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Post by cannyfradock on Apr 5, 2012 13:57:45 GMT
I had about 240gms of white dough left over from making bread, so I thought I'd try my hand a twisting Bretzels. Made 8... 30gm balls.....rolled them out to about 15mm in the center down to a point on the ends. Twisted them into a Bretzel shape and put them on a floured surface.....  Put them in boiling water for about 15/20 seconds and laid them on a tray lined with oiled greasproof paper  Brushed them with a milk/egg mix and put cinnamon and brown sugar on 4 of them and the traditional salt on the other 4. Baked them in the oven at 190c for about 25 mins.  The dough mix was probably wrong for Bretzels.......but they tasted real good.....especially the sweet ones. Terry |
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Post by Fat Bob on Apr 5, 2012 17:12:24 GMT
Do you mean Pretzels? Just delete this post and change the typo...
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Post by cannyfradock on Apr 6, 2012 18:27:12 GMT
Bob
Quite right......In German it's Brezel....In English it's Pretzel
....managed to get both wrong......
Terry
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Post by Fat Bob on Apr 6, 2012 18:51:29 GMT
Surely the Germans took them too USA? Just like Budweiser they nicked the name of the best German beer and made a pale imitation.
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Post by cannyfradock on Apr 6, 2012 20:24:57 GMT
Think your right. I believe the original "Brezel" came from Bavarian Germany. I always thought that Budweiser came from the former Czechoslovakia in the town of Budweis.
Terry
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Post by Fat Bob on Apr 7, 2012 11:12:58 GMT
Yes real Budweiser is Czech - but it was the best beer available in Germany and when a German set up a brewery in USA he stole the name.
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matt
valid member
Posts: 74
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Post by matt on Apr 8, 2012 11:51:34 GMT
Tidy shaping Terry, impressive. Must try making these.  |
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Post by Breadandwine on Apr 10, 2012 23:20:38 GMT
Hi Terry I tried to respond to this thread earlier - wrote out a post, had to leave it - then lost it! That's not going to happen this time!  I've always made these by poaching them in a bicarb solution: nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/pretzels.htmlAnd in Germany, they use a solution of food-grade lye, I believe. Although the ones demonstrated on the Hairy Biker's show went under a waterfall - we were never told what was in the water, but I'll bet it was lye. Here's a great thread on the subject on The Fresh Loaf: www.thefreshloaf.com/node/27536/german-pretzelsCheers, Paul |
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Post by dougclay on Apr 19, 2012 0:02:18 GMT
I've been trying to get the "lauge" right since I lived in germany. The bakeries use a kind of caustic soda (Natrium) but many home bakers use Natron, which contains Bicarb amongst other sorts of sodium and is sold as a cleaning product in germany most commonly Kaiser's Natron.
That reminds me that I bought some last time I was in germany and I forgot all about it, I think I'll try some this weekend, thanks for the memories :-)
Got to be salty for me... It's the only one that goes with Beer.
Although I used to eat them fresh from the baker for breakfast each morning with butter (Butterbrezeln) and that goes well with coffee...
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Post by dougclay on Apr 19, 2012 0:14:00 GMT
For the shaping technique, try the Flying Dutchman (Fliegende Hollaender), brilliant videos here: www.brezel-baecker.de/videoclipmight take a little bit of practice... |
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Post by Happy Baker on Apr 20, 2012 7:38:07 GMT
Am I missing the point, or am I justified in being quite concerned at the use of cleaning agaents to make these?
I hadn't realised this until I saw them being made on the Hairy Bikers the other week.
It just seems rather strange to use something that (I assume) you would tell your children to keep away from and not drink, to cook with!
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Post by Calaf on Apr 20, 2012 8:40:13 GMT
Hi HB! The stuff is Sodium Hydroxide (caustic soda) which is also the basic ingredient of soap.
It's very dilute for Pretzels and less caustic than handling portland cement.
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Post by Happy Baker on Apr 20, 2012 11:52:09 GMT
Thank you Calaf ... Makes you wonder who dropped the first one in the bucket of cleaner, baked it, and ate it finding out it was still edible though doen't it?  |
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Post by Breadandwine on Apr 20, 2012 12:01:45 GMT
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Post by Calaf on Apr 27, 2012 14:18:57 GMT
I mentioned pretzels to the wife the other day and she immediately demanded them. Haven't made them for ages but here we are. These were savoury "hard pretzels" that had the sodium hydroxide bath. Also did a cople of softies with cinammon sugar.  Not quite what you get at the Augustiner Keller in Munich (memories of Oktoberfest and beer served in glass buckets) but the wife enjoyed them. Some folks use baking powder as an alternative to caustic soda. Don't bother, you wont get the unique pretzel taste. Serve while wearing shorts and braces accompanied by sausages mit mustard und der fizzy lager. |
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