Bavarian pretzel

Instructions

Pre-ferment

1. Mix all the ingredients for the pre-ferment in a small bowl, cover and leave to ferment at room temperature for 12 hours.

Main dough

1. Place the pre-ferment in the food processor with the remaining ingredients and knead for 2-3 minutes on a low setting.
2. Then increase the kneading speed and knead the dough for about 15 minutes. The dough should now only be minimally sticky. If this is not the case, knead in more flour.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in a tea towel and leave to rest for 10-20 minutes.

Shaping

1. After the proofing time, divide the dough into 90 g portions.
2. Pre-roll the dough pieces into even balls on an unfloured work surface.
3. Then gradually roll out all the pieces of dough into long strands.
4. Then shape these strands into pretzels as follows: Lay the strand in an inverted "U" shape in front of you on the work surface, i.e. the opening points downwards. Then intertwine the strands just before the end and press the ends left and right onto the strand to create 3 windows.
5. Place the formed pretzels on a lightly floured dough cloth with sufficient space between them, cover and leave to proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
6. Then place the dough pieces in the fridge for about 15 minutes - this makes them much easier to lye.
7. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees top/bottom heat.

To coat

1. Work with caution here. Disposable gloves are absolutely necessary, protective goggles are smart.
2. Place the lye in a medium-sized bowl. If not yet mixed, first add 1 litre of lukewarm water to the bowl and gradually stir in 40 g of baking soda pearls. Note that this is an exothermic reaction.
3. Using gloves, dip the dough pieces individually into the caustic soda solution for 5-6 seconds and allow to drain well.
4. Then place the pretzel on a baking tray lined with two sheets of baking paper and sprinkle with a little coarse salt.

Baking

1. Bake the pretzels in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes until crispy.
2. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Now quickly spray a few drops of water on top for extra shine.