~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Pretzel buns (Laugenbroetchen) and Pretzels


Pretzel Buns and Pretzels... I love this recipe!!!... you can actually do 2 bread products from 1 recipe. Just the way I like it! This recipe comes from my sister-in-law who lived in Germany for quite some time. I adapted it by making a slight change. It is an awesome recipe that is quite similar to the bagel recipe. The rolls actually get boiled just like the bagels and then sliced on the top for a criss cross look which puffs up a bit to give it that unique look. I like to split the original recipe in two and do some soft pretzels as well. So here is the recipe for both the buns and the pretzels. Hope you enjoy...

Dough Ingredients:
  • 7 cups unbleached all purpose flour( sometimes I like to use bread flour)
  • 3 1/2 TBS softened butter/oil
  • 2 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 TBS salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 4 1/2 tsp instant yeast
Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl add flour and yeast. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl mix salt, sugar and softened butter(or oil). Add the warm water.
3. Pour liquid over the flour... all at once.
4. Mix well and knead for 6-7 minutes using a mixer( kneading dough hook attachment).
5. Form 16 rolls and let them rise on floured table for 20-25 minutes. Cover them with plastic wrap so that you will protect them from cold air... and that it won't form a crust. Do not allow the dough to rise too much as it will collapse and get soggy in the boiling process.

Preheat oven to 375 Deg F:
6. In a large pot, boil 6 cups of water(or so) with 5 tsps baking soda....you can use up to 1/4 cup of baking soda which gives you a darker color and that "pretzel-y" taste.
7. Carefully transfer 2 buns at a time with a spatula into the boiling water. Boil rolls for about 1 minute... turning constantly. Remove and drain well.(I like to gently place the strained bagel with the bottom of the strainer on a paper towel to fully catch and excess water.)
8. Place on an oiled baking sheet and cut an X in the middle...about 1/2 inch deep... or make 2 parallel slashes.
9. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 20 minutes...or until nicely golden brown.

If you want to make pretzels split the dough in 2 and make only 8 or 9 rolls and 8 or 9 pretzels.



Pretzels: makes 8-9 pretzels

Ingredients:
  • Use half of the above dough

1. Divide dough into 8-9 balls. Form 8 or 9 long ropes and shape into pretzel forms.

2. Let rise 20- 25 minutes.
It is at this point that I use my rice cooker with the steaming plate to hold the pretzels and steam them instead of boiling them. (I have found out that it can help the pretzels keep its shape and make the pretzels shiny and chewy). Place some water in your rice cooker and put the steaming plate in place....you might need to oil the plate a bit. When it starts steaming, add a pretzel and steam 2-3 minutes. Do each one separately....
Tip:You can also use a steam rack(the collapsible type) in a pot as well for steaming the pretzels.

OR: probably the normal way to do this:)

The steamer method may take quite a while...so you can likewise use a skillet filled with water/baking soda(as for the buns above) and use a big slotted spatula to remove the pretzels.



3. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 Deg F for 10 or so minutes. Do not over bake as they will become hard. You can brush with melted butter or dip in melted cheese or marinara sauce or whatever you fancy!



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this recipe. :)

Ellie said...

Anon, I am glad you like the recipe...thank you for stopping by.

cookiemouse said...

So, you don't proof the yeast at all? You mix it in with the flour and add the liquids to it directly? I admit I am a little nervous to try it, but I will give it a go! :) Thanks for posting this!!

Ellie said...

Cookiemouse, That's right...no proofing the yeast...as long as you use instant yeast as posted in the recipe:). The pretzel buns are delicious...I hope they come out for you as well.

Sebastian said...

Thanks for sharing! I am from Germany actually, however googling the recipe for "Laugenbrötchen" lead me to your blog! :)

Ellie said...

Sebastian, Thanks for stopping by... we love these rolls. I'm hoping you can give the recipe a try... and see if they're similar to the ones in Germany:).

DG said...

I am REALLY excited for this recipe. I looove Laugenbrot but it is so expensive to buy here and the recipe sounds fairly easy. Will be trying this within the next few days!

Ellie said...

Dan, Hope you enjoy making the pretzel buns...they are wonderful! Really easy to make, especially if you have a mixer....does all the kneading for you:).

CookingDad said...

I tried this with RapidRise yeast (because that is all I can find in my local stores) and it just isn't rising. Do I need to proof RapidRise?

Ellie said...

CookingDad, No, you do not need to proof when using rapidrise yeast. If it isn't rising, I can only think the yeast is old... other factors can be: too cold of a room, water was too cold or too hot when added to the dough.

It isn't rising at all? Maybe you can preheat your oven for a minute or 2... turn it off and make sure it's just warm inside, then place the dough inside(covered) and see if it rises that way. Otherwise you will probably need to start again... and I am sorry about that. Hope that helps.