Description
Laugenbrezeln, or German lye pretzels, are soft, chewy pretzels with a distinctive dark brown crust and a unique flavor, achieved through a lye bath before baking.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500g all-purpose flour
- 300ml warm water
- 10g salt
- 7g active dry yeast
- 50g baking soda
- 1 liter water (for lye bath)
- Coarse sea salt (for topping)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
- Add flour and salt to the yeast mixture and knead until smooth.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
- Divide the dough into equal pieces and shape them into pretzels.
- Prepare the lye bath by dissolving baking soda in boiling water.
- Dip each pretzel into the lye bath for about 30 seconds, then place on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of each pretzel.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Be careful when handling lye, as it is caustic.
- For a softer pretzel, reduce the baking time slightly.
- Serve warm with mustard or cheese dip.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pretzel
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg