Soft German Style Pretzels

It's Oktoberfest season and you know what that means.....pretzels! These soft and chewy pretzels made with our organic Marquis 00 and whole wheat will be the perfect festive snack this fall. Prost! 

Download a printable version of the recipe here.

Soft German Style Pretzels

Yield: 8 medium or 10 small pretzels  

*This is an overnight recipe.

*This recipe does contain alcohol in the form of beer. However, as a result of the chemical baking process, it does not cause the side effects of alcohol consumption.

This recipe uses food grade lye, keep out of reach of children.

Ingredients:

300g BSM Marquis 00 flour

90g BSM Marquis WW flour

115g water (warm 80°F)

115g German beer (Pilsner, Hefeweizen or Kolsch, room temp)

15g light brown sugar

7g instant yeast

57g unsalted butter (softened)

12g fine sea salt

Lye bath:

½ cup lye (sodium hydroxide 100% food grade)

10 cups water (tepid)

Garnish:

Flaky sea salt or pearl salt

Softened butter to brush (optional)

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine the water, room temp beer, brown sugar, softened butter, and instant yeast and whisk together.

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with a hook attachment, combine the flours and salt.

Pour the liquid mixture in with the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dry is saturated. Bump the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 min or until it appears elastic and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough in a well sprayed bowl and place in the fridge overnight.

Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 30 min. Divide the dough into 8 or 10 portions. (87g for 8 pretzels; 70 for 10 pretzels)

Roll each portion of dough out into a long snake shape about 25 inches long. Be sure to press out any air bubbles.

Shaping:

Dust a work surface lightly with bench flour. Press the gas out of a dough portion and begin to roll the top end of the dough tightly toward you. The dough should now look like a thick log. Begin to roll using the palms of your hands from the middle of the dough outward, creating a longer snake-like log. Continue to roll until the log reaches about 17-18 inches long, making sure the ends are slightly tapered. Take an end in each hand, lift the dough, and twist the top tapered ends inward to let the dough coil together. Place the bottom side down first, then lay down the top tapered coiled ends upward and over to meet the rest of the dough, with the two tapered ends pressing into the top portion of the dough with your thumbs to seal. See video here for a visual instruction.

Place the shaped pretzels onto a parchment lined baking pan that has been sprayed well with pan spray to prevent sticking. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap over the top of the pan just enough to cover the pretzels and keep them from drying out. You can also spray the plastic wrap before laying over the pretzels to prevent sticking. 

Allow the pretzels to proof for 1 hr or until they appear somewhat puffy.

Lye bath:

Best to use nitrate-free disposable gloves when using lye. Be extra careful to keep the lye bath at all times away from your eyes and skin as it can cause irritation. Some form of protective eye wear can be helpful. To dispose lye bath water: with hot water running over a sink, carefully and slowly pour down the drain. Continue to run the water for 1 min. after pouring down the drain.

To prepare a lye bath, it is best to use a large stainless-steel bowl so the lye does not react with the metal. Pour the 10 cups of water in the bowl first, followed by sprinkling in the lye. Whisk to dissolve the lye.

With gloves on to protect your skin from the lye, dip each pretzel into the lye bath for 10 secs, flipping to coat both sides. Remove the dipped pretzels and place back onto the parchment- lined and sprayed baking pans. You can also switch to silicone mats on the baking sheets at this point.

*Best to use both hands when picking the pretzels out of the lye bath…. think of your hands becoming a ladle with your fingers extended out…avoiding the use of your thumbs as they can over stretch or tear the dough.

Be sure to reshape the pretzels as soon as you place onto the pan if they slightly unraveled in the lye bath. Remove gloves and then wash hands.

Sprinkle moderately (or more if prefer) with flaky sea salt evenly across each pretzel. Get creative with toppings such as everything seasoning, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds.

Preheat an oven to 500°F. Bake the pretzels for 10 min. or until they turn a deep golden-brown color. Serve warm or allow to cool depending on your preference. Pairs well with various dips such as stone-ground mustard or, beer cheese dip, or roll in cinnamon and sugar for a sweet version! Prost!