Best German Soft Pretzels Recipes
GERMAN-STYLE SOFT PRETZELS WITH SWEET BROWN-MUSTARD BUTTER
A lot of soft pretzels are fun to eat, but they lack flavor. In these, molasses and cider give it flavor! Instead of adding fine salt or even kosher salt, I love the pop of flavor a more coarse salt like fleur de sel or another coarse sea salt lends both inside the dough and sprinkled on top. Therefore, instead of a uniformly flavored dough, you get bits of malty sweetness with a pop of flavor from the salt. Maldon salt would also work here, but doesn't quite have the crunch. You can make these all in one day if you wish. A longer overnight ferment increases ease of working with the dough and develops flavor, but will also work with a 4 hour room temperature rise. Shaping is fun, don't let it intimidate you! If you (or the kids!) can't get a perfect pretzel shape right out of the gate, you can make pretzel rolls or buns instead-same great flavor and finish! We love doing half of these as pretzels and half as pretzel rolls, which stay super soft inside and keep better for a second day. Once you get the hang of these, mix them up: You can add in flavor like caraway seeds, poppy seeds or even dried mustard powder. The baking soda wash before baking mimics the lye often used in traditional Bavarian pretzels, and gives the signature mahogany finish of the pretzel and the unmistakable flavor and crust. Finally, to dip the warm finished pretzels in, either butter or yellow mustard is a winner. But we love mixing some soft butter with some grainy brown mustard and a touch of honey for a really delicious spread.
Provided by Sarah Copeland
Categories appetizer
Time 9h45m
Yield 8 large pretzels
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, combine the water and yeast. Stir in the molasses and set aside until the yeast is bloomed and foamy, 5 to 7 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, butter and sea salt and use your hands to press and pinch the butter so that it's coated in flour. Add the yeast mixture and cider and stir together with a fork or a Danish dough whisk to make a loose, shaggy dough.
- Use your hands to combine the dough or beat the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, until the dough forms a loose ball, about 1 minute. The dough will be firm. (If it feels sticky, add in a bit more flour, a teaspoon at a time, until it is tacky.)
- Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface or beat the dough on medium-high speed, until it's smooth and springs back when pressed, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the dough, seam-side down, to a well-buttered bowl, turn to coat completely and cover tightly. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or at least 8 hours or up to overnight in the refrigerator (a longer resting time develops the flavor of the dough even further).
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn out the dough. Press down gently to deflate. Cut the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. Cover the dough and, working with 1 piece at a time, roll between your palms and the surface to create a long rope, about 12 inches long. (The dough will spring back as you work with it. If it's being stubborn, set it aside under a towel and come back to it.) Continue with the remaining dough until all 8 pieces are in long ropes, using a bit of a damp hand to create more friction as needed. Let all the ropes rest while you prepare the baking sheets.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Begin rolling each rope again, working them into a long 25- to 30-inch rope with a slightly thicker center and tapered ends (Don't worry if they're not perfect, they will still be delicious!).
- Shape each rope into a U shape. Hold the ends in each hand and lift and cross to make an X a third of the way down from the ends. Fold the ends of the dough toward the bottom, creating a slight overhang, and pinch to seal against the fatter part of the dough, creating a pretzel shape. If this is challenging or your dough is really puffy, fold and loop the dough around itself into a spiral, creating a pretzel bun instead. Transfer to the prepared sheets, leaving space between them.
- Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and lay over the top. Let them rest in a warm (but not hot) place until they have doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, position the racks in the middle and lower third of the oven, then preheat the oven to 475 degrees F on convection setting if available.
- Bring 6 cups of water and the baking soda to a gentle simmer in a wide stainless-steel saucepan. Using a large skimmer, fish spatula or slotted spoon, lower 1 to 2 pretzels into the soda water and cook, keeping the water at a low simmer, 10 seconds per side. Remove, letting all the water drip off, and return to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
- Before baking, reshape each pretzel as needed, schooching them with a spoon or gloved hand (they can be slippery) to guide them into shape. Brush the tops of each pretzel with the egg wash, then sprinkle with salt. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until deep golden brown, 11 to 12 minutes.
- Serve warm with Sweet Brown Mustard Butter. Eat within 24 hours, or cool completely, wrap well and freeze for afternoon snacks.
- Combine the butter, mustard and honey, working together with a spoon or a spatula until lightly streaked and flavorful (do not fully combine, as the mustard can break the butter). Serve at room temperature. Makes 1/4 cup.
GERMAN BRETZEN, SOFT PRETZELS RECIPE - (4.4/5)
Provided by Foodiewife
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper, do not use wax paper--it will smoke, and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for 30 seconds. Don't worry, they will sink to the bottom then float back to the top. If they fall apart in the water, just quickly reshape them when you place them back on the parchment. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
GERMAN SOFT PRETZELS
Oh my... soft pretzels are one of my indulgences. And this is a GREAT recipe. It's super easy to make. I dipped mine in a bit of mustard - so good. I bet these would be good with a bit of cinnamon butter or queso too. Yum!
Provided by Cherie Szilvagyi
Categories Other Snacks
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- 1. Mix sugar and water. You want enough sugar ( I use a Tbl because I like my dough sweet.) in the water to feed the yeast but go to your taste. I don't use a lot of sugar but you want enough to feed the yeast. Sprinkle yeast on top and let rise until foamy. Add flour and stir until dough forms a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a long snake about 1/2 inch thick and 15 inches long. Make into pretzel shape. Place on greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Combine the egg with water and brush on top of pretzels. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown.
- 2. Variation: Sprinkle with Sugar and Cinnamon for that sweet pretzel taste.
GERMAN STYLE SOFT PRETZELS
Steps:
- combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. knead for five to ten minutes to satiny. Let dough relax five minutes Shape into pretzels. Preheat oven to 425. Simmer in quart of water that you'v to which youve added 4 tablesppons of baking soda. transfer to lightly oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt
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