German Pretzel Buns Recipe

German Pretzel Buns Recipe

German Pretzel Buns Recipe – Laugenstangen

The dough of the German pretzel buns recipe is a little different from the dough of my soft pretzels. Whereas I use water to make the pretzel dough, I use a mixture of milk and water for the buns. The second rising of the pretzel is after the first rising at a warm place, and the dough of the bun dough rises overnight in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients for the German Pretzel Buns Recipe:

  • 500 g (1.1 lbs) of flour, all-purpose
  • 1 pouch of dry yeast, rapid rise
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoons of salt
  • 40 g (1.41 oz) of butter, soft
  • 150 ml (5.07 oz) of water, lukewarm
  • 150 ml (5.07 oz) of milk, lukewarm
  • 1-2 tablespoons of salt, coarse

For the lye:

  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of water
  • 60 g (2.11 oz) of baking soda

Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Cut the butter into slices and spread it on top of the flour. Mix the milk and water and heat up to lukewarm. Add half of the water milk mixture to the flour and start kneading on low, while gradually adding the rest of the liquids. Knead for 8 minutes until the dough loosens from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 40 minutes or until it has doubled.

Shaping of the buns:

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut pieces of 90 g to make the buns. The dough is very tense and quickly dries out. Therefore cover the unused portions with cellophane foil while working on the shaping of the rolls.

Make a ball of each piece and flatten it using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Roll the dough tightly about 6 inches in a way that the ends are thinner.

Rolling a ball for the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Flatten the dough   Making a tide roll

Close the seam with the fingers, turn the roll around and place it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and let the buns rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Closing the roll of the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Shaping the buns   Rising of the dough

Preparation of the soda lye:

Use plastic gloves to prepare the lye and to work with the dipped buns. Fill a saucepan with the water, and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove and slowly and carefully add the baking soda to the water while stirring. The baking soda will bubble, so make sure that your saucepan is high enough. Bring the liquid back to a boil again, turn the heat down and let it simmer. Carefully dip the buns into the lye, leaving them no more than 30 seconds in it. Make sure the pretzels are entirely dipped into the water.  

Remove the pretzels from the soda lye with a skimming ladle and place them on a cooling rack covered with baking paper to let them drip and rise.

Baking of the buns:

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C – 425° F. Transfer the buns on a baking sheet covered with a double layer of baking paper. Make two cuts diagonal into the buns using a sharp knife or a razor blade and brush them with the lye before sprinkling the coarse salt on top. 

Dipping the rolls of the German Pretzel Buns Recipe   Preparation of the buns   Baking of the buns

Bake the pretzel buns for 15-17 minutes using the third rack. Once you take the buns out of the oven, immediately spray them with water for a nice shine and let them cool down on a cooling rack.

You can serve the pretzel buns with Oma’s Obatzda here, a traditional cheese butter spread, or one of the flavored butter spread here.