Swabian Pretzels (Laugenbrezeln)
There have been other posts dealing with pretzels and whether to use a lye bath or not. I am firmly in the lye bath camp, and I can assure you, no self-respecting German baker would even consider making pretzels without it. And, being a self-respecting German baker, from a long line of German bakers, I give you my recipe for making Laugenbrezeln, with a lye bath ("Laugenbrezeln" means "lye pretzels," so if you don't use lye, don't call them Laugenbrezeln):
1 lb., 6 oz. (5 cups) bread flour
12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) warm water
5 Tbs. of soft, unsalted butter
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. diastatic malt powder (optional)
2 tsp. instant yeast
I make my dough in a bread machine. You can make it by hand or with a stand mixer, however you prefer. If you're reading a blog here, you probably already know how to make yeast dough, so I won't give much instruction here other than to say that you should develop the gluten (knead the dough) until you have a nice, smooth, firm dough. Let rise until double, or about 1 1/2 hours. Divide into 12 equal pieces (about 3 oz. each). Preshape each piece into a 6-in. rope. Shape dough as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4oCx-JRFgE&feature=share (don't worry that you can't understand German; just watch until you see how to shape the pretzels. This video also shows a very nifty device for dipping the pretzels in the lye bath, but I haven't been able to find one to order here!). Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
After shaping the pretzels, place them on a parchment/foil or Silpat lined baking sheet, cover with a plastic bag, and let them rise for about 30 minutes, or until puffy. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until they are firm and don't bend.
While the pretzels are hanging out in the freezer, make the lye bath. Weigh out 40 grams of lye crystals (you can order them from Amazon - make SURE to get food-grade lye!) into a glass bowl, then add 1000 grams (1 liter) of cold water. Stir with a wooden or stainless steel spoon until lye crystals are dissolved (this will take a few minutes).
When the pretzels are partially frozen, they are ready to dip. PLEASE wear long rubber gloves to dip the pretzels. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, dip each pretzel in the lye bath for about 30 seconds. The pretzels are slippery, so you'll need those gloves! Let excess liquid drip off, then place pretzels on a Silpat lined sheet. Cut each pretzel along its "belly" and sprinkle with pretzel salt or kosher salt. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.
Pretzels are best eaten immediately, while still warm. If you can't eat them all in one day, place cooled pretzels in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw pretzels outside of the bag on a cake rack. Warm them in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes to crisp the outside.
Comments
Never made homemade pretzels. They look so good. I've heard this process using lye. What is it?
Isn't lye caustic? Can't imagine how it is used in cooking or that it is edible.
Dear Abe:
You are correct: lye is caustic. However, the lye bath is a 4% solution (4% lye to 96% water), and the lye cooks off in the high heat of the oven. Lye is actually used in many food applications, such as processing tomatoes, hominy, corn and other vegetables, for canning or use in other products (such as tortillas). I cannot stress enough how important it is to get FOOD-GRADE lye, as it is pure (or as pure as one can get). And you really MUST wear rubber gloves, and it is recommended to wear eye protection as well. If you gently slide the pretzels into the lye bath, though, you shouldn't have any splashing. And make sure you don't heat the lye solution - the water may warm some when you add it to the lye, as part of the chemical reaction that occurs when you dissolve the lye crystals, but you should let it cool to room temperature before you start dipping the pretzels. But if you don't use the lye bath, you won't get the beautiful chestnut color or the distinctive taste that the lye imparts (despite most of it cooking off). Happy baking!
The first thing I thought when seeing the picture was that this had to use a lye bath. You just can't get that dark even browning without it. Baking soda (or better yet washing soda) is okay in a pinch, but "real" pretzels are made using lye. Bagels are another bread that traditionally uses a lye bath.
I like the scoring of the pretzel. I haven't really seen that before.
I never made pretzels either. Always afraid of the lye situation but would like to try this. My husband wanted to know what pretzel rolls tasted like but since I never made pretzels, of course I never made rolls. We were out in a restaurant and he ordered a hamburger on a pretzel roll so I did too to see what it was like.
I need to say, that was just glorified rolls. So I am contemplating ordering the lye, and pretzel salt and buying the proper gloves, but your recipe can it be used for rolls or just pretzels? If it can be used to make rolls that would be great, if not would you have recipe for pretzel rolls. Thanks for posting your pretzel recipe!
Yes, you can use this recipe for rolls as well, and 3 oz. is a pretty good size for rolls, so you should be able to get a dozen rolls from this recipe. The video I refer to in the post shows a very short dipping time. I recommend dipping the pretzels or rolls in the lye for about 30 seconds, then baking immediately. If you let them sit for very long after dipping, they won't be as shiny as they should be.
If you're making rolls, you will want to cut a relatively deep "X" on the top. This helps to control the oven spring, and it makes a beautiful white top to the bun.
I make pretzel rolls all the time. I have several recipes for yeasted versions and sourdough versions. You can see a couple here: https://mookielovesbread.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/sourdough-beer-pretzel-rolls-with-caramelized-onions/
Also here: https://mookielovesbread.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/pumpernickel-cheddar-cheese-sourdough-pretzel-rolls/
And if you search my site you will see many other variations.
I use only a lye bath as well.
Ian
I really love the dark brown ultra chewy crust lye imparts, it's just not the same without it. In the hotel where I had my practicum, no trainee was allowed to prepare or dip the laugenbrezeln and laugenbrot in the lye solution because of the danger, bakers have complained of burns before. I like them just with butter for breakfast.
I checked out Amazon and here are so many to choose from, for the Food Grade Lye. Do you have a special brand you use as I want to make sure it is safe!
I actually am still using some liquid lye concentrate I got from a bakery in Germany 15 years ago, so I can't give you a recommendation for brands available on Amazon. If it is food-grade lye, and the reviews are mostly positive, I think you're safe on ordering from Amazon.
Thanks for the tips and comments! Will check out Amazon again, and decide which Lye I want to purchase.
This is what I buy from Amazon:
Food Grade Sodium Hydroxide Lye Micro Beads, 2 Lbs.by Essential DepotFirst, thank you for publishing this along with that amazing video. I've been researching the perfect Bavarian Pretzel recipe all week, and this is, by far, one of the best recipes and resources I've found. I have a few questions for the original author and anyone else who wants to chime in.
1. Diastatic Malt Powder vs. Barley Malt Syrup (non-diatstatic):
I've seen recipes call for one or the other. Which is better or more authentic?
2. Amount of time in the Lye Bath:
I've seen some recipes call for 15 seconds, some call for 30. Which is better? Does it matter?
3. After shaping the pretzels:
Thomas Kellar suggests resting the pretzels in the fridge for a 2-3 hours. Others suggest up to 8 hours. Aparently this can help develop a nice smooth skin on the pretzel and also firm it up for the lye bath. Other recipes have mentioned freezing for an hour or two. Which would you suggest?
4. Lard or butter? Which is more traditional?
5. How wet is the dough? This is a big one for me. The first two recipes I tried were very wet dough, and I think it caused the crust of my pretzel to be extremely blistered. Can wet dough cause this? I am sensing that a pretzel dough needs to be pretty dry. Any insight here?
Thanks for any insight!