Pretzels have become a popular snack around the globe and can be found in a variety of forms. But their deepest roots can be found in Germany, where they have been a key part of traditional German baking for centuries. If you want to recreate the authentic taste at home, try out this German pretzel recipe!
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German Pretzels
Pretzels are a snack many of us are familiar with, and have become so popular that their form has evolved over the years. Pretzels now come in several varieties from sticks to sweet versions. But in this post, I’m recreating the traditional German pretzel recipe.
Pretzels originate from Germany and surrounding German speaking countries such as Austria and parts of Switzerland. Throughout Germany, pretzels are baked and served fresh with butter, cheese and meat, or as a side dish to a main meal.
The iconic pretzel shape is also used to make sweet varieties which are topped with nuts or cinnamon. Around Christmas, you can even find lebkuchen varieties coated in chocolate.
One of the most popular forms of pretzel is the lye pretzel. In this traditional method, the pretzel, once formed is dipped in lye to create a chemical reaction known as the Maillard reaction.
The Maillard reaction is responsible for the colour and flavour of many foods. It is the reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that flavours seared steaks, french fries, cookies and many more. The reaction is taking place in almost any food you are looking to turn ‘golden brown’.
While lye pretzels are the most common variety and are perfectly safe to consume, working with lye itself can be intimidating. So in this German pretzel recipe, a baking soda bath is used as an alternative to achieve the same result, without the requirement of working with lye.
Creating The German Pretzel Recipe
When creating the recipe, you will need a bit of patience! German pretzels aren’t complicated to make, but there are a lot of steps in the process that means this isn’t a quick treat to knock up. You will need to set aside a chunk of time but it will definitely be worth it!
This German pretzel recipe uses a baking soda bath to give that distinctive taste and crisp golden colour. This is an alternative to using lye, which is more dangerous to handle. This is a common substitute for household recipes but still achieve the traditional German pretzel taste.
Overall, if you’re looking for an activity for a Sunday afternoon at home and you want to challenge your baking skill, try out this German pretzel recipe. They are easy to make but involve different technique to more common baking recipes.
Oh, and you get a delicious treat to enjoy at the end!
Create Your Own German Pretzels
So if you’re ready to try your hand at making this delicious treat, you can find my German pretzel recipe below. Be sure to bookmark this page or pin it so you can come back when you’re ready to make your own German pretzels!
Have you made German pretzels? If you have, I’d love to hear about it! Let’s connect on Instagram and send me a DM and tell me how they turned out!
Until our next adventure,
German Pretzels
Pretzels have become a popular snack around the globe and can be found in a variety of forms. But their deepest roots can be found in Germany, where they have been a key part of traditional German baking for centuries. If you want to recreate the authentic taste at home, try out this German pretzel recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups plain flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- Coarse salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Baking Soda Bath
- 4 tbsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
To Serve
- 1 tbsp mustard or melted butter
Instructions
- Place the warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Leave to sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups of the flour, plus the sugar and the salt.
- Stir well before adding another 1/2 cup of flour.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes. You can add the remaining flour here if required, to create a smooth and slightly tacky dough.
- Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning it to coat it.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll into a rope approximately 50cm/20in long.
- Create the pretzel shape by creating a 'U' shape. Then bring the arms of the U down, crossing them over and adding an extra twist. Finally, press the ends over the bottom of the U and pinch to seal.
- Place the pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp tea towel again and let them rise for another 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 220c/425F/Gas Mark 7.
- In a large pot, combine 2 litres of water, the bicarbonate of soda and the brown sugar. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a simmer. Use a slotted spoon to place the pretzels into the water. You might need to do this one and a time depending on the size of your pot. Make sure you avoid overcrowding.
- Cook the pretzels for 2 minutes on each side then remove them and place them onto a baking tray.
- Whisk the egg with 1tbsp warm water and brush onto the pretzels before sprinkling on the coarse salt.
- Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 711mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 6g
Please note, nutritional information is calculated to provide guidance only and will vary depending on which specific brands of ingredients you use. Please check the packaging of your own products to calculate accurate nutritional information.
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Hello, I’m Hannah! I’m a writer and photographer who loves experiencing the wonders of Yorkshire. My guides will help you escape from your daily routine by showing you that you don’t have to go far to find an adventure.
Oh I’m definitely trying this out! I lived in Germany for 6 months and obviously I ate a loot of pretzels. It will be a great weekend activity to recreate it so thanks for sharing 🙂
Germany is such a beautiful place! I hope you enjoy recreating the pretzels and they taste just as good as you remember!
I might have to make these! Sounds like a perfect thing to make during the cold stuck at home winter!
They are absolutely delicious and fun to make too! I hope you enjoy creating them!
Ok, I have never made a pretzel and on this boring lockdown grey evening I think it is a great time to start. Thanks for all the detailed instructions, I will need them. I will let you know how they turn out.
I think lockdown is the perfect time to try out baking new things! I hope they turned out well and you enjoyed them!
Looks like a great recipe! I might have to stick to making these as pretzel bites until I master the iconic twist though!
The twist is definitely fiddly but not as difficult as it looks. It’s all about the taste anyway in my opinion! So long as they taste good, I’m happy!
I am hoping to make these but it’s for a crowd so I think bites would be more doable, any idea on if I need to alter times for anything?
I may have to give this a try! We used to frequent a pub that had great pretzels and I haven’t had one in about a year!
Ooh a pub that serves German pretzels sounds like a dream! I hope you get an opportunity to try out the recipe for yourself!
OMG!!!! I love German Pretzels and I am soooo making this. Pinned for sure. Cannot wait to try them out! Good German dipping mustard and a beer would be perfect with them.
I hope you get a chance to make them and enjoy the recipe! Mustard and a beer sounds like the perfect things to complement the pretzels!
I’ve never thought to make these at home but I definitely will now! Thanks for the recipe.
They are good fun to make at home! The process takes longer than some recipes, but it is fun to make them and they taste great!
Every time I go to Germany I can’t help but eat the Pretzel. I am a real treat and a symbol of the country. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll try to do it at home.
Pretzels are such a German icon aren’t they! They taste so good! I hope you enjoy recreating them!
I will definitely try the recipe. Every time we see those pretzels somewhere, I have to buy one. They are so good.
They’re so addictive aren’t they? We demolished these ones pretty quickly! I hope you have an opportunity to try making them!
Ohhhh… yeah… this looks so good. I could totally go for a pretzel dipped in cheese sauce. I am drooling right now. Thanks for a delicious share!
Ooh that sounds amazing! You’ve got me drooling now too!
I’m definitely making this sometime soon. They look amazing, I love a good pretzel. Now I just need some good mustard and a beer to go with it
I hope you get an opportunity to make some! They are delicious! Mustard and beer sound perfect to go with them!
I love pretzels . I love the detailed recipe as well.
Pretzels are delicious aren’t they! I hope you have a chance to try out the recipe!
These look absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try making them with my nephew when he visits this weekend!
Oh what a fun activity to do with your nephew! I hope you both had fun and enjoyed them!
Looks yummy! Great share…thanks! Still looking for fun things to try in what are hopefully our last days of the pandemic, so this is great!
I hope you have an opportunity to try them out! It’s definitely a great way to spend a weekend lockdown day!
These look amazing! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at baking pretzels and I think this is a sign I need to now!! I can’t wait to try!
Ah what a great sign! I hope you get to try them out and enjoy them!
Looks delicious!! (I mean, can you really go wrong with warm, salty carbs?!) Can you share a beer cheese dip for it next?! Yum!!!
Hahaha definitely can’t go wrong with warm, salty carbs! A beer cheese dip sounds delicious! I’m going to experiment with that recipe! What a great idea!
This has made my day! I absolutely love Pretzels!
I’m so pleased to hear it! I hope you get an opportunity to have a go at making them! Thanks for reading!
This sounds delicious!! I used to travel to Germany a lot with work (pre-pandemic) and I’d always treat myself to a Pretzel. Might need to replicate these at home, although my cooking is so terrible that they will like come out terrible wrong!!
Oh I love Germany, what a great place to travel! Although it is never quite the same when it is for work! The pretzels sounds pretty complicated but they’re actually surprisingly easy when you just take it a step at a time. I’m sure you’ve got this!
I loved the pretzels from my trip to Berlin a few years ago!! I’ll definitely have to give this recipe a try 🙂
Ooh I love Berlin! It’s such a fascinating city! And the pretzels are definitely good! I hope you get an opportunity to recreate them at home and relive your trip!
Now I am really hungry for a pretzel!!! 🙂 Definitely want to give these a try.
Haha I know how you feel, I was starving while writing this post! They are absolutely delicious, I hope you have an opportunity to make some!
I remember on my first trip to Germany few years ago I have tasted a pretzel and since then always buying a pretzel every time I have the chance to do so. I have never thought to make them myself but this looks like an easy recipe to do. I love the soft ones but hard-baked also.
You just have to sample a pretzel when you go to Germany, don’t you! It’s a delicious recipe and a great way to fill the void while we can’t travel to experience the real deal!
This brings me back to Oktoberfest in Muhich that sadly was cancelled last year and doubtful I could make it this year. Well, at home Oktoberfest it is! Thanks for sharing.
Aah I’d love to experience Oktoberfest! It looks like so much fun! What a great way to celebrate at home if you’re not able to experience it in person! I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did!
I totallyyyy want to try this. It’s so good to know that you can use baking soda instead of lye — I definitely would not feel comfortable baking with lye but that golden outer crust is essential!
I know what you mean! I had been put off other recipes in the past because they used lye and I didn’t really want to be using it in the kitchen! The baking soda bath is a great alternative and, in my opinion, they taste exactly the same! I hope you get an opportunity to try them yourself and see if you can taste the difference!
Hi! I love that your recipe is vegan! It reminds me of spending time in Munich 🙂 Saving the recipe to make it next weekend!
Oh I hadn’t even realised that the recipe was suitable for vegans! You could definitely just skip the egg-wash and still enjoy the traditional taste! I hope you had an opportunity to recreate them and you enjoyed them!
I’ve always devoured pretzels in England but I never knew they originated in Germany. I love the cute shapes and buttery texture and would love to make it someday at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I think we’re quite lucky in the UK because we do have a few places we can get pretzels from, but they’re not quite as good as the traditional German ones in my opinion! I hope you get an opportunity to try making them for yourself until you can travel again and taste the real deal!
I LOVE pretzels, but I’ve never tried making them myself. This seems like such an easy & fun recipe! I’ll have to try this next time we have guests!!
German pretzels are fun to make and definitely a great recipe for when you are entertaining! I hope your guests enjoy them as much as we did!
These pretzels look scrumptious! Until now, it never struck me that we could make them at home. I am looking forward to try something new!
I know what you mean, pretzels always seem like such a specialist thing to make but they were much easier than I anticipated! I hope you get an opportunity to have a go making them!
I actually feel like I should try this! I am not much of a baker but a german pretzel sounds amazing – and possible!
I hope you get a chance to try making them! I’m definitely not a natural-born cook but these were much easier than I expected them to be! They just need a little patience!
This makes my mouth water so much! I love German pretzels and now I want to make them.
German pretzels are delicious, aren’t they! I was missing the real thing so making some at home seemed like the only option! And they are much easier than I anticipated! I hope you get an opportunity to try some for yourself!
They look soooo good Hannah! I am still pretty rubbish and baking bread, but I LOVE the idea of having a taste of Germany. I’m just not I could make them half as well as you!
They taste delicious! They are super easy to make, I’m sure you could whip up a batch! The knots take a bit of practice but I think the taste is the most important part to be honest!