Pretzels (Soft & Good!) (takes 3 days)

Source:
Brian Lagerstrom's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs03DIJV7hk&t=1s

This makes classic, delicious Bavarian pretzels.

This recipe is doubled from the one on YouTube, because that makes 4 big pretzels.

If you're going to all of this trouble however, why not make 8 big pretzels.

Or, even better 16 smaller pretzels or braids or even smaller nuggets.

I'll add shaping info below.

TIME: (3 days)

Day 01: Poolish - 15 minutes

Day 02: Dough & Shaping - 4 hours

Day 03: Lye bath & Baking - 1 hour

Ingredients (2 Parts - Poolish & Dough):

POOLISH (Day 01):

• 200g room temp water (78 degrees f / 25 c)

• Small pinch of yeast

• 200g AP flour 

Into a high sided container measure water, yeast and flour.

Stir to combine, cover container with a lid and ferment at room temperature.

Wait at least 8 hours or better, 24 hours.

DOUGH:

• 300g warm water (86 degrees f / 30 c)

• All of the ripe poolish

• 6g instant yeast 

• 575g AP flour

• 20g salt

• 40g diastatic malt powder (https://amzn.to/3cAvasJ​)

• 100g softened butter (cut into pieces) 

DIRECTIONS (Day 02):

1. Into bowl of a stand mixer add water, all of the ripe poolish, and yeast.

Stir to combine.

2. Add flour, salt, and malt powder.

3. Using the dough hook attachment, start mixing on low for 3 min.

4. After about 3 min or when dough is coming together, add in softened butter one piece at a time.

When butter is incorporated, turn the mixer speed up to med high for about 5 more minutes.

After that 5 minutes on medium-high check the dough.

- If there are still flecks of butter continue mixing on high for another minute or so.

- Check the dough using the window pane test.

(You know it's done when you stretch the dough and can see light through it)

*Note: This dough easily takes the entire 5 minutes on high. Let it go for as long as needed.

5. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

6. After 30 minutes give dough a strength building fold (see video for technique).

7. Cover bowl again and let rise for 2 hours. 

8. After that 2 hours, flour the dough and work surface and portion dough into eight 150g pieces.

(**see alternate shaping ideas below)

Pre-shape each piece into cigar shapes (as shown in video) and let rest, covered for 15 minutes.

After that 15 minute rest, roll each piece of dough into tapered tubes that are about 24' long.

- keeping the middle much fuller than the tapered ends. Finish shaping pretzels as shown in video

- place on a half sheet tray lined with parchment.

9. Cover and allow to proof at room temp for 1 hour.

After that hour, pretzels should have grown by about 40%.

10. Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.

BAKING (Day 03):

LYE BATH  (If you don't have lye, see baking soda alternative below)

• 1500g tap water

• 45g food grade lye (https://amzn.to/3np3hrg​)

••••Wear gloves and use extreme caution when working with lye. Always refer to the lye packaging for safety instructions. Do not get this stuff on your skin or in your eyes.••••

1. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees f / 220 c

2. Place each pretzel into lye bath for 15-20 seconds.

- Moving them around to be sure they're submerged the whole time.

3. Place each lye bathed pretzel on a parchment lined sheet tray.

- sprinkle with pretzel salt or maldon/flakey salt.

4. Bake at 425 f until deeply golden and pretzel-colored, or about 18-20min

Baking soda alternative to lye bath

(produces similar result, but pretzels are lighter brown and taste less...pretzeley):

1. 3qts or 3000g water, whisk in 1.5 cups baking soda

2. Bring to a boil

2. Boil pretzels one at a time for 25 seconds each

**OTHER SHAPING IDEAS:

01. 75g smaller pretzel, traditionally shaped

(they end up being a bin thin, the 150g pretzel have a nice thickness to them to make it chewy, but they are good looking and end up making more to share.)

02. 30g pretzel balls, cup & roll into little "brioche roll" shape

OR - roll into little log & stretch the last inch of dough around itself

03a. 50g "Braids" (two strands 25g & 25g each)

03b. 100g "Braids" (two 50g strands)

- Twist them together

- Then "roll up" on themselves like a coil of rope

- Tuck the end underneath.

- Ends up looking like a little floret of pretzel (or challah roll), but thick enough to still be "doughy"

04. Pretzel nuggets ("Annie's Pretzel Style") (makes about 160 nuggets)

*NOTE: Egg wash needed (1 Egg yolk & 1 Tbsp of water)

APPLY Egg wash AFTER taking them out of the Lye Bath THEN apply salt

- 100g tubes (should be about 12) rolled out to 24" length

- Cut them into 1.5" lengths or nuggets

**NOTE: Bake them at 450º for 10 minutes (5 minutes, rotate, 5 minutes)

+ If you really want them like "Annie's" then brush them with melted butter when they come out of the oven

05. Pretzel rolls

(inspired by Pretzelzilla rolls at Co-Op)

12-21-22 (attempt #1)

65g rolls (makes about 22)

Baked at 425 for 13 minutes

Feedback:

Lisa: Could be bigger, so they can make little sandwiches

01-01-23 (attempt #2)

80g rolls (makes 18)

Baked at 425 for 16 minutes

Feedback:

Lisa: Could still be bigger for sandwiches

01-03-22 (attempt #3)

120G rolls (makes 12)

Baked at 425 for 20 minutes

Feedback:

Lisa thinks the size is looking good for sandwiches!

(will be tested)

Baking note:

I wanted to give the rolls more time out of the fridge to warm up.

Hoping that would give them more "spring" in the oven.

However, they need to be dipped in lye, while cold, so they hold shape.

What I DID:

1. Dipped in lye, right out of the fridge

2. Cut tops

3. Let them warm up

**That caused them to collapse.

What I SHOULD'VE done:

1. Dipped in lye, right out of the fridge

2. Let them warm up

3. Then cut the tops & bake right after

01-21-23

30g Pretzel sticks for KRFK

That is the smallest reasonable size

- pre-shape can be cigar like, then the final shape is easier

- cut is down it's length OR 3 across, like a tiny baguette

NOTE: 

The dough take so long to mix that it heats up tremendously.

NEXT TIME:

Will try colder water when making the dough

Not 86º, but 66º ??