Recipes Bread Yeast Bread Recipes Pretzel Recipes Bavarian Pretzels 3.6 (5) 5 Reviews 3 Photos These are magnificent soft pretzels with a gorgeous, beautifully browned, crusty exterior, bejeweled with crystals of salt. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on August 7, 2023 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 3 3 3 Prep Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Additional Time: 10 hrs 50 mins Total Time: 11 hrs 50 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 8 pretzels Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe If you've researching making "real" Bavarian pretzels online, the one thing that every single article and blog post has in common is the insistence that you must, you have to, use a lye dip. And the one thing that every single person who reads this fun fact has in common is not having any lye around. Oh sure, a few folks who make their own soap might have some, but if you make your own soap, you're probably too busy to make pretzels anyway, like those two guys in the movie, who were really (Spoiler Alert!) the same guy. Anyway, the good news is that we can get very close to the same effect using baking soda, as long as we bake it first, which is what raises the PH level closer to what we need. What happens is that this highly alkaline solution that we dip our dough in denatures the surface, which gives our pretzels their signature, dark brown appearance, unique flavor, and chewiness. Otherwise, the exact same dough will simply produce attractively knotted bread. Speaking of highly alkaline solutions, I used a high ratio of baking soda to hot water, which means it might be a challenge to get it all mixed in. You can try using boiling water, which will make things easier, but if you make it way ahead of time, and let it sit, it might start to crystalize. So, you can bake the baking soda ahead of time, but I'd wait until you're close to dipping time before you mix the solution. Other than that, this is a fairly easy recipe and simple procedure, and whether you enjoy these with a beer for Oktoberfest, or not, I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy! Chef John Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients For the Pretzels: 1 tablespoon brown sugar ½ cup warm water ½ teaspoon active dry yeast 2 tablespoons butter, melted ½ cup lager-style beer 3 ⅓ cups bread flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon butter, softened nonstick cooking spray 1 pinch flaked sea salt, or to taste For the Baking Soda Bath: ⅓ cup baking soda 2 ½ cups hot water Directions Gather all ingredients. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Mix brown sugar and warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit for 10 minutes. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Add melted butter and beer to the yeast mixture and whisk until combined. Add bread flour and salt. Mix and then knead with your hands or an electric mixer for a few minutes until a dough ball forms. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Grease a bowl with 1 teaspoon butter. Place dough in the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 8 hours, or overnight. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Punch down the dough and knead until a smooth ball of dough is formed, about 1 minute. Place back in the bowl, cover, and let rise until dough has almost doubled in size, 2 to 3 more hours. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place baking soda in an oven-safe dish. Place baking soda in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Let cool, and then whisk into a shallow bowl of 2 1/2 cups hot water until dissolved. Mixture can be strained to remove any dissolved pieces. Reserve until needed. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each one into a ball; let sit for 5 minutes. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI To form a pretzel, roll a dough ball into a sausage shape, and then press into a small rectangle with your fingers. Fold the outside third of the dough into the center, and press flat with your fingertips, and then repeat with the edge closest to you. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Roll the dough into a rope 15 to 18 inches long, with the center (belly) of the rope being twice as thick as the ends. Cross the ends once or twice and fold them back over the pretzel so the ends are just past the belly. Repeat to form remaining pretzels. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Put on some thin, food-safe gloves and transfer a pretzel to the baking soda bath; soak for 20 to 30 seconds, gently splashing liquid over the top of the pretzel to coat. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet that's been greased with cooking spray. Sprinkle the still-damp pretzel with large-grain sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels and let rise for 30 minutes. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Use a razor or sharp knife to make a slash across the "belly" of each pretzel. Smaller cuts can also be made on other sides of the pretzel if desired. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Bake in the preheated oven until well browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Serve and enjoy! ALLRECIPES / BAHAREH NIATI Chef's Notes: You can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Make sure for the baking soda bath that your hot water is at 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 224 Calories 4g Fat 39g Carbs 6g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 224 % Daily Value * Total Fat 4g 5% Saturated Fat 2g 12% Cholesterol 9mg 3% Sodium 3037mg 132% Total Carbohydrate 39g 14% Dietary Fiber 1g 5% Total Sugars 2g Protein 6g 12% Calcium 13mg 1% Iron 3mg 15% Potassium 64mg 1% * 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.