Giant Pretzel

Ingredients:

500g Mix B

8 g salt

420 g water at 30°C

50 g lard or butter

10g dry yeast or 21g fresh yeast

For sprinkling: coarse salt, sesame, etc.

Photo: Myriam Bussard Preparation:

Put salt, lard and water in the mixing bowl first, then weigh in flour and yeast.

Mix for 30 sec at low speed, then for 5 mins at medium speed. In the beginning, regularly scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure the dough is well mixed.

After kneading, cover the bowl with a moist towel and let the dough rest in a warm spot (approx. 24- 28°C) for 30 minutes. The dough is very soft right after kneading but will become firmer after resting for a while.

Preheat oven to 200°C fan/circulating air (210°C top/bottom heat). After dough is done resting, form into a ball, then roll out into a long rope with tapered ends (be careful not to make the ends too thin, though, as you want to be able to use this giant pretzel as a sandwich).

Shape the rope into a pretzel.

Place pretzel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for another 30 to 40 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the lye.

CAUTION! Lye is a chemical that requires careful handling!

Version 01 © Copyright Oliver Welling

To make authentic pretzels, we don't use baking soda, but real lye (4-6% concentration). While baking soda will yield a similar color, you won't get that pretzel-y flavor. The chemical composition of soda lye is NaOH (sodium hydroxide). You can purchase it either from a pharmacy, a baker or a specialized online store. You can also buy NaOH flakes at the pharmacy. A 4% solution is achieved by mixing 4g of flakes with 100ml of water. Proper soda lye must be used cold! The flakes and finished lye can be reused and should be stored in jars intended for this purpose in a dark place (and away from children! Also don't forget to clearly label!). Be careful not to let the flakes or the lye get in contact with skin, eyes or wooden utensils/surfaces. Rinse any dishes used very thoroughly. To dispose of lye, dump it down the drain or toilet with a lot of water (according to my pharmacist).

It is best to use a glass or metal bowl for the soda lye!

After rising, brush pretzel thinly with lye. Repeat three times.

If desired, sprinkle pretzel with coarse salt, poppy seeds, sesame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.

Put in the preheated oven without steam and bake for 40-50 minutes until it has the right color.

Test with a toothpick for doneness.

After baking, let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Then cut in half lengthwise and fill with butter or cream cheese and various toppings. Present on a nice platter with a knife so that guests can cut off a slice.

Sandwich topping suggestions: salami, ham, cheese, smoked salmon etc.

To find example pictures, search Google pictures for

„Belegte Party-Bretzel“

Photo: Myriam Bussard

Version 01 © Copyright Oliver Welling