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Bavarian Pretzel

  • Yield: 3 pretzels 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups warm milk
  • 5/8 cup warm water
  • 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

Bath

  • 4 cups water
  • 3 Tbsp baking soda
  • Coarse salt to sprinkle over pretzel dough after bath

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine milk, water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
  3. Add the flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Set the stand mixer to medium-low. Once the ingredients are combined, allow it to knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  4. Cover the bowl and allow it to rise at room temperature for 1 hour (until doubled).
  5. Punch down the dough, then divide it into 3 equally sized pieces.
  6. Roll each piece into a 22-inch long rope. The middle part should be bulged to 1.2″ diameter, and the ends thinned out to 0.3″ diameter.
  7. Bring the ends of each rope together to form a circle, twist the ends together twice, then fold them down onto the bulge in the bottom curve. Press the ends into the dough and shape it into a pretzel.
  8. Allow pretzel dough to rise uncovered for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  9. Preheat the oven to 390° F.
  10. Dry out the surface of the pretzel dough by placing them next to a fan or opened window.
  11. Boil 4 cups of water in a pot large enough to fit one pretzel, then add baking soda.
  12. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  13. Dip the pretzels one at a time into the simmering water with a slotted spoon for 5 seconds each, then place on the baking sheet.
  14. Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse salt
  15. Score each pretzel with a sharp knife about 1/4″ deep in the thick middle part.
  16. Place the baking sheet in the lower-middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes until browned.
  17. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
  18. Brush the pretzels with melted butter to make them shiny.

Notes

You can also shape the pretzels into rolls, which are easier to work with, and score each roll on top.

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Find it online: https://stkbr.com/bread/bavarian-pretzel/