Zingerman's Laugenbrezeln (Soft Pretzels)

Choosing recipes for My Berlin Kitchen wasn't always an easy process. Some things I was sure had to be in the book, like a sour cherry soufflé I once ate for lunch on a day trip to East Germany when I was nine or the stewed artichoke dish that my mother, not an enthusiastic cook, shall we say, learned from her equally bored-in-the-kitchen mother, but that is, nonetheless, a total delight. But I went back and forth on a lot of the other recipes for a long time, unsure whether it made sense to include them or not. In the end, the recipes that did make it into the manuscript are a motley jumble, sort of like me: Some Italian, some German, with a dose of American can-do spirit thrown in for good measure.

Sadly, not every recipe I loved made the cut, like Bienenstich, for example, or potato dumplings. As you can probably imagine, a book-in-process has a mind of its own and some of my favorite recipes, try as I might, just did not fit the way I wanted them to. Since My Berlin Kitchen is a narrative, a food memoir, I had to stick with the food that really inspired the stories.

One of the cast-offs were these pretzels: Yeasty, chewy, salty wonders that look far more complicated to make than they actually are. I loved finding that out. Here in Germany, good pretzels are everywhere (of course, the best ones are in the south of Germany - Berlin is not a pretzel region), but there is something so deeply satisfying about making these yourself. And fresh out of the oven, they are unbeatably delicious. (They do not, however, keep well. Eat them within a few hours of making them or don't bother at all - freezing doesn't help things either.) Besides, the recipe, which comes from Zingerman's Bakehouse, is so easy you will not believe it. You won't! But really, so easy.

The key is having instant yeast, one of my very favorite things in the kitchen (also known as bread-machine yeast and, importantly, not the same thing as active dry. With instant yeast, you just add it directly to the flour without proofing it in warm water first). Once you've got your instant yeast, you make a quick yeast dough that has a little sugar and a little butter in it and then, before it's even risen or anything, you divide and shape it - either into pretzel shapes or into little round balls for pretzel rolls (delicious when split, buttered and filled with smoked salmon, in case you're wondering). Only after the pretzels and rolls are shaped do you let the dough proof, at first on the counter and then in the fridge. I made this recipe several times and I found the pretzels tasted best after a refrigeration of just one hour.

The only other thing you have to do is hunt down some food-grade lye. Here in Germany, this means trekking to your closest Apotheke (pharmacy) and asking for Natriumhydroxid in pellet form. You'll get a little container with enough pellets (that you have to dissolve in water) for several batches of pretzels. But in the US, your best bet is to mail-order it on amazon.com. Do not, I repeat, do not bother with the baking soda bath replacement for lye. It isn't the same thing, not even close. Your pretzels will not have the same inimitable tang or color that the lye-dipped ones have and that make a pretzel intrinsically a pretzel.

Once your pretzels have spent the requisite time in the fridge and you've prepared your lye bath (carefully, with gloves on, and - for security's sake - with any small children at a safe distance), you just heat your oven, line a baking sheet with ungreased parchment paper, dip each pretzel into the lye bath, plop it on the sheet, sprinkle it with salt, and then stick the sheet in the oven until the house fills with the smell of real pretzels after about 15 minutes. It's amazing.

I love tearing into the pretzels when they're hot and pliable. If you've got a couple of mouths around, you'll find the pretzels disappear surprisingly quickly. The crumb is astoundingly white against the deep brown exterior and it has this wonderfully salty, complex flavor. In Bavaria, Laugenbrezeln are often served with a pungent mixture of softened Camembert, butter, raw onions, paprika and other spices called Obatzda - you tear off pieces of your pretzel and dip them into the cheese mixture - but all over the country you also often see Laugenbrezeln split horizontally and thickly buttered, then glued back together again. You know, just a light afternoon snack.

Either way, they are delicious and - in my very biased opinion - light years better than a New York City street cart pretzel festooned with mustard. Not even in the same league, actually. So go forth and buy yourself some lye and get cracking! These are the most fun things (yes, I did just use that as a adverb, forgive me) to come out of my kitchen in a long while.

Zingerman's Laugenbrezeln (Soft Pretzels)
Original recipe here
Makes 12 pretzels

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
2 tablespoons instant yeast
6 cups (about 30 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Food-grade lye, for dipping (amazon.com)
Coarse sea salt or pretzel salt, for sprinkling (do not substitute kosher salt)

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar, butter, yeast, 2 cups warm water and half the flour. Add kosher salt and remaining flour and stir just until mixture comes together in a shaggy mass.

2. Turn out onto counter and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and supple. Cut into 12 pieces and let rest 5 minutes.

3. Roll out each piece into a rope about 22 inches long. (For the traditional shape, the ends should be thin and the center fat.) Lift both ends, twist them around each other once, then bring ends back and press them on either side of fat “belly,” at about 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock. Then gently spread out “shoulders” of pretzel. Transfer shaped pretzels to an ungreased baking sheet. (Alternatively, form each piece into a round or oval to make Laugenbrötchen, or pretzel rolls.)

4. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight (not recommended).

5. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a deep bowl, wearing rubber or latex gloves, make a solution of 1/2 cup lye and 10 cups water (or 1 part lye to 20 parts water); pour lye carefully into water to avoid splashing. Dip each pretzel in solution, turning it over for 10 to 15 seconds, and place back on baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle pretzels with salt. Bake about 15 minutes or until deep brown. Remove to a rack and serve warm.

Comments

[Naomi]

I grew up with my mom's recipe for soft pretzels, which involved boiling them before baking them. I have to say, I generally prefer them to the ones offered at the German Christmas markets here in the UK, where the pretzels end up a bit dry. I'll have to cook this recipe and Mom's up at the same time and see which one the family prefers!

You're right, though. There is something intrinsically fun about making soft pretzels.

[Jennifer Jo]

Oh yes! Real German pretzels! Where was this recipe when I was combing the internet for the authentic deal? I figured it out, more or less, and the end result was fantastic.

http://bit.ly/eSGMQC

I agree with you, the baking soda dip is for the birds.

[Amy]

Oh no! I just made (and posted about on my blog, no less!) soft pretzels... without lye... without that beautiful deep chestnut color. :( I feel shame, Luisa! I thought mine tasted good, and who knows, maybe they did. But now I must try these to know what much, much better tastes like.

[Deanna]

I know you said it has to be instant yeast, but I have some very alive fresh yeast that I have to continue using because I bought a full pound of the stuff. Would it totally ruin the pretzels to use it instead? It proofs everything to magnificently quick.

[Stephanie]

Just looking at that sweet little pretzel bun with the split top made me long to visit Germany again and eat as many baked goods as I can possibly fit in . . . May I propose a toast to the land of the pretzel?

[deb]

When you say things like "served with a pungent mixture of softened Camembert, butter, raw onions, paprika and other spices" I am certain with every fiber of my being that I was meant to live in a place that would serve me these things. Alas. I'm so glad you conquered the food grade lye; you've made me less scared to give it a crack. The results are gorgeous.

[Kathleen]

Laugen-anything makes my heart happy, thanks for sharing! Any chance you'll post about Bienenstich at some point? For some reason that is something I miss from Hamburg. Or possibly I just like saying Bienenstich. :)

[Tori (@eatori)]

So divine. Can't wait to lay my hands on the book.

[Luisa]

Jennifer - your post is FANTASTIC. So much good info there on lye safety!! And the pretzels look great, too.

Amy - no shame, try try again! :)

Deanna - yes, fresh yeast is fine!! Won't ruin a thing.

Stephanie - Prost! :)

deb - yessss, you would like it here, I think. So much good stuff!

Kathleen - would love to!

Tori - yay!

[Caitlin]

Now I'm going to worry about all those must-have recipes that didn't make the cut! Maybe you'll keep sharing them here so we don't miss out? And, you know, to hold us over until your book comes out? You've also just rocked my world with the idea of eating pretzels with Camembert, onion, and spices. I believe that food-grade lye is on my grocery list now...

[Suzy]

That is one sexy looking pretzel.

[Giulia]

Ohhh - I miss Laugenbrezeln so much here in Canada. It used to be a lunch staple filled with cheese or like you said - just butter. I'll have to find a way to get Lye here in Canada and I'll give this a try.

[Emily]

Ooh these DO sound fun. Also reminds me of a lunchtime favorite in my highschool cafeteria, hot ham and cheese on a pretzel bun.

[anya]

On my way to a pharmacy now to get that lye, then straight to the kitchen!

P.S. Heartfelt congratulations to you on having written this book, Luisa! You are one inspirational gal. :)

[caelan]

oh! I'm so happy to see this Zingerman's recipe. I went to the University of Michigan and the city of Ann Arbor is a special place... its beating heart is most definitely Zingerman's – always bustling, always full of good food & good people. Thank you, Luisa, for the smile today, and always for your honest writing.

[Donalda Bint]

Um, I'm a little bit confused here (but then I generally am by American measurements: sorry!) 'Tablespoons' of butter - I have never measured butter by the tablespoon in my life. Will your book only be for the US market, so all in US measurements, or will there be metric in there too?

[Gayle]

How much do I love that the prized pretzel recipe from someone actually living IN Germany comes from a (fantastic!) bakery in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You are so awesome. And thanks for making lye less scary!

[Mallory]

I adore soft pretzels. I just made them using Alton Brown's recipe the other day but I am definitely book-marking this to try next time!

[Charlotte]

How is it you make buying food grade lye seem like such a thing I must immediately run out and do when such a thing has never even contemplated by me before? Magic writing and those pretzel rolls look so adorable and delicious.

[Sasha Gora]

Homemade! Pretzels! Those two words sound magical together. Even though I live in Munich I can't resist the idea of homemade pretzels.

[margot]

luisa! i thought surely my eyes were playing tricks on me when i saw zingerman's in your post title. i work at the deli and finish many a work day with one of our pretzels and some tears-well-up-in-your-eyes hot mustard! looks like i may be able to reproduce them at home and save myself a little dough (har har har)!

belated cheers for news of the little one on the way, as well as the completed manuscript!

[Leslie]

Doralda - I found this great online butter calculator:
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html

Looks like a tablespoon is about 14 grams. In the US, butter wrappers actually have the tablespoons marked on them! So one doesn't have to fill spoons with butter.

Luisa - we have decided to go to the Apotheke first thing Monday morning to ask for lye! And I made your curry last night, using a mix of chicken and cauliflower - fantastic. Thank you yet again for keeping us well fed.

[Jennifer]

Lye water is available here, Los Angeles area, at Asian markets...does that work? I can't believe you have made me want to make pretzels!! Never crossed my mind before, thank you and congratulations on your book.

[Giulia Pines Kersthold]

I have to admit I am still a bit frightened by this recipe. Nonetheless, it caused me to stop by my local Backwerk on the way home from my office and by a Laugenzopf JUST to see if it would kill me...

But seriously now, I may be horribly incompetent when it comes to anything involving chemistry, but can anyone explain why the Lye will essentially turn you into a "Phantom of the Opera" lookalike at the beginning, but then after you bake the pretzels they are safe to eat? I am stumped!

[Luisa]

Caitlin - I'll definitely share the good ones, don't worry!

Anya - yippee! And thank you. :)

Caelan - I've never been, but hope to go one day!

Donalda - the book is written for the American market, so the quantities will all be in US measurements, however any foreign editions will be in metric and you can always, always email me to ask for help figuring out a recipe. In this case, 2 tablespoons of butter are about 30 grams of butter.

Margot - how fantastic!! What a small world. :)

Leslie - so glad you liked the curry! Have fun with the lye.

Jennifer - I think it would be just right.

Giulia - the caustic properties of the lye are burned off in the heat of the oven...

[Pia]

Please include the Bienenstich recipe! If Americans could taste this, they would be converts to German cakes! Too yummy not to include.

Also, in Neurnberg, the best pretzels are sliced, buttered and served with Butterkaese. Fantastic!

[Annika]

Those are perfect looking pretzels!
Let's see if I can find lye anywhere and then nothing will be between me and real pretzels.
Thank you!

[Nina]

My husband has been wanting me to make some pretzels for a while now! He loves them. And I constantly tell him how he hasn't had a real pretzel until he gets one in Germany. Thank you for the recipe!

[Monica]

Another confused person here. This sounds delicious, but the lye business is daunting. What does the lye actually *do* for the pretzels? Color? Flavor? Crispiness?

And am I looking for food-grade lye or what your second commenter, Jennifer Jo, calls poison? Perhaps it's not poison after being diluted and then baked?

Thanks for any further tips.

[Luisa]

Monica - Pretzels would not be pretzels without lye. It's essential to their color and flavor (and it adds a nice "skin", for lack of a better word, to the final product). I'm not a chemist, so I can't tell you exactly what the lye is "doing", as you say, chemically with the dough. Jennifer was being slightly sarcastic when she called lye poison. Lye is indeed a dangerous chemical and in the case of baking pretzels, you're looking to make a 3% solution with the lye, which you then dip the raw pretzels into before baking them (if you wear plastic gloves while doing so, you will be fine). The heat of the oven burns off the dangerous properties of the lye. You can buy lye at a number of different places, but as I linked to in the actual post, I would just get it from Amazon.com. Incidentally, as another post on a different blog states it, "food-grade" lye is actually a misnomer, since all lye that one can buy for personal use is sold without adulterants. Hope this helps.

[Jessica @ Hungrygems]

Perhaps only a giant, salty and golden brown homemade pretzel could make me want to face my fear of yeast baking....let me continue to drool at the pictures a little longer to make my decision...

[mary]

Hey Luisa, I'm a bit late to read about you handing your script in - but sending you a hefty congrats! How truly wonderful the last couple of years have been and this year will be. Two creations in one years ain't bad. I do hope you'll come to London!

[Tim from the Crimson Kitchen]

I love this and will have to try it soon as my wife just loves soft pretzels!

[Maria på inredningsvis.se]

Great pics:) I like your blog..so much good inspiration. I wish you a lovely week.
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
(Sweden)

[ILuV_Coffecakes]

These are the most loveliest pretzel I've seen, they are so beautiful and looks yummy.. perfect breakfast paired with the best cup of coffee! Makes my day complete.

[lauren @ the talking kitchen]

as a native from Ann Arbor, I can't wait to try this Zingerman's recipe. Thank you for sharing!