Crispy outside with a soft, bagel-like chewiness, delightful little bursts of saltiness, baked to beautiful brown perfection and gigantic…that is how I would describe these iconic traditional German Pretzels or Laugenbrezels.
A long, long, long time ago I was an Au Pair in West Berlin and fell in love with all things German! Their breads being the best, in my German heritage humble opinion! These pretzels are easier to make than you might think and great for Oktoberfest or any fall celebration.
For other easy bread recipes, grab our favorites like Homemade Naan, Russian Black Bread or Easy Yeast Rolls.
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The people, the history, architecture, the landscape, but the food, oh the food! Strudels, schnitzels, Rote Grütze and the bread, oh the bread spoke to my heart. I am pretty easy to please!
I found this recipe years ago from Saveur, and I am pretty sure it’s from the same Hofbrauhaus beer hall in Munich where I first had these amazing pretzels! Soft, warm, GIANT pretzels eaten simply with soft butter.
Authentic German Pretzels aka Laugenbrezel
They are so easy to make too, with just a few simple ingredients and a little elbow grease, you’ll have GIANT, warm and soft, chewy pretzels in no time! It actually took me longer to write this post than it did to make the pretzels.
What is a Laugenbrezel?
Glad you asked! I had to look it up too, it has been a few years and mein Deutsch ist nicht gut! Loosely translated, my German sucks now! HA!!
Laugen means lye and brezel means, you guessed it, pretzel! I found German quite easy to learn since so many of our words are rooted in Latin.
Do I Need Lye to Make Pretzels?
So what is a Lye Pretzel!? Traditional German pretzels have used lye to achieve the classic crispy, browned crust and flavor. However; a great home baking alternative is using a baking soda wash! Not quite as alkali as lye, but I am not sure about you, I have not seen lye in the grocery aisles!
Ingredients
- Organic Barley Malt Syrup (or sub with molasses)
- 1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp. unsalted (or salted) butter, softened, plus more for serving
- 4 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. baking soda
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling or pretzel salt
How to Make Traditional German Pretzels
Heat a baking stone in an oven to 450-500°. No baking stone? Place a sheet pan in the oven instead, make sure it’s a high quality pan, if it warps at high temps, then it’s best to used for low temp cooking. Investing in a baking stone is worth it; besides pizza, you can make crostadas, pastries, rolls, homemade calzones and so much more!
Remember ovens vary significantly in temperatures, it’s okay to check early to make sure they aren’t baking too fast. I highly suggest purchasing an oven thermometer and if necessary increase or decrease oven temp until you get desired results.
In a large batter bowl, stir together syrup, yeast, and 1½ cups warm water, and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add butter, flour, and sea salt to the yeast mixture, stirring until dough forms. Can be made by hand with a spoon or as I did in my KitchenAid mixer. If using a mixer; incorporate ingredients on low until smooth and sticky, then attach your “J” hook and “knead” for about 6 minutes on low.
If not using a mixer, once mixture is combined, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Barley Malt Substitution
I have had numerous people say they cannot find barley malt syrup, while I haven’t tried this, a couple of readers said it worked great, try substituting with 2 ½ -3 teaspoons of molasses instead.
How To Shape Pretzels
Cut the dough in half and working with one piece at a time, roll dough into a 4′ rope, about 1″ thick. Transfer rope to the bottom edge of a large sheet of parchment paper, and keeping the center of the pretzel rope on the paper, pick up both ends, cross one end over the other, about 2″ from the ends, and twist; attach each end to the sides of the pretzel.
Repeat with remaining dough, cover with damp paper towels or tea towel and set aside to rest and rise for 20 minutes.
How Do Pretzels Get Their Dark Brown Color?
Did you know it is the process of brushing (or dipping) pretzels in baking soda water that gives pretzels their traditional brown and tan look? Do not skip this step! Plus it adds to the chewy, bagel like texture.
For the rest of the recipe, simply pop on down to the bottom of the post for the handy printable! You will not be disappointed! I can almost guarantee it!
Can I Make My Pretzels Smaller?
Yes, I recently made about 8-10 smaller but still decent sized soft pretzels using this same recipe, then slathered them with melted butter and pretzel salt.
Simply divide the dough into 8 or 10 equal portions, roll your dough ropes about 12-15 inches long, shape into pretzels, brush with baking soda water, sprinkle with pretzel salt; allow to rise 15-20 minutes; bake on stone or pan the same temp and amount of time as large pretzels.
If desired, just before serving brush with melted butter. If you brush with butter too soon, it will melt the pretzel salt and make the pretzels look all wrinkly, don’t ask me how I know! Haha!
Check out my collection of 15 Oktoberfest Traditional Recipes for ideas to go along with your pretzels, even better make a batch of these pretzels to accompany this heart-warming, comforting Beer Cheese Soup!
PIN this recipe to your favorite Oktoberfest or Bread Board!
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Traditional German Pretzels (Laugenbrezel)
Soft, with a bagel like chewy, delightful little bursts of salt, baked to a beautiful brown perfection and gigantic…that is how I would describe iconic German Pretzels.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Organic Barley Malt Syrup*
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp. unsalted (or salted) butter, softened, plus more for serving
- 4 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling or pretzel salt
Pretzel Wash
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 cup water (boiling)
Instructions
- Heat a baking stone on middle rack of oven 450-500°. No baking stone? Place a sheet pan in the oven instead, make sure it's a high quality pan, if it warps in high temps, best to use for low temp cooking.
- In a large batter bowl, stir together barley syrup*, yeast, and 1½ cups warm water, and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add butter, flour, and sea salt to the yeast mixture, stirring until dough forms. Can be made by hand with a spoon or as I did in my KitchenAid mixer. If using a mixer; incorporate ingredients on low until smooth and sticky, then attach your "J" hook and "knead" for about 6 minutes on low.
- If not using a mixer, once mixture is combined, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
- Cut the dough in half and working with one piece at a time, roll dough into a 4' rope, about 1" thick. Transfer rope to the bottom edge of a large sheet of parchment paper, and keeping the center of the pretzel rope on the paper, pick up both ends, cross one end over the other, about 2" from the ends, and twist; attach each end to the sides of the pretzel. Repeat with remaining dough, cover with damp paper towels or tea towel and set aside to rest and rise for 20 minutes.
- Bring baking soda and 1 cup water to a simmer in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until baking soda dissolves.
- Brush each pretzel generously with the baking soda solution, sprinkle with coarse salt, and using a sharp paring knife, make a 6" slash, about ¼" deep across the bottom edge of the pretzel. If you want the traditional brown and tan look, make sure you slash AFTER you have brushed with the baking soda solution, the baking soda solution is what "browns" the pretzel.
- Working one at a time, slide pretzel on parchment paper onto the stone; bake at 450-500° until dark brown, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining pretzel. Let cool for about 10 minutes; serve warm with butter.
Notes
Delicious with melted butter, warm butter, try sprinkling on cinnamon sugar instead of salt. Dip in mustard, honey mustard or cheese sauce.
No barley syrup? Try substituting 2 1/2- 3 teaspoons of molasses in place of the barley syrup.
Make Smaller Pretzels!
Simply divide the dough into 8 or 10 equal portions, roll your dough ropes about 12-15 inches long, shape into pretzels, brush with baking soda water, sprinkle with pretzel salt; allow to rise 15-20 minutes; bake on stone or pan the same temp and amount of time as large pretzels.
If desired, just before serving brush with melted butter. If you brush with butter too soon, it will melt the pretzel salt and make the pretzels look all wrinkly, don't ask me how I know! Haha!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Lesaffre Red Star Organic Instant Yeast - 5 Packets -
Boise Salt Co. Pretzel Salt – 4 Ounce Resealable Standup Pouch (4 oz)
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Eden Foods, Malt Barley Organic, 20 Ounce
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Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Grilling Stone, Baking Stone, Pizza Pan, Perfect for Oven, BBQ and Grill,
-
Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl With Lid (81106L11)
-
Parchment Paper Baking Sheets by Baker's Signature | 12x16
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Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet and Baker's Quarter Sheet
-
Wusthof Santoku knife 5 inch; Black
-
KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series with Glass Bowl - Sea Glass
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: ¼ pretzelAmount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1209mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g
The nutritional information is estimated and may not be entirely accurate, at times it pulls information for suggestions and options which may increase calories, etc.
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I didn’t think I could pull off making my own pretzels, but they were perfect!! Thank you so much for guiding me through it!
I love making homemade pretzels! I am for sure going to try your recipe next time, it looks amazing!
Thanks Madi, I hope you love them!
I made these for game day and they were gone in a flash. I should have made a double batch.
I hear you Debi! Glad you loved them!
We were in Munich 5 years ago and enjoyed many a pretzel! Adding this to the long list of Fresh Cooky recipes I NEED to make! Thanks friend
Haha! Love Munich, these pretzels remind me very much of the ones we enjoyed at Haufbrauhaus!