Craving something deliciously soft and salty? These homemade German pretzels are the perfect snack, easy to make and full of authentic Bavarian flavor!
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German pretzels are a classic snack, often associated with Bavarian culture. They are soft, salty, and have that signature twisted shape that makes them so iconic.
These pretzels are wonderfully soft on the inside with a slightly crisp crust on the outside. The combination of the dough, a light sprinkle of salt, and a golden finish makes them the perfect treat.
Enjoy German pretzels anytime, whether for Oktoberfest, at a family gathering, or just as a savory snack. They’re easy to make at home and perfect for sharing with friends!
Ingredients You Need
You will need these ingredients to make these German Bretzels:
- Baker's yeast: Use a packet of dry yeast or the equivalent in fresh baker's yeast.
- Sugar: Use brown sugar, preferably flavored, cane sugar or, as in the traditional recipe, malt syrup.
- Water: You can replace the water with milk or make a mixture of both.
- Flour: Use white wheat flour or bread flour.
- Salt: fine salt or fleur de sel.
- Butter: soft unsalted butter, melted and cooled.
- Coarse salt: sprinkle on pretzels before baking, use coarse sea salt or fleur de sel.
- Lye solution: Use food-grade lye or, if you prefer, just baking soda and boiling water to make the baking soda bath.
How to Make Homemade German Pretzels
Here’s a quick visual guide. Don’t forget, the full instructions with exact ingredients are below!
Place milk, brown sugar, and dry baker's yeast in a bowl and stir with a tablespoon and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble.
In a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture, water, and melted butter.
Knead on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. Cover and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the gas.
Divide it into 10 equal pieces, roll into balls, and cover with a tea towel. Roll each ball into a long sausage, shape into a U, cross the ends twice, then bring them back to the bottom of the U and press to seal. Place the pretzels on parchment paper and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
In a saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Dip each pretzel into the boiling water for 10-15 seconds on each side until they float. Use a skimmer to remove and drain them, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them out. Sprinkle with pretzel salt, sesame, or poppy seeds.
Preheat the oven to 428°F (220°C) and bake the pretzels for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Let them cool on a wire rack, then brush with melted butter and enjoy while still warm!
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with mustard or cheese dipping sauce for a savory snack.
- Pair with a cold beer for a classic German treat.
- Enjoy alongside a warm bowl of soup, like tomato or beer cheese soup.
- Serve as an appetizer at parties with a variety of dips.
- Top with melted cheese for a cheesy pretzel experience.
- Perfect for a quick breakfast with butter or jam.
- Add a side of pickles for an extra tangy bite.
Tips for this recipe
Variations & Substitutions
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I hope you loved this German pretzel recipe! Feel free to rate it and leave a comment to let me know what you think. Happy baking!
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German Pretzels
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10 bretzels
Description
German Bretzel, the easy and traditional recipe made with a yeast brioche dough and sea salt (for 10 - 12 soft pretzels)
Ingredients
Pretzel dough
- 350 ml (1 ¼ cup) Water - lukewarm 86°F / 30°C max
- 1 packet Dry baker's yeast - about 7 g or 20 g of Fresh yeast
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar - or malt syrup
- 500 g (3 ¾ cups) Flour - plain or bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 30 g (2 tbsp) Butter - unsalted, melted and cooled
- Coarse salt
Water bath
- 50 g (⅓ cup) Baking soda
- 1,5-2 l Water - boiling
Instructions
- Rehydrate the dry yeast in a bowl with warm water and sugar, mix and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, pour the flour and salt, then add the liquid mixture containing the baker's yeast and then the melted and cooled butter.
- Knead on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough that pulls away from the sides. If the dough seems too soft and sticky, then add a bit of flour and if it seems too dry, add a bit of water.
- Cover with a cloth and let the dough rise at room temperature in a warm place for about 1 ½ to 2 hours until it doubles in size.
- Remove the dough to a work surface and degas it with the palm of your hands.
- Cut the dough into 10 pieces (about 90g) and shape them into balls.
- Work on one ball at a time and while doing so, leave the other balls of dough under a cloth to prevent them from drying out and forming a crust.
- Shape the pretzels by first working the dough into a ball that you roll with your hands until it is about 50 cm long.
- Form into a U shape, then cross the ends twice, then fold them over the bottom of the U and press to stick.
- Move the pretzels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them grow for 30 minutes under a tea towel.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan with the baking soda and bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the baking soda in the water.
- Then lower the temperature until the water is just simmering.
- Dip each pretzel one by one into the boiling water for about 10 to 15 seconds per side, no more to avoid a metallic taste.
- With a skimmer, remove the drained pretzels and place them back on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, making sure to separate them enough to prevent them from sticking together during baking.
- Sprinkle coarse salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds on top.
- Preheat the oven to 428°F / 220°C and bake the pretzels for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
- Let them cool down a little before brushing them with a brush and a bit of melted butter.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Conservation: About 3 to 5 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you have the time, make the dough the day before and leave it in the fridge for at least 8 hours or even overnight.
The water must be lukewarm (baby bath temperature).
You can replace the water with milk or make a mixture of both.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill time: 2h30
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: bread, brioches,
- Cuisine: German
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