Davia's Authentic German Pretzel (Laugenbrezeln)
These are the real deal!
Ingredients
Pre-Dough
- ⅘ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cups cold water about 10 °C / 50 °F
- 1/2 tsp dry yeast or 15g sourdough starter
Main Dough
- 3 ⅕ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp malt powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry yeast Or 10g fresh yeast
- ⅛ cups soft butter or lard
- 3/4 cups cold water about 10 °C / 50 °F
Also Needed
- 4 ¼ cups Water cold water at 20 °C 68 °F
- 8 tsp food grade lye
- Pretzel salt
Instructions
Prepare the Starter
- In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, and cold water on low speed. Knead on high speed for 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then refrigerate for 12–14 hours.
Make the Dough
- Combine the main dough ingredients with the starter. Mix on low for 4 minutes, then knead on high for 5 minutes (dough temp should be around 75 °F).
- Rest the Dough
- Cover and let the dough rest in the bowl for 20 minutes.
Shape the Pretzels
- Divide into 7-8 equal pieces. Roll each into a rope, thicker in the middle and thinner at the ends. Keep the ends rounded.
- Twist and Proof
- Shape each rope into a pretzel. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temp for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Chill the Pretzels
- Uncover and refrigerate the shaped pretzels for 60 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat and Prepare the Lye
- Preheat your oven to 450 °F (230 °C) with top and bottom heat. While the oven heats, prepare your lye solution.
⚠️ Important Safety Notes for Working with Lye: Use only food-grade lye (sodium hydroxide). Always wear gloves and eye protection when handling it. Only use glass or stainless steel containers—never plastic or aluminum. Always add lye to water, never water to lye (or it can cause a dangerous reaction). Use cold water at 20 °C (68 °F)—once lye is added, the solution will naturally rise to around 30 °C (86 °F). Your pretzels must be cold before dipping. If they’re warm, they may react and change texture or color. Never use more than 40 g of lye per 1,000 ml of water.
- Wearing gloves, gently dip each cold pretzel into the lye solution for no more than 5 seconds. Let any excess drip off, then place the pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a sharp blade, score the thick part (the belly) of each pretzel, then sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 12–14 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy with Butter
Notes
If you use the 2x or 3x button to scale this recipe, do not increase the lye solution. You only need 1000 ml water + 40 g food-grade lye, no matter how many pretzels you're making.
Note on Baking Malt: Using baking malt is key to getting that beautiful color and classic pretzel crust. I’ve found the best flavor comes from German baking malt made from rye—it gives your pretzels that deep, authentic taste. But fair warning: the dough can be harder to work with! Be sure to check out my YouTube video for a shaping tip that makes it much easier.
If you’re just starting out, American baking malt (usually made from barley) is a bit more forgiving and still gives a great result. Either one works—just depends if you want easier shaping or the full-on German flavor experience!
I like to prepare my pre-dough in the morning, make the main dough at night, then shape the pretzels and let them proof overnight in the refrigerator, covered. In the morning, I dip them in the lye solution and bake them fresh.