German-style soft pretzels — no lye

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: bread flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil is healthier with unsaturated fats.

coarse salt

🥗Healthier: sea salt

💰Cheaper: table salt

Sea salt provides a different flavor profile.

malt syrup

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds sweetness and moisture.

Boil baking soda in a dry pan on high heat until it clumps and stops releasing gas, about 15 minutes.

Start with 1 pound (454 grams) of baking soda and monitor until it weighs less than two-thirds of its original weight after boiling.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter or oil, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Stir in enough bread flour to form a dough that is a little tacky but not sticky, then cover with a wet towel and let it autolyze for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, knead in more flour until the dough is just barely sticky, then cover and let it rise until soft and fluffy.

Cut the risen dough into quarters and flatten each piece into a triangle shape.

Roll the point of the triangle inward to form a tapered loaf, then cover and let rise again for 20-30 minutes.

Roll the ends of each loaf to shape into pretzels, leaving the belly in the center alone, and twist the ends to form a U shape.

Prepare a wide deep pan of water and dissolve as much of the washing soda as possible to create an alkaline solution.

Heat the water until hot but not boiling, then carefully place the formed pretzels into the solution for 10-15 seconds, rinsing them in fresh water afterward to remove any bitter taste from the washing soda.

Sprinkle salt on the pretzels while they are still wet to help it stick.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens