Laugenbrezel
These homemade Laugenbrezeln have a deep brown, glossy crust, a chewy bite, and the unmistakable flavour that only an alkaline dip can create. Finished with coarse salt and brushed with butter, they are warm, fragrant, and wonderfully satisfying straight from the oven.
Ingredients
Teig
- 300 gstrong white bread flour
- 4 ginstant yeast
- 5 gfine salt
- 180 mlwarm water
- 15 gunsalted butter, softened
Lauge und Finish
- 1 litrewater
- 50 gbaking soda
- 1 mediumegg
- 4 gcoarse pretzel salt
- 20 gunsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and softened butter, then mix into a shaggy dough.
- 2
Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and only slightly tacky. If kneading by hand, resist adding extra flour unless the dough is very sticky; a slightly firm dough helps the pretzels hold their shape. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
- 3
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 55-60 cm long, leaving the middle slightly thicker and the ends thinner. Shape each rope into a pretzel by forming a U, crossing the ends twice, then pressing them onto the thicker lower section. Rest the shaped pretzels for 5 minutes so they relax and keep their form.
- 4
Bring the litre of water to a gentle boil in a wide pot, then lower the heat and carefully add the baking soda a little at a time; it will foam vigorously. Dip each pretzel in the soda bath for 20-30 seconds, turning once, then lift out with a slotted spatula and return to the tray. This step gives the characteristic deep colour, sheen, and pretzel flavour.
- 5
Beat the egg and brush the dipped pretzels lightly all over for shine. Cut a small slash in the thick belly of each pretzel with a sharp knife, then sprinkle with coarse pretzel salt.
- 6
Bake for 14-16 minutes until a deep mahogany brown with a firm crust and well-opened slash. If your oven browns unevenly, rotate the tray after about 10 minutes.
- 7
As soon as the pretzels come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter for a softer, glossy finish. Serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For the most authentic shape, keep the centre thick and the arms thin; this gives the classic contrast between chewy belly and crisp twists.
- •Food-grade lye is traditional, but a baking soda bath is the practical and safe home method.
- •These are best eaten the day they are baked, ideally still warm with extra butter, mustard, or Obatzda.
- •If you want a slightly firmer crust, skip the final butter brushing.
Background
Laugenbrezel is one of Germany's most iconic baked goods, especially associated with Bavaria and Swabia. Its distinctive browned crust comes from dipping the shaped dough in an alkaline solution before baking, a technique that dates back centuries. Pretzels are deeply tied to German baking culture and are commonly enjoyed with beer, butter, or regional cheese spreads.
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