Its fall and while decorative gourd season is in full swing, Oktoberfest is also happening. So an authentic German soft pretzel recipe seemed to be in order. I’ll have more pumpkin-related recipes soon, don’t worry. The secret ingredient to make these pretzels “authentic” is lye. Now that the secret’s out, let’s jump into the recipe.
Pretzel Recipe Notes
To make the pretzel dough, add the flour, yeast, and sugar to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the warm water into the bowl and add the melted butter and salt. I used salted butter because its what I had on hand. They turned out well so feel free to do the same. If you’re using a stand mixer, mix the dough with the dough hook attachment. Mix for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and firm. The dough will be somewhat tacky but not super sticky when handling it. Cover the dough with a tea towel in the bowl and let rest for 15 minutes. Place the bowl in a warm place to rest.
Next, divide the dough into ten equal portions and shape each into a ball. Using the palm and heel of your hand, press the dough into your work surface and make a circular motion. Hold your fingers like a claw to keep the dough in place. Once all portions have been shaped, cover them with a tea towel and rest for another 5 minutes.
Authentic German Soft Pretzel shaping
There are two variations on the classic pretzel shape. The Bavarian pretzel, which is uniform in shape, is what I made for this recipe. Swabian pretzels have a larger “belly” and smaller ends.
Take one of the balls of dough and without flouring your work surface, roll the dough out into a long strand roughly 2 feet long. The strand can be longer or shorter depending on how you want your pretzels to look. Take the strand and make a horse shoe shape. Grab the ends of the strand and loop them over each other twice. Next take the ends of the strand and bring them up to the top of the horse shoe to finish the pretzel shape. Repeat with the other nine portions of dough.
Place the formed pretzels on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet and place them in the freezer to cool for one hour. Placing the pretzels in the fridge is also fine if you don’t have space in your freezer.
Authentic German Pretzel Baking Notes
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and take the pretzels out of the fridge/freezer. Next, prepare the lye bath for your pretzels. In a well-ventilated space, put on gloves and goggles for safety precautions. Add warm water to a large mixing bowl. Gently add the lye to the warm water and stir to dissolve, taking care not to splash. I used my kitchen sink and turned the vent on for safety. You can also see the gloves I used in the corner of the shot below.
Place each pretzel in the lye bath for ten to 15 seconds, turning over halfway through. If the pretzels lose their shape a little bit during this step, don’t worry, you can reshape them when you place them back on the baking sheet. Place the pretzels back on the baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt, not iodized or kosher.
Bake the pretzels for 15-20 minutes or until a deep mahogany color. Remove the pretzels from the baking sheet and place them on a wire rack to cool. Pretzels are best fresh out of the oven or the day of.
Final Notes
If you don’t have lye available and don’t have time to order it, baking soda can also be used. It will not give the same color and texture as lye will but it’ll still be good. See below for a photo of pretzels made with lye and pretzels made with baking soda. I think you’ll be able to tell the difference. Both tasted delicious though.
Authentic German Pretzel Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional but recommended
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 grams AP flour (4 cups)
- 3/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 280 ml Warm water
- 20 grams Salted butter, room temperature (1-1/2 tbsp)
- Coarse sea salt for topping (not kosher salt)
Lye Bath
- 10 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup Food-grade lye
Instructions
Pretzel Dough
- Combine the flour and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix to combine.
- Add the warm water and butter and using the dough hook on your stand mixer, begin to mix on low speed. Increase speed slowly to get dough to incorporate. Dough will look shaggy but come together as it continues to be kneaded. Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is very smooth and firm. If making dough by hand, combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding flour as needed.
- Once kneading is done, cover the dough with a clean towel and rest for 15 minutes.
- Next, divide the dough into ten equal pieces, roll into a ball, cover the balls with a towel and rest for an additional 5 minutes.
- Take one of the balls of dough and without using any flour, roll dough out on the counter into a long strand roughly 24" in length. The strand should be uniform in diameter if you're looking to make Bavarian style pretzels.
- Lay the strand in an upside-down horseshoe shape. take each end of the strand, cross them over each other and press into the top of the horseshoe. Transfer the pretzel to a baking tray. Repeat with the other 9 pieces of dough.
- Let the pretzels rest uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes and then transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Pre-baking and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Wear safety glasses and rubber gloves for this next step. Turn on the vent in your kitchen and open the windows as well.
- In a large bowl, pour the warm water into the bowl and then gently add the lye to the water. Stir gently to dissolve the lye, taking care to avoid any splashes.
- Loosen each pretzel from the baking sheet and place in the lye bath for 10-15 seconds, turning the pretzels over halfway through.
- Place the pretzels back on the baking tray and reshape any that might have lost their shape during the lye bath.
- Sprinkle sea salt on the pretzels and place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pretzels are a deep mahogany brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Pretzels are best served warm day of.
