Bavarian Pretzels

Our son came home from Germany very enthusiastic about Bavarian Pretzels.  Together we came up with this recipe and did not disappoint his memory of what it tasted like.  We served it with a good quality sweet grainy mustard and German Sausage, like Thuringer.

• 1 Tablespoon quick rise yeast
• 3 cups of warm water
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons oil (or real butter)

Baking Soda Bath

• 3 cups water
• 3 tablespoons baking soda

(Be careful not to let the pretzels sit in the baking soda bath for more 10-20 seconds or so because the longer they are in the water the darker they are when they bake.)

1. Mix 4 cups of flour with the dry yeast, brown sugar and salt.
2. Add the warm water and oil.
3. Continue to add flour until you have a nice soft workable dough.
4. It is best to keep working the dough by kneading it rather than adding more flour.  Adding to much flour just makes the dough tougher rather than soft and elastic.  Be patient, it takes about 8-10 minutes or so.
5. Let the dough rest about 20-30 minutes.
6. If you do not have time to make the pretzels right away the dough can be kept in the fridge over night if need be.
7. Divide the dough into 18 balls and roll each ball into a strip about 18" long like this.

Boil the Pretzels in 3 cups water mixed with 3 tablespoons Baking Soda.

Make sure that the entire pretzel is immersed in the water for 10-20 seconds.

Remove from Water bath.  Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.  (Optional).  Try Parmesan cheese and garlic salt instead or create your own topping favorites.
 Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

This is an example the difference it makes when you boil the pretzels.  The one on the left is boiled, then baked, it has a chewier texture than the one on the right which is just baked.  There is a difference in both color and texture.  We prefer them much better boiled and then baked.  It is totally worth the extra step!

It tastes great with the following Honey Mustard Sauce:
Equal parts Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard to half a part honey.  It all depends on how much sauce you need, for example-

• 1/2 Cup Mayo
• 1/2  cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup of liquid honey
• You can add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for a bit of bite if you like, we like :)