Best German New Year Pretzel Recipes

GERMAN NEW YEAR'S PRETZEL

Steps:

• Heat the milk and vanilla, stirring to combine in a small saucepan until warm. Do not boil.
• Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm temperature.
• In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together the lemon zest, flour, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
• Make a well in the middle of the mixture and sprinkle the yeast into the well.
• Pour about 1/4 cup of the vanilla milk on top of the yeast to dissolve it. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the top.
• Scrape some flour off of the sides of the bowl with your hands and mix everything together to form ragged dough.
• Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and let rest for 10 minutes
• Sprinkle the dough with the salt. Add the rest of the milk and the 4 egg yolks. Use the dough hook attachment of your mixer (or your hands) to knead everything into a smooth dough (about 8 minutes)
• Add 5 tablespoons of the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Knead again for 3 minutes until the dough becomes elastic.
• Cover the bowl again with the dishtowel and let stand for 1 hour in a warm place.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Knead the dough again for a few minutes.
• Divide the dough into three equal portions (use a kitchen scale).
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll each portion out into a log 2 feet long.
• Braid the three dough strands together.
• On the last 4 inches of both ends, roll them out 8 inches long (4+3/4 inches wide) and use a sharp knife to cut the ends into three strands. Roll each stand to create log shapes, then braid them together.
• The result should be a long fat braid in the middle with small long, thinner braids on the ends.
• Transfer the entire dough braid to the prepared baking sheet. Pull both ends down and tuck them under the fat middle braid, forming two loops.
• Cover with the dishtowel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Beat the egg white in a small separate dish.
• Brush the braided dough with the egg white and sprinkle the pearl sugar over the top.
• Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and scatter over the top.
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the pretzel is golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool to warm before serving.
• Serve with butter and jam.

EASY NEW YEARS PRETZEL (NEUJAHRSBREZEL)

Steps:

• Add the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm milk. Stir, cover and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes. At the surface of the milk some bubbles should appear. (see image). If the bubbles do not appear the milk might have been too hot.
• Preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Mine is 50 degrees.
• Now add the yeast to the flour, butter, egg, and salt and knead to a homogeneous dough for about 10 minutes. Place the dough into a bowl and cover with a tea towel. Turn off your oven and place the bowl into it. Leave to rise for about 40 minuites.
• Now briefly knead the dough through again. Remove 1/4 of the dough and set aside.
• Form the remaining dough into a roll, about 45 cm (17.7 inches) long. Make your that the ends of the roll are tapered to a point.
• Line a baking tray with baking parchment. As the pretzel is really large it might be easier to shape the pretzel directly on the tray.
• To form new years pretzels take the roll and lay it in a "U" shape. In the middle take both and twist them around each other. The ends get pressed against the pretzel belly (the lower part of the pretzel).
• Cover the pretzel with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, divide the remaing 1/4 of the dough and divide into three equal parts. Roll each part into a long thin roll (about 30 cm). Then lay the three rolls into a braid.
• Brush the lower part of the pretzel (the pretzel belly) with some water and lay the braid on top. Cover and leave to rest for a further 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190°C/ 374°F top to bottom heat. Mix the egg yolk with the 2 tablespoons of milk.
• After the resting time brush the pretzel evenly with the egg yolk mixture. If you like you can sprinkle it with pearl sugar. Then place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The exact baking time depends on your oven. To check whether the new years pretzel is done, pick the deepest part with a skewer. If it comes out clean it is done.
• Serve the same day. Tastes delicious with butter, jam or chocolate spread.

GERMAN NEW YEAR'S PRETZEL (GROSSE NEUJAHRS-BREZE)

Steps:

• Measure or weigh flour into a large mixing bowl.
• Proof the yeast by dissolving it in 1 cup/250 milliliters warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Leave it in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
• When bubbles form, add it to the flour together with 1 whole egg, butter, salt , and lemon zest, and work it into a medium-stiff dough.
• Knead for several minutes or until dough becomes smooth and silky. Form it into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle a large tabletop or another work surface with flour and turn dough out onto it. Turn once to coat. Divide into 3 equal pieces (it helps to weigh them, not just eyeball them).
• Roll each into a 1-foot-long cylinder and let rest for a few minutes (this helps relax gluten ). Starting in the middle, lengthen the dough into a rope by rolling against the table top and applying pressure outwards. The middle should be thicker than the ends.
• Continue this way until you have 3 strands of dough at least 3-feet/1-meter long each. If dough continues to spring back, let it rest for a couple minutes and try again.
• Beginning in the middle, braid the 3 strands together toward each end. Pinch the ends closed. Lengthen the braid slightly by pulling on the ends.
• For good luck : Place several foil-wrapped coins (lucky pennies- Glueckspfennige ) between the braided strands. The person who finds a coin has their New Year's wish come true.
• Form braid into a pretzel shape and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Cover with a clean dish cloth.
• Place the oven rack on the second shelf from the top. Heat oven to 350 F for 30 minutes. Make an egg wash with the egg yolk beaten together with 3 tablespoons of water. Brush the braid with it.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack .
• If you are serving the bread the same day, sprinkle with sugar for decoration. If the bread is to be kept for several days, frozen or shellacked, do not sprinkle with sugar , as it will make it soggy.
• Enjoy.

NEUJAHRSPRETZEL (NEW YEAR'S PRETZELS)

Steps:

• Heat milk and butter until very warm (120-130°F).
• Mix yeast, salt, sugar, and 1 cup flour.
• Slowly beat into warm milk.
• Beat for 2 minutes.
• Add eggs and 1 cup of flour.
• Beat for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add enough flour to form a soft dough.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Place dough in a greased bowl.
• Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down and let rise again until doubled (1 hour more).
• Divide dough in half.
• Shape pretzel as follows: roll dough into a rope about 30 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Cross the ends leaving a large loop in the center.
• Flip loop back onto crossed ends to form a pretzel.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Place pretzels on greased baking sheets.
• Let rise 15 minutes more.
• Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Mix confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla to form a thin icing.
• Spread icing on pretzels and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
• Makes 2 large pretzels.

BAVARIAN-STYLE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl (or bowl of a mixer), stir together syrup, lard or butter, yeast, 2 cups warm water and half the flour. Add kosher salt and remaining flour and stir just until mixture comes together in a shaggy mass.
• Turn out onto counter (or attach dough hook to mixer) and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and supple. Cut into 12 pieces and let rest 5 minutes.
• Roll out each piece into a rope about 22 inches long. (For traditional shape, the ends should be thin and the center fat.) Lift both ends, twist them around each other once, then bring ends back and press them on either side of fat "belly," at about 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock. Then gently spread out "shoulders" of pretzel. Transfer shaped pretzels to an ungreased baking sheet. (Alternatively, form each piece into a round or oval to make laugenbrötchen, rolls.)
• Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a deep bowl, wearing rubber or latex gloves, make a solution of 1/2 cup lye and 10 cups water (or 1 part lye to 20 parts water); pour lye carefully into water to avoid splashing. Dip each pretzel in solution, turning it over for 10 to 15 seconds, and place back on baking sheet.
• Sprinkle pretzels with salt. Bake about 15 minutes or until deep brown. Remove to a rack and serve warm.