Homemade Soft German Pretzels (Laugenbrezeln)

Here we go, one of my favorite German snacks: Pretzels! I could eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are just so good, especially when you have them freshly baked or toasted with some butter on them… just divine. As my partner’s roots are German, you could say he was very happy with these.

Original Laugenbrezeln are dipped into a mixture with lye or caustic soda, that’s where the pretzel gets its beautiful color from. Just because it can be quite dangerous to use lye, especially with kids around, I just use a mixture of simmering water and baking soda. This works just as well and is a lot safer. Also in some places, it is not as easy to get your hands on lye, so this is a great alternative.

I hope you have fun making these German pretzels! Making the shape is the most fun (and takes some practice) and is what makes them actual pretzels. They are the best straight out of the oven while they are still warm, if you want to eat them later I would recommend toasting them.

This recipe is adapted by La Cerise’s recipe.

Ingredients

For 12 pretzels you will need:

• 500 g | 3 cups all purpose flour
• 40 g | 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 250 ml | 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons active dried yeast
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top

For the dipping mixture:

• 1 liter | 4 cups of water
• 100 g | 1/2 cup baking soda

Method

• Get your lukewarm water and dissolve your yeast in it. Mix your flour and salt in a big bowl. Make a little well in the middle of your flour mixture and add the sugar and the yeast mixture there. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Add the softened butter and knead it until it forms a smooth dough. This should take 5 minutes. Let your dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Roll your dough into a log and cut it into 12 equal parts. Roll each piece on a clean surface until it is at least 50 cm long (you won’t need any flour). It should be thicker in the middle and more tapered towards the ends. Also watch out you don’t tear your dough as this results in cracks (is also okay if this happens, every pretzel is beautiful). Now shape them in a pretzel shape and let them rest in the fridge for about an hour. The resting wil result in a skin that will be a nice shiny crust in the end.
• Preheat your oven to 200°C or 390°F.
• Time to dip your pretzels! Add the baking soda to the water and bring to a boil. Dip your pretzels for no longer than 10 seconds in the dipping mixture and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. You can try to score your pretzels and the thicker side of the pretzel with a sharp knife, but it is not necesary if you don’t want to, this will just cause the pretzels to not crack in random places.
• Sprinkle your pretzels with the coarse salt and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, depends on how dark you want them to be.

If you made this recipe let me know and tag me on Instagram @doughtodelight. Also give these wonderful recipes a shot: The best banana bread or this super easy focaccia bread.