In this article we want to tell you about the famous German pretzel. The recipe for this classic dish is quite easy, and the composition includes only simple products. However, there are many of its varieties that differ in composition and cooking technology. How to make sweet and salty pretzels at home? You will find the classic recipe in the material.
A bit of history
There is still debate among scientists about when and where the first German Kalach appeared. Someone connects his origin with a guilty baker who received a pardon for having prepared the king’s bread through which he can look at the sun three times. Someone claims that the blame for everything was a fluke, and some even blame the cat who brushed the kalach into a tub with alkali for washing dishes. One way or another, but the modern pretzel has become the hallmark of German confectioners and has gained wide fame throughout the world.
German pretzels. Recipe and types
Salted pretzels - a classic of German cuisine. How to cook at home German pretzel? The recipe is simple:
- Dilute a teaspoon of dry yeast in 125 ml of warm water with a little sugar.
- Sift 250 grams of flour and add half a teaspoon of salt to it.
- Put 50 grams of butter to the flour and grind the food with your hands in crumbs.
- Add the diluted yeast to it and knead the soft dough.
- Put the finished product in a warm place and leave it alone for an hour and a half.
- When the dough increases in volume, divide it into ten identical balls and roll into bundles with a thick center and thin ends.
- To give the pretzels the right look, connect the tips in the middle, rotate them 180 degrees and press them to the thickest part.
- In one liter of water, add a spoonful of baking soda and bring the solution to a boil. Dip the blanks in the liquid for 30 seconds, and then carefully place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and greased with butter.
- When the pretzels are dried, sprinkle them with salt (can be caraway or sesame seeds) and place in a preheated oven.
After 20 minutes, the original snack will be ready. We told you how to make a simple pretzel. The recipe and method of preparation, as you can see, will not cause difficulties even for beginners. However, there are many varieties of this dish, and we list only a few of them:
- Nussbrezel - This pretzel is made from puff pastry and sprinkled with nuts.
- Palmbrezel is a pretzel from Swabia, which is based on sweet yeast dough.
- Martinsbrezel - these pretzels are baked on holidays and decorated with multi-colored ground sugar.
- Olgabrezeln is a pretzel, famous for the Queen of Württemberg, in whose honor he is baked.
- Puddingbrezel - a treat made by pastry chefs living along the Rhine. Both pretzel halves are filled with vanilla pudding.
In each area, pretzels are slightly different in composition, cooking methods and even appearance. Read further recipes from which you will learn how to prepare a delicious German treat.
Holiday treat
The Germans love delicious pretzels so much that they even made it a symbol of the popular festivity, which lasts for five days. The Speyer Pretzel Carnival is held in the second half of July on the Upper Rhine. There is also a holiday dedicated to the pretzel, which organizes the city of Bottrop every three years.
Pretzel Abroad
Popular German food is also prepared in other European countries. The pretzel also took root in the United States, but there it became more sweet and soft. Now it is produced in almost all large cities of the country and is offered to customers with the addition of soft cheese. In Vyborg, Russia, residents are also very fond of pretzels, but they are presented to customers under the name Viipurinkeli.
Salted pretzel
Every German resident knows the recipe for a German pretzel, as this appetizer is especially popular in the south of the country. Here it is served in beer restaurants, cozy cafes and, of course, they cook on their own. In bakery and confectionery dainties give different forms. It can be figures in the form of little men, animals or household items. However, a classic pretzel still looks like a pretzel, which consists of two parts:
- The first is Ärmchen, (arms) or the thin ends of a bread strand.
- The second is Bauh, (belly) or the middle of a pretzel.
How to cook a real German pretzel? Read the step-by-step culinary recipe below:
- Dilute one teaspoon of yeast in 125 ml of warm water.
- Sift 250 grams of flour into a separate cup, add baking powder and half a teaspoon of salt to it.
- Add one teaspoon of oil to the dry mixture and grind everything into crumbs.
- Combine the prepared foods and knead the thick dough. After that, cover it with cling film and place in a warm place for a couple of hours.
- When the dough rises, wash it with your hands, put it on the working surface of the table and divide it into ten identical pieces.
- Roll the workpieces into bundles with a thick middle and thin ends. To give them the desired shape, grab the ends with your hands, lift the sausage and swing it over the table.
- Give the pretzel a classic shape that is poetically called the “crossed arms of the monk” or “the head on the crossed arms of the poor baker’s wife”. Do not worry, if not everything turns out as it should: all the same, the treat will turn out delicious.
- Pour one liter of water into the saucepan, add two teaspoons of baking soda to it and put on fire. When the solution has warmed up enough, dip the pretzels into it with a slotted spoon for one minute.
- Put wet pretzels on a baking sheet, greased with butter, sprinkle them with coarse salt and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve the finished dish to the table as a snack.
Bavarian Pretzel Recipe
From ancient times, Bavarian bakers gave their students a simple task - to salt the pretzels. Since then, this occupation has become a household name, and use the expression when a person is engaged in something insignificant and unimportant. Question: “What do you think, am I pretzling salt here?” It is usually asked to those who want to emphasize that they should not be commanded. But how can you cook the famous Bavarian pretzel? The recipe is simple:
- Mix two teaspoons of salt with 650 grams of sifted flour.
- Dilute 450 ml of warm milk with seven grams of dried yeast and one teaspoon of sugar.
- Combine the products, and then knead the elastic dough from them. If necessary, add more flour to it.
- Once the dough rises, divide it into 12 identical pieces.
- Roll a bundle of each piece and make a classic Bavarian pretzel.
- Put five teaspoons of soda in one liter of water, heat the mixture on fire, and when it boils, dip the pretzels into it and hold each for half a minute.
- Put the pretzels on a baking sheet, sprinkle with grated cheese and salt, and then bake in a preheated oven.
When your pretzels get a beautiful brown tint, remove them from the oven, put them on a dish and serve.
Swabian pretzel
In some areas of Germany, famous pretzels are made from gingerbread and decorated with colored sugar. The pretzel recipe at home is quite simple:
- Sift through a sieve 350 grams of white flour, add salt to taste, a bag (10 grams) of dry yeast and a little vanillin.
- Mash 100 grams of sugar and one chicken egg separately. Add to them 125 ml of warm milk and 250 grams of melted butter.
- Combine the prepared foods together and knead a thick dough from them. If you wish, you can use a bread machine or mixer with nozzles for the dough.
- Place the finished product in the refrigerator for a while.
- Defrost 400 grams of ready-made puff pastry at room temperature.
- Divide the cooled yeast dough into two parts and roll each into a fairly thin layer.
- Lay four blanks of puff and yeast dough on top of each other, press them against each other, cover with foil and place in the refrigerator.
- After an hour, remove the workpiece, cut it into strips, roll a bundle from each and give them a pretzel shape.
- Put the pretzels on a baking sheet covered with parchment, let them stand for a quarter of an hour, and then grease with an egg, sprinkle with pearl sugar and chopped nuts.
Bake the treat until a rosy color appears in a preheated oven.
Pretzel Curd
Pretzel, the recipe of which we will post below, will appeal to fans of cottage cheese baking:
- Melt 150 grams of margarine, and then mix it with 250 grams of cottage cheese.
- Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil, one chicken egg, three tablespoons of sugar and a little vanilla to the mixture.
- Knead the dough, divide it into several parts and form from each pretzel.
Bake the treat until cooked in a well-heated oven.
"Sparrows"
We have already mentioned that the famous German pastries can be given many forms. This time we suggest you make it look like little birds. How to cook Bavarian pretzel (pretzel)? You can read the recipe below:
- Put 600 grams of flour, two teaspoons of salt, seven grams of yeast and a little sugar in a large bowl.
- Gradually start pouring warm milk into the products, remembering to knead the dough.
- Cover the finished product with a towel and place in a warm place for one hour.
- When the dough rises, divide it into 12 parts, roll each into a bundle, and then tie each into a knot.
- Boil one liter of water, then put three tablespoons of soda in a pan. Dip the birds in the liquid for half a minute, and then put them on a baking sheet.
Make cuts with a knife on the “tails”, sprinkle the buns with poppy seeds or grated cheese, and then bake them until cooked.
Puff pastry
How to cook puff German pretzel? The recipe is in front of you:
- Finely chop 100 grams of marzipan with a knife.
- Grate lemon zest on a fine grater.
- Grind 100 grams of hazelnuts and fry them in a dry frying pan. Do not forget to stir, otherwise the product will burn and pretzels will be bitter.
- Place the prepared foods in a blender, add one chicken egg, five tablespoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, four tablespoons of rum and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Beat products until smooth.
- Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator, then roll it and cut it into two squares 25 by 25 cm. After that, grease them with water using a silicone brush and apply a nutty layer evenly. Place the blanks in the refrigerator for a quarter of an hour.
- When the specified time passes, cut the layers of dough into strips, roll each into a tourniquet and give them the shape of German pretzels.
Put the pretzels on a baking sheet, grease them with yolk and bake until cooked in a preheated oven.
Beer Pretzels
Here is another common and very popular Swabian recipe. Pretzel with salt is prepared as follows:
- Heat 220 grams of light beer on the stove, and then pour two teaspoons of sugar into it.
- Combine 320 grams of white flour with 25 grams of dry yeast.
- From prepared foods, 30 grams of butter and two teaspoons of salt, knead the dough.
- Place the product in a warm place and leave it alone for 45 minutes.
- When the dough rises, divide it into eight parts and form a classic German pretzel.
- Dip the blanks in boiling water with the diluted salt in it, and then transfer to a greased silicone mat.
Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt and bake until tender.
Conclusion
We will be glad if you like the famous German pretzel. You can take the recipe for refreshments from our article and surprise your home with an original snack. Garnish your pastries with salt, nuts, marzipan or cheese, and then serve them for breakfast or evening tea.