Soft German Pretzels (Brezel)
Chewy, golden pretzels with a dark mahogany crust and tender interior. Boiled in a baking soda bath, then twisted and baked until perfectly crispy outside and soft within.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 218
- Protein
- 7g
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.25 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 6 cups water for boiling
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Pour 1.25 cups warm water (around 110°F — it should feel warm but not hot to your wrist) into a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons instant yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar into the warm water; stir with a wooden spoon until fully dissolved, about 30 seconds.
- 3
Add 3 cups all-purpose flour to the bowl; stir with the wooden spoon until a rough, shaggy dough forms with no dry flour visible.
- 4
Sprinkle a light dusting of flour on a clean countertop, then turn the dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface.
- 5
Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, rotating it a quarter turn, and repeating for 8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic and springs back when poked.
- 6
Shape the dough into a ball by pulling the edges toward the center and pinching them together underneath; place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- 7
After the rest, turn the dough out onto the countertop (do not flour it — the dough should be slightly sticky to work with) and divide it into 8 equal pieces by cutting straight down through the center, then cutting each half in half, then each quarter in half.
- 8
Roll one piece of dough under your palms, pressing away from your body with both hands, stretching it into a rope about 18 inches long and roughly the thickness of a pencil; place it on a clean area of the countertop and repeat with the remaining 7 pieces.
- 9
Pick up one dough rope and form a circle by bringing the two ends together; twist the two ends around each other once, then fold the twisted ends down and press them onto the opposite side of the circle to form a classic pretzel shape.
- 10
Repeat the twisting and folding motion with the remaining 7 ropes, arranging each finished pretzel on a sheet of parchment paper as you go.
- 11
Fill a large pot with 6 cups water, bring it to a rolling boil over high heat (you will see large, vigorous bubbles breaking the surface constantly), then remove the pot from the heat.
- 12
Stir 0.25 cup baking soda into the hot water slowly and carefully — it will fizz and bubble vigorously — until no powder remains and the water turns slightly opaque and tan-colored.
- 13
Set the oven to 425°F and wait for the indicator light or beep to signal it has finished preheating, about 10 minutes; while waiting, return the baking soda water to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- 14
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower one pretzel into the simmering baking soda water; it should sink briefly then float to the surface within 30 seconds — boil it for exactly 30 more seconds, then lift it out with the slotted spoon and place it on a clean kitchen towel.
- 15
Repeat step 14 with all remaining pretzels, working in batches if needed; as each pretzel comes out of the water, place it on the towel to cool for 1 minute.
- 16
Transfer the boiled pretzels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 inches apart so they do not touch.
- 17
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt evenly over the tops of all 8 pretzels, pressing very gently so the salt adheres to the wet surface.
- 18
Slide the baking sheet into the preheated 425°F oven on the center rack and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pretzels turn the color of deep honey or light mahogany and feel firm to the touch.
- 19
Remove the baking sheet from the oven using an oven mitt, place it on a heat-safe surface, and let the pretzels cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- large mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- kitchen towel
- sharp knife
- clean countertop
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large pot
- slotted spoon
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- oven mitt
- oven thermometer (optional)
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