Pretzel rolls
Pretzel rolls
The pretzel and the legacy of the guilds.
Country:
Germany
To:
Snack
Preparation:
approximately 2-3 hours
Pieces:
10
Introduction
About the pretzel
Three times the sun shall shine – Pretzels and the legacy of the guilds
When the Western Roman Empire fell, southern Germany did not enter a dark age, but rather a period of transformation. Germanic tribes settled in the region, building on Roman ruins and adopting their roads, administration, and currency – while still creating something unique. In this way, a new cultural area emerged in the heart of Europe from the old and the new.
With the rise of cities in the High Middle Ages, the guilds that still shape our culture today also came into being. The bakers’ guilds played a particularly central role, as their bread fed the cities and their rules ensured the quality of their goods and a stable supply.
The legend surrounding the pretzel also originates from this world: in 1477, a court baker named Frieder was sentenced to death by his sovereign, Count Eberhard, but was given one last chance. He said: »Bake a cake, my dear friend, through which the sun shines three times, and you will not be hanged; your life will be spared.« The baker was initially desperate, and his distraught wife folded her arms in despair – and so the baker Frieder came up with the pretzel shape with its three openings.
To this day, the pretzel stands for the best that craftsmanship can achieve: simplicity with meaning and everyday life with history – a southern German heritage made of dough, fire, and a pinch of legend.
Introduction
About the pretzel
Three times the sun shall shine – Pretzels and the legacy of the guilds
When the Western Roman Empire fell, southern Germany did not enter a dark age, but rather a period of transformation. Germanic tribes settled in the region, building on Roman ruins and adopting their roads, administration, and currency – while still creating something unique. In this way, a new cultural area emerged in the heart of Europe from the old and the new.
With the rise of cities in the High Middle Ages, the guilds that still shape our culture today also came into being. The bakers’ guilds played a particularly central role, as their bread fed the cities and their rules ensured the quality of their goods and a stable supply.
The legend surrounding the pretzel also originates from this world: in 1477, a court baker named Frieder was sentenced to death by his sovereign, Count Eberhard, but was given one last chance. He said: »Bake a cake, my dear friend, through which the sun shines three times, and you will not be hanged; your life will be spared.« The baker was initially desperate, and his distraught wife folded her arms in despair – and so the baker Frieder came up with the pretzel shape with its three openings.
To this day, the pretzel stands for the best that craftsmanship can achieve: simplicity with meaning and everyday life with history – a southern German heritage made of dough, fire, and a pinch of legend.
Ingredients
-
1 cube or 125 ml yeast
-
150 ml water
-
150 ml milk
-
500 g flour
-
1 tsp salt
-
1 tsp sugar
-
50 g butter
Coarse salt Ingredients for the lye:
-
1 l water
-
3 tbsp baking soda
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the pre-dough. Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of flour, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of lukewarm milk. Cover the mixture with a cloth and leave to rise in a relatively warm place for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
Melt the butter and allow to cool briefly. Place the remaining flour in a bowl, form a well, then add the pre-ferment. Knead thoroughly and gradually add the remaining milk. Add 150 ml water, butter, and salt until a yeast dough forms. Cover the dough again and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.
Step 3
Knead the dough again and then shape into pretzels. Alternatively, you can also make breadsticks or rolls. For classic pretzels, first shape the dough into a roll, then divide it into 10 equal pieces and shape them into rolls about 30 cm long, which are thinner at the ends and slightly thicker in the middle.Form a pretzel by folding the ends over each other and pressing them together lightly in the middle where they overlap.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (upper/lower heat) and let the pretzels continue to rise. Bring the water to a boil and add the baking soda. Dip the pretzels into the lye for about 30 seconds, let them drain, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Sprinkle with salt, preferably coarse-grained, to taste and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
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