Heat, salty and satisfying, tender pretzels, or Brezn as they’re identified in Bavaria, are one in every of life’s easy pleasures — and much more so when loved contemporary from the oven. They’re really additionally extremely rewarding to make.
Pretzels have an extended and complicated historical past courting again 1500 years or extra. Most of the theories about its origins tie into Christian symbolism: Some say the form is harking back to arms crossed in prayer, or that the three holes characterize the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit. One popular legend has it {that a} monk created the baked deal with to reward his college students for studying their prayers; pretiola means “little rewards” in Latin. No matter whether or not any of those theories are true, pretzels have earned a particular place in snack historical past starting in Europe and later, internationally.
This recipe is an ode to the German archetype. We tapped German sourdough bread blogger Hendrick Kleinwaechter to wonderful tune this flame-cooked method, utilizing his expertise to convey wealthy taste and pure leavening to the dough. As a result of this recipe depends on a sourdough starter, be sure you start getting ready nicely prematurely.
As for the dip, Obatzda is a well-liked dish to serve alongside tender pretzels in Bavaria. This Camembert and cream cheese dip takes its distinctive hue from paprika, then will get further depth of taste from finely diced onions and darkish beer. The creamy, sharp profile of Obatzda is the proper accent to a tender, salty pretzel, and each go down swimmingly with a stein of good German beer.
Notes:
You’ll want a mature sourdough starter for this recipe. Feed your stiff sourdough starter 24 to 48 hours earlier than you need to prep your dough. Let it enhance in dimension one and a half instances (about 2 hours) earlier than returning it to the fridge. (Should you’re new to sourdough, a stiff starter is one that’s two elements flour to at least one half water.)
Pretzels are sometimes dipped in a food-safe lye answer simply earlier than baking, which provides this snack its shiny coat and picture-perfect scores. This course of is usually a bit intimidating, so we’re utilizing an alternate answer of baking soda, salt, and boiling water, then ending with a easy egg wash to realize an analogous impact.
Yield
Makes 6 giant pretzels
Time
1 to 2 hours lively time; 3 to 4 hours whole, excluding sourdough preparation
Tools
digital scale
bench scraper
cooling rack
pastry brush
Ooni pizza oven
Ooni Infrared Thermometer
Components
For the pretzels
2 tablespoons (50 grams) stiff sourdough starter
1 ⅓ cups (300 grams) water
2 ¼ cups (500 grams) ‘00’ flour, plus further for dusting
1 tablespoon (25 grams) butter
1 ¾ teaspoons (10 grams) salt
wonderful semolina flour, for dusting the peel
For the “lye” answer
2 ¼ cups (500 grams) water
1 ¾ teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
For the egg wash
1 egg
1 teaspoon (5 grams) water
pinch of salt for sprinkling (Pretzel salt is greatest, however coarse sea salt will work, too.)
For the Obatzda dip
9 ounces (250 grams) ripe Camembert, between 20 and 35 days earlier than the use-by date
4 ½ ounces (125 grams) cream cheese
½ white onion, finely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons (60 grams) butter
1 tablespoon paprika, candy or spicy
salt and pepper to style
2 ounces (60 grams) darkish German beer
½ purple onion, lower into rings
small bunch chives, finely chopped
Technique
If mixing by hand: Dissolve the sourdough starter into the water. Add the flour, butter, and salt, then knead within the bowl for five minutes. Relaxation for five minutes, then repeat. Test the dough energy utilizing the windowpane check: Stretch the dough fastidiously between your fingers, holding it as much as the sunshine. Should you can see mild via the dough, the gluten construction is powerful. If the dough tears, relaxation it for five minutes, then knead for one more 5 minutes.
If mixing with a machine: Within the bowl of your stand mixer, add the water, starter, flour, butter, and salt. Combine at medium velocity for five minutes. The dough might be stiff, so it will not require a lot kneading. Carry out a windowpane check; if the dough tears, relaxation it for five minutes, then knead for five minutes.
Cowl the dough with a moist towel and depart it to proof till it doubles in dimension.
Punch the dough right down to take away extra air, then switch to a flippantly floured kitchen counter or different flat work floor. Utilizing a bench scraper, divide the dough into 6 equal items. (Use a digital scale if you wish to guarantee even sizing.) Roll every bit into an extended rope. The dough will spring again, so simply cowl the dough with a moist fabric and verify it each 10 minutes till the ‘rope’ is roughly 20 inches (50 centimeters) lengthy.
To form the pretzels, first type a horseshoe with the dough. Cross the 2 ropes over each other about two-thirds of the best way up, then twist them as soon as extra, leaving an inch or two of the ends free. Pull the finally ends up and excessive of the horseshoe, pinching down on the thickest a part of the dough to safe. Flip the pretzel over and put aside when you form the remaining ropes. Cowl and relaxation the pretzels for quarter-hour when you put together the water answer.
In a big saucepan, put together the “lye” answer: Carry the water, baking soda and salt to a boil. When you wait, put together a easy egg wash. Combine an egg and one teaspoon of water in a small bowl and set it apart.
Put together a cooling rack earlier than gently submerging the primary pretzel within the boiling answer. Prepare dinner for 30 seconds, flip, after which cook dinner for 30 extra seconds. Take away the pretzel with a slotted spatula and switch to the rack. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
Use a pastry brush to flippantly coat every pretzel with egg wash. When you’ve brushed every pretzel, return to the primary pretzel and repeat with one other coat of wash. Sprinkle an excellent quantity of coarse salt excessive of every one.
Fireplace up your Ooni oven, aiming for 480° F (250° C) on the stone baking board inside.
When the oven is absolutely heated, fastidiously transfer one or two pretzels to a picket peel flippantly dusted with semolina. Slide the pretzels off the peel and into your oven.
After 5 minutes, rotate the pretzels. Bake till the pretzels flip a deep golden brown on prime, and have cut up on the thickest elements (about 20 minutes). To realize a deeper colour, you possibly can enhance the flame barely for the previous few minutes. Take away to the cooling rack and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
Enable the pretzels to chill briefly when you put together the Obatzda dip.
In a small bowl, gently mash the Camembert with a fork. Add the cream cheese, onions, butter, paprika, salt and pepper. Slowly add the beer, stirring gently to keep away from splashing. Garnish with chopped chives and onion rings.
Benefit from the heat pretzels and Obatzda collectively. Yum!
