Real Soft Pretzels at Home

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By Brian Lagerstrom

Your best bet for tasting fresh Bavarian style soft pretzels right out of the oven is to make soft pretzels at home. These traditional Bavarian-style pretzels produce a deep brown crust, crunchy arms, and distinct pretzel flavor we're looking for.

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 1 25

Servings: pretzels

Ingredients

POOLISH

100 g room temp water, 78℉/ 25℃
Small pinch of yeast
100 g AP flour

DOUGH

150 g warm water, 86°F / 30℃
all of the ripe poolish
3 g instant yeast
250 g AP flour
10 g kosher salt
20 g diastatic malt powder, https://amzn.to/3cAvasJ
50 g softened butter, cut into pieces

LYE BATH

1000 g tap water
30 g food grade lye, https://amzn.to/3np3hrg

BAKING SODA ALTERNATIVE TO LYE BATH (produces similar result, but pretzels are lighter brown and taste less...pretzeley):

2 L water, wisk in 1 cup baking soda
boil pretzels one at a time for 25 seconds each

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

VERY IMPORTANT: Wear gloves and use extreme caution when working with lye. Always refer to the lye packaging for safety instructions. Do not get this stuff on your skin or in your eyes. Brian Lagerstrom / Weeds and Sardines LLC is not responsible for any chemical burns sustained. This is a very diluted solution, but if you're nervous, I recommend using the baking soda method below instead of the lye bath.

POOLISH

Into a high sided container measure water, yeast and flour. Stir to combine, cover container with a lid and ferment at room temperature for 6-24 hours (preferably 24 hours).

DOUGH

For accuracy, I highly recommend using measurements in grams as listed rather than volumetric (cups/tsp.)

Into bowl of a stand mixer add water, all of the ripe poolish, and yeast. Stir to combine.
Add flour, salt, and malt powder.
Using the dough hook attachment, start mixing on low for 3 minutes.
After about 3 minutes or when dough is coming together, add in softened butter one piece at a time.
When butter is incorporated, turn the mixer speed up to med high for about 3 more minutes.
After that 3 minutes on medium-high check the dough. If there are still flecks of butter continue mixing on high for another minute or so.
Check the dough using the window pane test. You know it's done when you stretch the dough and can see light through it.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes give dough a strength building fold (see video for technique).
Cover bowl again and let rise for 2 hours.
After that 2 hours, flour the dough and work surface and portion dough into four 150g pieces.
Preshape each piece into cigar shapes and let rest, covered for 15 minutes.
After that 15 minute rest, roll each piece of dough into tapered tubes that are about 24' long, keeping the middle much fuller than the tapered ends.
Finish shaping pretzels as shown in video and place on a half sheet tray lined with parchment.
Cover and allow to proof at room temp for 1 hour. After that hour, pretzels should have grown by about 40%.
Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.

BAKING

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425℉ / 220℃.
Place each pretzel into lye bath for 15-20 seconds, moving them around to be sure they're submerged the whole time.
Place each lye bathed pretzel on a parchment lined sheet tray, sprinkle with pretzel salt or maldon/flakey salt.
Bake at 425℉/220℃ until deeply golden and pretzel-colored, or about 18-20 minutes.