To be honest, I suffered with pretzels (and with their publication in LiveJournal too). Cooking them according to the recipes of the Russian-speaking Internet, the result was, to put it mildly, not very good. I do not want to slander anyone, since the reason for my failures, most likely, lies in my crooked hands. But I still decided to put together again all my very modest knowledge of the German language and go looking for the truth on German sites.

What is most interesting is that our recipes and theirs are really different. I understand perfectly well that there are a lot of options for pretzels, and it’s fundamentally wrong to talk about the correctness of a particular recipe, but I still noticed general trends. Starting with the composition of the dish, in which we have vegetable oil instead of butter or even melted pork fat among the Germans, and ending with soda, which the Germans do not spare, and we put only 1 tsp. per litre.

But first things first. First, as usual, history, traditions, and then the recipe.

Pretzel is one of the most popular beer snacks in Southern Germany, if not the most popular. It is served in beer restaurants, street cafes, and, of course, in beer gardens, often in company with honey mustard.

It is believed that the word "pretzel", which appeared in the Middle Ages, comes from the Latin "brachium", which means "hand". Such an association is not accidental - the twisted ends of the pretzel resemble entwined hands.

There is no reliable information about who and under what circumstances came up with this wonderful pretzel, because it was a very long time ago. But the most common legend says that one negligent cook did this, who was guilty before the king, and he wanted to execute him. But at the last moment the ruler took pity and decided to pardon him on the condition that he could bake bread through which you could see the sun three times. So the pretzel was born.

Today in Germany there are a huge number of pretzel recipes, from classic ones with salt or sesame seeds to sweet pretzel-shaped pastries. But still, the most popular option is Laugenbrezel - salted pretzel, dipped in soda before baking. This manipulation makes the pretzel special. It becomes dark, with a smooth sometimes cracked crust and a very interesting taste.

Probably, German housewives are not familiar with soda, and even more so they don’t wash dishes with it, since on German sites, along with the pretzel recipe, a number of chemical formulas are given and a detailed explanation for them, why you should not be afraid of soda, and what exactly happens to the pretzel in the oven after bathing in soda solution. They recommend working with gloves. I straightened one of the wet pretzels, which unsuccessfully lay on a baking sheet, with my bare hands. Then she washed them. Didn't even feel uncomfortable. But it's probably better to really arm yourself with gloves.

But I digress. Let's get back to our sheep. The last thing I would like to say before we proceed directly to the recipe is the shape of the pretzels. Today they are baked in a wide variety of shapes, but still the classic pretzel is a pretzel.

So the recipe!

To prepare 8-12 small pretzels, we need:

250 g wheat flour;
1 tsp yeast;
1 tsp baking powder;
125 ml of warm water + 1 liter for soda solution (lauge);
1 tsp butter or melted pork fat + a little for greasing the baking sheet;
30 g of soda (2 teaspoons with large slides) for lauge;
½ tsp fine salt;
coarse salt for sprinkling.

1. Dilute the yeast in warm water and leave for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Rub a teaspoon of butter into the dry mixture.

2. Add yeast diluted in water to the dry mixture and knead the dough.

3. The dough is quite dense. We close it with cling film and send it to a warm place for 1-2 hours.

4. During the proofing time, the dough increases in volume by 2 times. We crush him. Now the volume of the dough should be approximately 130-140% of the original volume. The dough itself should be elastic.

5. Divide the dough into 8-12 identical pieces. When working with one piece, cover the rest so that the dough does not dry out.

6. From each piece we roll a sausage 15 cm long. You can roll it out by rolling it on the table or “rubbing” it on weight between the palms. If the sausage does not roll well, wipe your hands with a damp towel (do not wet with water).

To do this, rolling the sausage on the table, we make movements from the center to the edges, focusing on the edges. If one edge is thinner / longer than the other, turn the sausage 180 degrees. And repeat to even out the edges.

Next, we lift the sausage from the table by the tips and, on weight, begin to make movements resembling a swing - that is, we swing the sausage by the edges as if the thick part of the sausage is the seat of the swing. As a result, the sausage will lengthen and take the shape we need.

8. Fold the pretzel as shown below. Experienced cooks do it on weight and literally in 1-2 seconds))

9. Similarly, we form the rest of the pretzels.

11. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. The solution should be hot, but not boiling.

12. We put the pretzel on a skimmer (not aluminum!) And lower it into the water for 1 minute. The pretzel should float up. If it doesn't float, then the dough hasn't risen enough. In the process of “cooking” the pretzel, we slightly sink it with a slotted spoon so that the solution covers the dough evenly.

13. Put wet pretzels on a baking sheet greased with butter and immediately sprinkle them with coarse salt. We send it to the oven preheated to 210-220 degrees for 20 minutes.

Pretzels are ready!

Well, and finally, a few words about pretzel in German. This pretzel is so popular in Germany that many phraseological units are associated with it.

When you need to point out to someone that they cannot be commanded, the German says "Do you think I'm salting a pretzel here?" The very expression "salt the pretzel" is also used in the sense of "doing something unimportant." In Swabia, the expression "to have a pretzel on your face" is popular, which means "too much to drink." And the Bavarians often use the expression "give someone a pretzel" in speech, which means "offend physically or verbally."

Even the popular car Volkswagen beetle, and he was honored with the name Bretsel. So called models with a split rear window. And when such a car gets into an accident, they say that "the beetle has come to the pretzel."

Pretzel is a traditional German pastry. At its core - a delicious ruddy pretzel made from yeast dough. A simple but incredibly appetizing pastry, popular all over the world. We reveal all the secrets of cooking ...

Prepare the ingredients according to the list.

Sift wheat flour. Add yeast, sugar and mix well.

Make a small well in the center of the flour. Add salt and softened butter, then pour in cold milk.

Mix the ingredients and form a ball of soft dough.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead vigorously for 10-20 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with cling film and leave for 15 minutes.

Then punch down the dough and divide into 8-9 equal pieces.

Roll each portion of dough into a small sausage shape. Cover the blanks with cling film and leave for another 15 minutes.

Flatten the portion of the dough by pressing the base of the palm of your hand. Fold the dough in half towards you, then knead again and fold again, and repeat the process a third time (see the video version of the recipe for more details).

Then, continuing to work with the base of the palms, roll out the workpiece with both hands, moving from the center to the edges. You should get a tourniquet about 70 cm long. The workpiece should be uneven in thickness - with a more fluffy area of ​​\u200b\u200btest in the center, this is the so-called “belly” or “body” of the pretzel, and gradually tapering towards the edges. The thin ends of the tourniquet are also called the "arms" of the pretzel.

Cross the arms of the pretzel twice.

And then fasten them on both sides of his "belly", giving the workpiece a classic pretzel shape with three holes in the center. If necessary, the workpiece can be slightly stretched and its shape corrected.

Repeat the procedure with the remaining portions of the dough. Then cover the pastry with cling film or a kitchen towel and leave in a warm corner of the kitchen for 30 minutes in order for the dough to rise.

Then, without covering the dough, place the blanks in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This stage is necessary in order for the dough to harden and the blanks to confidently retain their shape in the process of further preparation.

Bring 2 liters of water to a boil and add baking soda. As a rule, 20-30 g of soda is added to 1 liter of water, i.e. 1 tbsp soda "without a slide" or "with a slide". The stronger the solution, the more rosy the pretzels turn out.

Stir the solution until the soda dissolves and reduce the heat so that the water constantly boils gently. Immerse the chilled pretzel in water for 30 seconds.

Then remove the pretzel, shake off excess water and place on baking paper greased with oil. It is worth saying that during the baking process, the pretzel tends to stick to the paper, so use high-quality oiled paper or a silicone baking mat.

Sprinkle the pretzels with salt, sesame or poppy seeds. At the most magnificent place, slightly cut the “belly” of each pretzel.

Then place the pretzels in an oven preheated to 200-220 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a characteristic rich caramel-golden color.

Pretzel is ready! Bon Appetit!

Description

pretzel pretzel can be called without exaggeration the most popular pastry in Germany. Usually the Germans prepare salted pretzel, which is considered the best snack for beer. However, now there are so many pretzel recipes that among them there are already sweet, dessert options that have the shape of a pretzel and are served in street coffee shops with coffee or tea.

Today we offer you a step-by-step recipe with a photo of cooking at home the classic Laugenbrezel (Laugenbrezel) - a salty pretzel, which is boiled in a soda solution before baking, as a result of which it acquires a darker color and a smooth, with small cracks crust, making it special and on look and taste.

It should immediately be noted that the Germans do not use our baking soda to prepare a soda solution (it seems that they do not have such a product at all), but natron - a little similar to it, but still a different form of sodium with specific properties, or, more often, caustic soda (caustic soda), which is so active that it can only be used with gloves to avoid burns. Yes, working with caustic sodium is dangerous, but only it allows you to get that unique color and taste that German pretzel is famous for.

Since it is difficult to get caustic soda suitable for cooking, we will use ordinary food. Of course, it will not be exactly the pretzel that the Germans are used to, but the pretzel will still turn out great. So, if you are tormented by nostalgia for German cuisine, carefully read the recipe and start cooking!

Ingredients

• 
  (350 g)
• 
  (1 tsp)
• 
  (1 tsp)
• 
  (125 ml in dough + 1 l in soda solution)
• 
  (1 tsp)
• 
  (2 tsp)
• 
  (1/2 tsp. in the dough + 2-3 pinches for sprinkling)

Cooking steps

We put on the table all the products necessary for preparing the pretzel.



In 125 ml of warm water we dilute 1 tsp. granulated or dry yeast (note that quick yeast is not diluted with water, but immediately added to the flour), stir and set aside for a few minutes. In a separate container, combine 350 g of sifted flour, ½ tsp. fine salt and 1 tsp. baking powder for dough. Grind the resulting mixture with 1 tsp. melted butter.



Pour the yeast diluted in water (or just warm water if the yeast is fast) into the resulting butter-flour mixture and knead the dough. It should be pretty cool.



We roll the dough into a ball and set it aside in a warm place for a couple of hours so that it fits.



During this time, the dough will approximately double in volume. After that, it needs to be kneaded, due to which it will settle slightly, but retain elasticity.



Now we divide the dough into 8-12 identical pieces, from which we will form pretzels.



We take the first one (the rest, with which we are not working yet, need to be covered with a cloth or film so that they do not dry out) and with our hands we form a small “sausage” of about 15 cm in length from it. First, we roll the dough on the table, and then we lift it by the ends up and roll it like a swing, the seat of which is the center of the “sausage”. If the dough sticks to your hands when rolling, wipe them with a damp cloth, but do not soak directly in water (!).



As a result of all the manipulations, the dough should take on a shape, as in the photo below: longer than it was originally, and at the same time thickened in the center and tapering towards the edges.



From it, guided by the photo, we form a pretzel.



All these actions are repeated for each pretzel.



Now let's move on to the "lauga" - soda solution. To do this, dissolve 30 g of soda (this is about 2 tsp with a large slide) in a liter of water.



We send the solution to the stove, where it should warm up very well, but not boil.



With a slotted spoon (not aluminum), we immerse the pretzels one by one in water. If the dough fits well, the pretzel will definitely pop up. The pretzel should spend about a minute in the pan. At the same time, it should be slightly melted with a slotted spoon so that it is evenly saturated with the solution.



In a baking sheet lined with parchment and oiled, put the pretzels taken out of the solution and crush them with coarse salt, and then bake for about 20 minutes in the oven at 220 degrees.



Ready ruddy German pretzels are served to the table with any dish (instead of bread) or beer.



Bon Appetit!

Pretzel - the famous German pretzel (bread), made according to the original recipe, branded, inherent only to this product, form.

This product is a visiting card of the South of Germany. In Bavaria (and not only), pretzel is the best beer snack. At the well-known Oktoberfest, the symbols of the holiday are beer and the original pretzel.

In honor of the pretzel, carnivals are held on the banks of the Rhine. The holiday takes place annually in July and lasts for six days and nights. And in the city of Mainz, they choose the queen of pretzels.

This delicious bread is present at festive fairs and festivities in Germany, some regions of Poland and France. In many countries, supermarkets sell beer snacks in the form of miniature pretzels.

German Pretzel Legends

There are several legends associated with the history of the appearance of the pretzel.

The German pretzel (pretzel), whose recipe has been known in the country since the 14th century, is still a favorite pastry and the emblem of all German bakers. And one of the stories of the origin of the pretzel is associated with an inventive baker who baked a bun for the formidable king, through which you can see the sun three times.

The word Brezitella in Old German means hands. To many, the shape of the pretzel resembles the hands of a monk crossed in prayer. The thin ends of the pretzel are the arms, the plump parts of the pastry are the body or stomach.

Two provinces of Germany (Bovaria and Swabria) argue about the primacy of the origin of the pretzel. In Swabria, pretzels are baked with different thicknesses of "handles" and "body", it is plumper and cuts are made on its crust.

In Bovary, the pretzel is almost the correct round shape, the thickness of the weaves is the same

Traditions and symbols

Pretzels were originally available only to the nobility, the common people were forbidden to bake and eat them. But gradually, easy-to-make pastries spread throughout Germany, as well as in the territories of its neighboring countries. Pretzel, the recipe for which does not require expensive products and complex baking technologies, has become one of the festive delicacies in Europe.

Traditionally, pretzels are given to each other by lovers. After all, the shape of the pretzel resembles two crossed rings. Or maybe someone will see a loving heart in him? They are served at weddings. The woven pretzel symbolizes the strength of family ties.

Pretzels are must-have treats at Easter and New Year's Eve dinners.

Christians believe that the three "holes" in the pretzel symbolize the Holy Trinity. The pretzel brings prosperity, good luck and spiritual integrity.

Features of baking pretzels

German pretzel, whose recipe involves getting a pretzel with a delicious brown crispy crust, has its own tricks in cooking. To obtain the effect of a crust, a special manufacturing technology is used: before baking, fashioned pretzels are dipped for thirty seconds in a boiling soda solution, then baked on a baking sheet in the oven. After bathing in alkali, the pretzels acquire a characteristic color and a unique taste.

This method has its own legend. It is said that the negligent baker's assistant gaped and instead of icing dipped pretzel blanks into a vat of lye for washing dishes. According to another legend: the cat waved its tail and threw them into the notorious vat of soda. Whatever happened in the 14th century, we can now enjoy a pretzel with an "alkaline" appetizing crust. Pretzel, whose recipe has become a classic with know-how, is baked all over Germany.

nutritional value of the pretzel

Premium wheat flour, yeast, malt, water are the products that make up the German pretzel. The recipe allows you to bake a pretzel with many nutritional benefits. One hundred grams of classic pretzel contains:

• vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B6, B9), K, E, PP;
• macronutrients zinc, selenium, iron, copper;
• trace elements sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus;
• saturated fatty acids - 4.5 grams;
• ash - 2.66 grams;
• cholesterol -17.7 milligrams;
• dietary fiber - 1.7 grams.

One hundred grams of pretzel contains:

• 300 kilocalories;
• fat - 6 grams;
• proteins - 20 grams;
• carbohydrates - 35 grams.

Pretzel: classic recipe with photo

According to the classic recipe, amazing pretzels are baked with salt or sesame seeds.

Pretzel with salt, the recipe of which has not changed for many centuries, is still popular and considered a classic.

To make 10 pretzels you need:

• wheat flour of the highest grade - two glasses without top;
• water (for dough) - three quarters of a glass of warm boiled water;
• water (for lauge) - one liter;
• yeast - one teaspoon;
• butter or melted fat (pork) - one teaspoon;
• baking powder for dough - one teaspoon;
• fine edible salt (for dough) - half a teaspoon;
• coarse salt - to taste for powder;
• baking soda (for lauge) - one heaping tablespoon.

Pour warm water into a small container, add yeast, mix well and leave for ten minutes. At this time, mix flour, baking powder and fine salt, then chop the butter and mix everything well. Then add yeast dissolved in water, knead a stiff dough.

Cover the kneaded dough with a linen towel or cling film and leave in a warm place. It should "fit".

After about an hour and a half or two hours, the dough will double or triple in size. It should be kneaded, divided into ten parts, rolled into balls. Pretzel dough is ready.

The sausage must be rolled up so that the edges are thin, and the middle part is thick. To do this, take the workpiece by the tips, raise it above the table and swing it (like a swing), gradually the middle part thickens, and the sausage takes on the desired shape.

Make a pretzel from the workpiece. The recipe with a photo shows a diagram of twisting a sausage into a pretzel.

Thus fashion ten pretzels. Next, dilute about thirty grams of baking soda (one tablespoon with top) in one liter of water, put the solution on fire and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and lower the pretzel into the hot (not boiling!) soda solution (lauge) for one minute. The pretzel should float to the top, then take it out with a slotted spoon. You can use any cookware for this, except for aluminum. If the pretzel does not float, then the dough has not risen enough.

In this way, boil all the dough pieces, then put them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at a temperature of two hundred degrees.

After 25 minutes, the pretzels, the recipe with the photo described step by step above, will be covered with a crispy brown crust and will be ready to serve.

sweet pretzel recipe

There are many variants of pretzel baking in Germany. For children and those with a sweet tooth, they came up with a sweet pretzel. Its recipe is slightly different from the classic one, but the form of baking remains unchanged.

The recipe for sweet pretzel at home requires the following products:

• wheat flour of the highest grade - 5 glasses;
• milk - 1.5 cups;
• dry yeast - 7 grams or fresh 30 grams;
• granulated sugar - 12 tablespoons;
• edible salt - 0.5 teaspoon;
• sunflower oil - 5 tablespoons;
• powdered sugar - to taste;
• chicken egg - 1 piece.

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Mix sifted flour with sugar and salt. In milk with yeast, add a chicken egg and butter. Mix everything well and pour into the mixture. Knead the dough, leave it in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours. Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, knead again and divide into pieces.

From each serving, mold a pretzel according to the scheme indicated in the previous recipe. Sweet pretzels do not need to be bathed in alkali, but immediately put on a baking sheet, leave for 30 minutes, then bake at a temperature of 200 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Lubricate the finished pretzel with butter, sprinkle with powdered sugar (or poppy seeds, or cover with icing). Sweet pretzel is ready!

Puff pretzel recipe

For the preparation of sweet pretzels, not only yeast dough is used, but also puff pastry.

Pretzel, the recipe of which involves puff pastry, is easy to prepare in the home kitchen, and the result will please both children and adults.

Required products:

• puff pastry - ready-made package 500 grams;
• ground nuts - hazelnuts to taste;
• chicken egg - 1 piece;
• chocolate paste (ready-made) - 4 tablespoons;
• granulated sugar (large), nuts - to taste.

Mix ground nuts with chocolate paste. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry, spread with chocolate paste with nuts, put a second sheet of dough on top, press the structure on top with your palms.

Cut the dough into strips, twist them into flagella and roll into a pretzel shape. Place prepared pretzels on a greased baking sheet.

Mix the yolk of one egg with a small amount of water, grease the pretzels with this mixture before baking, sprinkle them with nuts or sugar and bake at a temperature of 190 degrees until crispy.

Delicious dessert is ready.

Pretzel "Bavarian" with poppy and sesame

In Bavaria, in every family, not a single breakfast is complete without pretzels, which are eaten with cheese, spread with butter. These crispy on top and soft inside buns are baked by German housewives, based on the classics, according to their own recipes.

We offer one of them.

Pretzel, the recipe of which is used in home baking, involves the following set of products:

• yeast - 1 teaspoon dry or 15 grams fresh;
• premium flour - 500 grams;
• fine salt - 1 teaspoon;
• granulated sugar - 1 teaspoon;
• olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
• water - 160 grams;
• milk - 160 grams;
• baking soda - 1.5 tablespoons;
• water - 1.5 liters;
• sesame, poppy - to taste.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and milk (liquids take 320 grams), add granulated sugar, mix, add a little flour (about one hundred and fifty grams). Mix everything well and put in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours.

Then pour the rest of the flour, salt and oil into the dough. Mix everything well. The dough should be elastic and not stick to your hands. Leave it for 1 hour in a warm place, then knead it again and put it in heat for another 1 hour. As a result, the volume of the test should double.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Divide the dough into balls the size of a fist, then roll them into sausages, as indicated in the recipe with a photo and fashion pretzels out of them. Leave them on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Pour one and a half liters of water into the pan and put on fire, carefully pour soda into boiling water. Dip the pretzels into the boiling soda solution for 30 seconds, they will float and double in volume. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon from the solution and place on a baking sheet. Remember: skimmer should not be aluminum.

Sprinkle pretzels with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, salt if desired and immediately send to the oven.

After 15 minutes, the pretzels will turn a beautiful brown color. They are ready.

Puff or yeast?

Salted pretzels are made from yeast dough, sweet pretzels are preferably made from puff pastry. German housewives prepare homemade pretzels according to their own recipes, using their little secrets.

There is an original dessert recipe for pretzel at home based on a mixture of puff and yeast dough.

To make this pretzel you need:

• wheat flour of the highest grade - 350 grams;
• chicken egg - 1 piece;
• dry yeast - 7 or 10 grams;
• granulated sugar - 100 grams;
• butter (or margarine) - 300 grams;
• milk - 125 grams;
• salt - to taste;
• puff pastry (ready-made) - 400 grams.

First, the yeast dough is prepared. To do this, add granulated sugar, dry yeast, salt, warm (but not hot!) Milk, an egg and 50 grams of butter or margarine to the sifted flour. Mix everything well and knead the dough. Next, gradually add 250 grams of softened butter or margarine to the dough.

Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate.

Defrost puff pastry at room temperature.

Roll out the chilled yeast dough into a rectangular layer measuring 40 centimeters by 30 centimeters.

Put a layer of puff pastry measuring 20 centimeters by 30 centimeters on top of this layer. Wrap the remaining yeast over the puff pastry. The resulting layer is thoroughly rolled into a size of 40 by 30 centimeters. On the resulting sheet of dough, put the rest of the puff on top. Press the dough well with your hands and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Then roll out the dough once again into a thin sheet, cut into long strips, twist them and form pretzels. Lubricate the pretzels prepared for baking with a mixture of eggs and milk, sprinkle (optionally) with coarse sugar, sesame seeds or nuts. Bake in the oven for 15 or twenty minutes at 180 degrees. The oven must be preheated.

Original sweet pretzels for tea or coffee are ready!

Conclusion

Pretzels are very popular in Germany. Many original expressions are associated with them.

If a German says: "Do you think I'm salting a pretzel here?" This means that he warns someone that they should not be commanded. The phrase "to have a pretzel on your face" means "too much to drink." "Give a pretzel" - to offend with words or physically.

If a Volkswagen beetle has an accident, they say "the beetle has come to the pretzel."

Pretzels are baked in huge quantities all over Germany, hand-made pretzels according to original recipes are still appreciated. If you visit this country, be sure to try the famous pastries.

Try to cook pretzels, the classic recipe of which is given in this article, please yourself and your loved ones with a delicious treat.

The cooking technology is original, but quite feasible even for an inexperienced cook. Products are available and inexpensive. Prepare a pretzel, a recipe with a photo will help you. Cook with love and you'll be fine.

Bon Appetit!

A bit of history:

According to an old legend, the pretzel was invented by a baker who was commissioned by the Bavarian king to bake a bun through which you can see the sun 3 times.
Bretzel, from the beginning of the XIV century. and to this day, is the emblem of bakers in Germany and is very often depicted on the signs of bakeries, bakeries and companies involved in the manufacture of bread, muffins and various bakery products.
In the Middle Ages, the manufacture of pretzels was strictly regulated in time, or even allowed only to a narrowly limited circle of people.
The composition of pretzels, as a rule, includes: wheat flour, malt, yeast and water. Before baking, the pretzels are dipped in a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) for a few seconds, so that they acquire a typical brown color during baking, and then sprinkled with coarse salt.

In Bavaria, pretzel is one of the traditional snacks for beer at folk festivals (German: Volksfest), such as Oktoberfest. In the Easter tradition of Luxembourg there is a holiday called Bretzelsonndeg (Lux. Bretzelsonndeg, Bratzelsonndeg - Lit. "Bretsel Sunday"). On the fourth Sunday of Lent, boys give sweet pretzels to girls. If the girls love them back, the boys get their chocolate eggs back on Easter Sunday. In leap years, the order is reversed: girls give pretzels, boys give eggs. Even married Luxembourgers follow this tradition. In the United States, the case of pretzel, which happened to US President George W. Bush, gained notoriety.

Bretzel (German: Brezel), also “bretz”, “bretz”, “bretzl”, in Bavaria / Austria “bretzn”, in Swabia also “bretzet” or “bretzg / bretzga” (singular / plural), in Luxembourg, "bretzel" is a pretzel, widespread in southern Germany, with a diameter of about 10-15 cm.
Source Wikipedia.

INGREDIENTS:

• warm water (about 40 degrees) 200 gr.
• sugar 1 tbsp. l.
• dry yeast 7 gr.
• flour 300 gr.
• salt 1 tbsp
• olive oil 2 tbsp
• baking soda 30 gr.
• yolk 1 pc. (for lubrication, exclude fasting)
• coarse sea salt 20 gr.
• boiling water 1l.

COOKING:

Mix sugar with yeast and pour 200 gr. warm (!), but not hot water (about 40 degrees, the hand endures), this will speed up the yeast, but if the water is cold, the yeast will only increase, but this does not mean that nothing will come of it, so be bolder.

Let the yeast disperse for about 10 minutes. After that, add 100 g of flour and 1 tbsp of salt, mix thoroughly. Add the remaining flour again, as needed, if you feel that the dough is getting too tight, stop adding flour. It should be a slightly sticky dough.
Knead for 10 minutes with your hands. Brush the dough with oil, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for about an hour.

The dough should double in size and become more fluffy and elastic (press with your finger and it will spring slightly).

Then, grease the baking sheet with oil or cover with parchment, divide the dough into 8 parts, roll each bun into a sausage and make a pretzel out of it.