Bretzel

How much I love traveling in Trentino! It has now become almost a rule: every time I go to these wonderful places, I can't help but stop at a diner for a break with pretzels! These are special mask-shaped sandwiches, which are blanched in an alkaline solution and then baked in the oven. There are those who add lard, those who prefer butter, I propose my version! Let's find out together!

Video of the Recipe

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Identity Card of the Recipe

• 228 KCal Calories per serving

• Ingrediants

  For coverage

  • A few grains of coarse salt

  For the leavening

  • 100 g of white flour of type 00
  • 100 ml of water
  • 1 teaspoon of barley malt
  • 9 g of brewer's yeast

  For the cooking

  • 2 L of water
  • 40 g of baking soda

  For the second dough (8 pretzels)

  • 30 g of butter
  • 250 ml of water
  • 10 g of salt
  • 260 g of type 0 white flour
  • 260 g of white flour type 00

  Materials Needed

  • Bowls
  • Transparent film
  • Scale weighs food
  • Casserole
  • Sieve
  • Skimmer
  • Glass or bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Blade

  Preparation

  1. Prepare the leavening. Dissolve a teaspoon of barley malt in warm water, then crumble the fresh brewer's yeast. After dissolving the yeast in the water, pour the liquid into the white flour and mix with a wooden spoon to obtain a thick batter. Cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm environment for 30-40 minutes: the leaven should appear swollen, soft and numerous bubbles should appear on the surface.

  The advice Ok
  The most suitable place for leavening is the oven, which is warm but off. Before letting any dough with brewer's yeast rise, it is therefore advisable to heat the oven to 180 ° C for 2-3 minutes. After that, the oven must be turned off and the dough can be left to rise.
  As an alternative to fresh brewer's yeast, it is possible to use 3 g of dry brewer's yeast or mother yeast (in doses equal to 30% of the total weight of the flour).

  2. When the leavening is ready, proceed with the preparation of the main dough. In a large bowl, sift the two types of flours and combine the warm water and melted butter in the center. Then add them to rise, knead the ingredients quickly and, lastly, add the salt.

  Did you know that
  Numerous pretzel recipes require the use of lard. In this version, however, we suggest the use of a small amount of butter; as an alternative, extra virgin olive oil can be added to the dough.

  3. Once all the ingredients have been blended and a soft, velvety and non-sticky dough is obtained, place the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and let it rest for about 3 hours, until the dough appears swollen and very soft, and has tripled the own volume.
  4. Take the dough and cut it into 8 parts.
  5. Roll out each piece of dough with your hands to obtain a cord about 60-65 cm long, with the ends thinner than the center.
  6. Give the cord the typical shape of the bretzel (a ring with knotted ends). It is recommended to refer to the video.
  7. As the bretzels are obtained, place them on small squares of baking paper and let them rest for about ten minutes: in this way, it will be easier to handle them and maintain the perfect shape of the bretzels.
  8. Meanwhile, bring 2 liters of water to the boil, then alkalize with baking soda.

  Curiosity
  On an industrial level, pretzels are blanched in an alkaline solution prepared with water and caustic soda. Due to the difficulties related to the handling of caustic soda, at home it is preferred to use sodium bicarbonate: this step is important to give the typical bright and shiny appearance!

  9. When the water boils, lift the pretzels with baking paper and gently dip them into the alkaline water. After 30-40 seconds, quickly remove the bread “masks” with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with baking paper.
  10. Repeat the operation also with the other pretzels.
  11. With a sharp razor blade, score the pretzels in various places.
  12. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C.
  13. Sprinkle the pretzels with a few grains of coarse salt (or with sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds or aniseed).
  14. Cook the pretzels at 200 ° C (ventilated function) for about 20 minutes: they should take on a typically brown color.
  15. The pretzels should be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. Storage in plastic bags is not recommended.

  Alice's comment - PersonalCooker

  I love pretzels: with this recipe I will bring the mountains of South Tyrol home! You can keep them out of the fridge for 4-5 days: I recommend, however, not to close them in a plastic bag to prevent them from taking on a mushy consistency. They are delicious to accompany with mustard and sausage !
  

  Nutritional values ​​and Health Comment on the recipe

  Bretzels are foods that belong to the bread group and related. They have an average energy intake, provided above all by carbohydrates, while proteins and fats are of little relevance.
  Fiber is abundant, while cholesterol is almost absent.
  The Bretzel are foods that are not suitable for the diet of those suffering from celiac disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension.
  As a substitute for bread, they can occasionally be included in the anti-overweight diet. The average portion varies according to the composition of the meal.