Homemade Pretzels
When I met David, over eleven years ago, I already experienced some German dishes. In my honest opinion, many of them were “bland”. Along the years, I tweaked a few like Sauerbraten (Roast Beef Stew), Schnitzel (Breaded Pork Cutlets), Beef Rouladen (Beef Roulades), Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit Stew), Spätzle, Knödel (Dumplings), Zwiebelrostbraten, and a few others.
There were some though that I really like such as Stollen, Coffee Cake, Pfeffernüsse, Potato Salad, and more including this featured recipe… my Homemade Pretzels! This is what I call a tasty snack! Until I met my German husband, I ate them with regular French prepared mustard or Honey Mustard. He’s the one who introduced me to a 1:1 ratio of Dijon mustard and Homemade Mayonnaise… much, much better – take my word for it!
This Homemade Pretzels recipe is quite easy and I find that it’s similar to pizza dough. When I bake some, I make sure that we’ll eat them all up (this recipe yields four big ones) otherwise, a few hours later, the taste and texture is not quite where it should be.
In the dough mixture, I add honey but you can always substitute corn syrup. I have a great homemade recipe for this condiment. To view it, click on this link… Corn Syrup
When I make them, I sprinkle on a little coarse salt but compared to the ones we buy at the carnival or any other exhibition, they’re not nearly as salty as theirs. As I always say – “adjust to your liking”. David and I like salt but we’re definitely not “saltaholics”…
With Oktoberfest coming up this weekend (well not this year), what a great idea to make these delicious Homemade Pretzels! They are so moist and definitely a popular food staple during this German event. Grab a nice cold beer, make the simple yet tasty mustard mixture and enjoy this traditional German snack…
Bon Appetit!
Check out these other delicious snack recipes…
– Tomato Rosemary Focaccia
– Bounty Chocolate Bites
– Scones
– Sesame Snaps
– Pepper Jack Cheese Sticks
– Sucre à la Crème ~ Butter & Cream Fudge
and for even more bread recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Bread
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Homemade Pretzels
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Ingredients
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (between 105-110ºF)
- 1/2 tbsp. honey (substitute light corn syrup) tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, soft
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 tbsp. oil, or as needed to coat the bowl tips & tricks
- 4 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1 egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp. water)
- 1 tbsp. coarse sea salt, or to taste
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine, yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm water and honey; let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add butter, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment, process on speed 3 until smooth, adding 1 tbsp. reserved flour (1/2 cup) until the dough clings around the hook. Increase the speed to 4 and knead for 3 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and form a ball by pulling under. Place it in a large bowl lightly oiled and turn to coat it. Cover with a clean dish towel and place it in a draft-free area such as an unheated oven. Let it rise for 1 ½ hours or until it doubles in size.
- Lightly grease two baking sheets or line them with a silicone mat; set aside.
- Punch the dough to deflate, form a ball again by folding under and then divide it into 4 equal pieces.
- Take one at a time and press down stretching it into a rectangular shape before rolling it up tightly from one side to the other; pinch the seam together. Roll it out back and forth with your hands to 12-inches long, tapering the ends. Set aside while working on the others.
- Take the 1st piece that was rolled out and roll it out again to 24-inches long keeping the center slightly thicker. Take the ends and form a “u” shape, then cross them over and over again. Bring them back to the top of the loop, pressing the ends firmly into the pretzel shape.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a dish towel and let them proof for 30 minutes or until they double in size.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add 4 cups water and baking soda; stir to dissolve and bring to a boil.
- Adding one at a time, drop a pretzel into the boiling water. Carefully flip it after 20 to 30 seconds and soak the other side for 20 to 30 seconds as well - if you let it soak longer, the pretzels will have a metallic taste to them.
- Return the soaked pretzel to the baking sheets and continue dipping the remaining ones.
- Gently brush the pretzels with an egg wash and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt; slash the dough with a sharp knife.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the heat and place them on a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or a large re-sealable plastic bag.
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