in a larger bowl, then add the yeast mixture and butter and use an electric mixer with a dough hook attached to  mix on low speed until combined.
  • Increase the speed to medium, and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl - about 5 minutes.
    (if you don't have a dough mixer attachment, you can put the dough on a floured surface, and knead it for about 10 minutes, until it comes together and becomes elastic)
  • Form the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl - drizzle a little oil over it and roll it around well, oiling the ball of dough and the inside of the bowl.
  • Cover with a damp kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  • Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in a large pot.
  • Preheat the oven to 450 F (225 C)
  • Line two baking sheets with baking paper, and grease the paper.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equal size balls, then roll each one out into a 2 ft (24 cm) long rope.
  • Form a U shape with each rope, then cross the ends down to form a pretzel shape.
  • Gently place each pretzel into the water, one at a time, and boil for about 30 seconds, then remove carefully with a slotted spoon, and place on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Use a fork to mix the egg yolk and tbsp of water together in a small bowl, then brush each pretzel well with the mix.
  • Sprinkle the pretzels with pretzel salt (I couldn't find any pretzel salt, so I used fleur de sel, and it worked great) and bake in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.

 

An authentic homemade German pretzel recipe.