German New Year Pretzel

3.5
(6)

This is a traditional New Year treat in Germany. It brings luck when it's the first thing you eat in the New Year. Germans typically eat it with butter spread on it. Rather than a salty pretzel, this is a lightly sweet dough. I converted and translated this from metric measurement and German language, and it turned out just wonderfully!

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5
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Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Additional Time:
1 hr 35 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 servings
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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • 6 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

  • 1 cup lukewarm milk, divided

  • 4 ½ tablespoons white sugar

  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, sifted, or more as needed

  • 4 ½ tablespoons melted butter

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 teaspoon white sugar, or as needed

Directions

  1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup milk in a bowl; add 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.

  2. Stir yeast mixture and 2 1/4 cups flour together in a bowl until dough is dry and clumpy. Allow dough to rise for 15 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup milk, butter, egg, lemon zest, and salt to dough until evenly mixed.

  3. Knead dough, adding more flour as needed, until dough is elastic. Cover bowl with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

  4. Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (199 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.

  5. Gently knead dough; roll into a long rope on the prepared baking sheet and twist into a pretzel shape. Cover dough with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 15 minutes more.

  6. Brush egg yolk over dough and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over egg yolk.

  7. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

255 Calories
9g Fat
37g Carbs
7g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 255
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 69mg 23%
Sodium 71mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 7g 14%
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 51mg 4%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 159mg 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.