Authentic German pretzel recipe that’s easy to make at home. You’ll love them!
German Pretzels
These recipes have not been tested yet, but look promising.
I’ve made these homemade German pretzels several times over the years. This authentic German pretzel recipe is easy to make at home and you’ll love them!
Ingredients
- 480g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 236g lukewarm water
- 2 pkgs active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
- 3 tbsp butter
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Lye Solution:
- 20g sodium hydroxide U.S.P. –N.F. (food-grade hydroxide lye micro beads)
- ½ quart of hot water
Directions
- Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Mix flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the flour mixture then add the sugar to the center of the well. Pour the yeast/water mixture into the well. Add the softened butter to the mixing bowl and knead everything to a smooth dough.
- Let proof for 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 10 equal parts, then roll each piece on the table (don’t flour the surface, you shouldn’t need it) to about 20 inches, tapered toward the ends. Don’t make it smaller than 20 inches as it’s impossible to get a good shape with a short, thick rope of dough. The dough should not get too warm as you roll it out, or it might tear.
- To form the pretzel shape, place dough rope on parchment lined cookie sheet so that it creates the shape of the letter “U”. Take both ends of the “U” and cross them over each other twice forming a twist. Bring that twist down and place it over the bottom curve of the “U”.
- Place the pretzels without covering them in the fridge for about an hour. This helps build a skin that will absorb the dipping solution better and make a beautiful shiny crust.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Score the dough once like for a baguette with a razor blade or sharp knife.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake the pretzels for about 15 to 20 minutes (mine took 20 minutes for a nice dark crust), depending on how dark you like them.