Bretzeln (German pretzels)

 
As part of my homage to Germany this week, I thought I'd post another favorite of mine: soft, buttery, puffy, German pretzels. My husband and I made them for a Superbowl party a few years ago and they were a big hit, especially with the salsa and cheese dips. We made them again this fall and the recipe was as great as I had remembered. We made half of them in the traditional way, dusted with coarse kosher salt; the other half we sprinkled with grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese. The cheese crusted up beautifully in the oven and was our favorite of the two.

We took this picture at a small bakery cafe in Tübingen, overlooking the Neckar river running though the old part of the city. Tübingen is a picturesque university town in the southwestern part of Germany, in Baden-Württemburg. The old part of the city, the "alte Stadt" is a winding maze of cobblestone streets, dotted with bakeries and taverns, nestled under the watch of a large castle on a hill. It's absolutely beautiful here!

RECIPE:
Bretzeln (German pretzels)
makes12 pretzels

INGREDIENTS:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups water (110 degrees F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda (yes, CUP!)
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
2 ounces Gruyere and/or Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy/foamy, about 5-10 minutes. If yeast does not foam, start over again with new yeast.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. When pretzels are formed (see next step), heat the water to boiling.

When dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. I had good luck rolling my pretzels the traditional way, which is to keep the two ends of the dough pretty skinny, and the middle of the dough-roll thicker. Shape into a pretzel shape and then slash the thick part of the pretzel lightly with a knife, to allow the dough to open up slightly while baking.

Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution (keep at a low-boil). Leave pretzel in the solution for 5-10 seconds, until it floats to the surface, then transfer to a greased baking sheet. If the pretzel falls out of its knot during the water-dipping process, just re-form shape on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and/or cheese.

Bake for 8 minutes, until browned. Best eaten fresh out of the oven!