Recipe for German-style soft pretzels?
March 13, 2008 10:58 PM Subscribe
[RecipeFilter] I want to bake the most delicious pretzels.
I have searched the internets for pretzel recipes, but almost all links that I have found are very basic recipes that result in bread that looks like a pretzel but tastes like normal bread.
Most of the recipes you can find online don't care much about fermenting the dough or using lye. Using lye, in particular, seems to make a lot of difference.
Help me find a recipe for an authentic german pretzel.
I have searched the internets for pretzel recipes, but almost all links that I have found are very basic recipes that result in bread that looks like a pretzel but tastes like normal bread.
Most of the recipes you can find online don't care much about fermenting the dough or using lye. Using lye, in particular, seems to make a lot of difference.
Help me find a recipe for an authentic german pretzel.
If you do find food grade NaOh to wash your pretzels in, make sure you don't boil it like you do with NaCl. See the Wikipedia entry:
"German pretzels are poached in a boiling sodium carbonate solution or cold sodium hydroxide solution before baking, which contributes to their unique crust. Sodium hydroxide solution should never be boiled because of the developing vapors!"
Happy Eating!
posted by Wezzlee at 4:49 AM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]
"German pretzels are poached in a boiling sodium carbonate solution or cold sodium hydroxide solution before baking, which contributes to their unique crust. Sodium hydroxide solution should never be boiled because of the developing vapors!"
Happy Eating!
posted by Wezzlee at 4:49 AM on March 14, 2008 [1 favorite]
I've eaten pretzels in the Englischer Garten, and I've made the Good Eats recipe (with baking soda), and the Good Eats recipe is, as they say, good enough for government work. I would make it again, certainly. If you can find the lye, though, as Alton says, go for it.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:29 AM on March 14, 2008
posted by uncleozzy at 6:29 AM on March 14, 2008
Best answer: Best pretzel recipe that uses lye is found in Silverton's Breads of La Brea Bakery. I am at my office so cannot produce. It is time intensive but good food always will be. It is an excellent break book overall but definitely someone who is going to be into ferments and multiple step processes.
posted by jadepearl at 7:02 AM on March 14, 2008
posted by jadepearl at 7:02 AM on March 14, 2008
I've tried both the Alton Brown recipe linked above, and also Paula Deen's version. I prefer Paula's ... but without nearly as much butter as she recommends slathering on them at the end. I like them with a very light brushing of olive oil instead; just enough so that you can make kosher salt stick. With the amount of butter called for in the recipe, IMO, you can't taste the dough clearly and that's my favorite part.
YMMV ... I recommend trying both and deciding what you like and don't like of each.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:53 AM on March 14, 2008
YMMV ... I recommend trying both and deciding what you like and don't like of each.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:53 AM on March 14, 2008
I have found that the texture of a soft pretzel is the defining characteristic. Wezzlee has it right. To get that chewy texture you will need to boil it sometime before you bake it. I have done a blast in the oven on very high heat, then instantly into boiling water for a quick swim, then back into an oven at a more moderate heat for finishing... a lot like a bagel.
posted by Foam Pants at 12:14 AM on March 15, 2008
posted by Foam Pants at 12:14 AM on March 15, 2008
From the book "Real Men Don't Cook Quiche". I've made these, and they're pretty good...
In a large bowl, dissolve one package of active dry yeast in a cup of lukewarm water. Then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Beat for at least three minutes, then add:
1 1/4 cups flour
Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky. Place in a bowl smeared with butter and let sit in a draft-free area until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 475. Punch the dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll the pieces into 18-inch lengths and form into pretzel shapes. Bring four quarts of water and five tablespoons of baking soda to a rolling boil. Carefully lower each pretzel into the water and boil for one minute, or until it floats to the surface. Transfer pretzels to a greased baking sheet and sprinkle them with course salt. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 7:01 AM on March 16, 2008
In a large bowl, dissolve one package of active dry yeast in a cup of lukewarm water. Then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Beat for at least three minutes, then add:
1 1/4 cups flour
Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky. Place in a bowl smeared with butter and let sit in a draft-free area until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 475. Punch the dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll the pieces into 18-inch lengths and form into pretzel shapes. Bring four quarts of water and five tablespoons of baking soda to a rolling boil. Carefully lower each pretzel into the water and boil for one minute, or until it floats to the surface. Transfer pretzels to a greased baking sheet and sprinkle them with course salt. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 7:01 AM on March 16, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37073,00.html
He's usually pretty into authenticity, though I haven't tried the recipe above so can't vouch for it. He mentioned lye in the episode but said the TV lawyers wouldn't let him use it in the show. :)
Also, here's a chowhound thread that discusses the lye thing.
posted by sanitycheck at 11:23 PM on March 13, 2008 [1 favorite]