Best Easy Bavarian Pretzel Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient which makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel? ›

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor.

Unlike their American counterpart, Bavarian pretzels pack a denser, chewier inside and a darker, crispier outside. And there's a certain "tang" to the Bavarian-style pretzel that sets it apart from other soft pretzels. But best of all, it doesn't need to be dipped in cheese or drenched in butter to taste delicious!

Instead, they mix hot (but not boiling) water with baking soda until the baking soda dissolves, then dunk the pretzels in that solution prior to baking. According to The Daily Meal, the baking soda solution slapped onto each pretzel is what gives them that signature Auntie Anne's crust.

Dipping the dough in a lye solution gives traditional German pretzels their characteristic salinity; chew; and smooth mahogany exterior, but the strong alkali (sodium hydroxide) is corrosive and can burn your skin, so it must be handled with caution.

If your pretzels have any sort of a metallic, bitter taste, it all comes down to the baking soda bath.

We use only five natural ingredients when making our famous Bavarian pretzels: wheat flour, water, oil (usually soybean oil), salt and yeast.

Ways to Enjoy Your Homemade German Pretzels

While salt's usually the go-to topping, a typical pretzel will see a side of cheese sauce or mustard to dip. Other toppings for pretzels have expanded to include cinnamon, powdered white/brown sugar, glazes (typically sweet ones), seeds, and nuts.

In the world of German food, nothing is as iconic as the German pretzel. Discover how good a German bakery can make a pretzel and the surprising location of Germany's best pretzel.

As noted above, baking soda is a staple ingredient for making homemade pretzels. Dunking your pretzels in a baking soda bath prior to baking is what enables them to develop their distinctive color and crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside texture.

Well, the cheery ladies were very clear with me: they do NOT use lye. No sodium hydroxide/poison/caustic soda—none whatsoever—in their pretzels. (They do, however, dip their pretzels in a baking soda solution.)

What is the purpose of putting an egg wash on the pretzel? ›

Egg Wash – The egg wash on the pretzels gives them a little shine, and I find it softens the exterior a bit. For a more traditional taste, omit the egg wash and just use salt when the pretzels come out of the water bath.

Given Oktoberfest was in full swing at the time, the conversation naturally shifted to German foods and beer. To my surprise, I learned that Germans don't typically eat their pretzels with mustard like Americans. Instead, they largely reserve the condiment to meats, and in particular sausages.

Though they originated in southern Germany (as well as across its borders in Austria, Alsace and German-speaking Switzerland), pretzel production crept north of what Heinzelmann calls the Pretzel Belt, roughly halfway up the country, again thanks to industrialization.

1 Serving of bavarian pretzels (Dave & Buster's) contains 460 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 65% carbs, 20% fat, and 14% protein. This is a good source of protein (29% of your Daily Value) and fiber (14% of your Daily Value).

Lye. The dough is simple; take a basic yeast-risen dough that can be readied in an afternoon. But the trick to great pretzels is dipping the pretzels in a liquid wash before baking — and not just any wash, but a combination of water and lye. That's what gives pretzels their terrific color, texture and flavor.

Lye-dipped pretzels, or in this case, pretzel buns, have a distinctive flavour that is both savoury and slightly bitter. The lye, a strong alkaline solution, is used to give the pretzels their characteristic dark brown colour and chewy exterior.

Malt Syrup (the kind used for beer) and dipping them in a hot alkaline solution (baking soda or food grade lye and hot water) after baking for about 20–30 seconds gives a pretzel its characteristic flavor and distinctive brown coloring. The alkaline solution is a big contributor to the pretzel flavor.

Soft pretzels are just a yeast bread is that formed into a pretzel shape. The one big difference in pretzel making, as opposed to a regular bread, is that pretzels are boiled and then baked. It is the boiling that gives the outside of the pretzel its beautiful golden brown color and uniquely crisp and chewy texture.