These Bavarian pretzels are a very popular snack in Germany and perfect for your next Oktoberfest party! They taste delicious dipped in cheese sauce and are easy to make at home with simple ingredients. This authentic German Pretzel Recipe makes enough for a crowd as an appetizer.
Pretzels are probably one of the most famous German baked goods! Making them at home is much easier than it seems if you follow my tips and tricks. They make a great snack with a layer of butter but also taste great the American-way dipped in cheese sauce or mustard!
German soft pretzels, called Brezeln or Brezen in Germany, are soft inside with a bread-like chewy texture and have a deep brown outside that comes from bathing in a lye or baking soda solution before baking. Bakeries use lye but using it at home can be dangerous because it burns skin and eyes so baking soda is a much safer way to achieve nearly the same results without the risk.
How to make German Pretzels
Homemade pretzels are so easy to make from scratch and taste like from your favorite German bakery. The dough is a simple yeast dough, that is shaped into pretzels, dipped into lye or baking soda, sprinkled with salt and baked to a golden brown.
How do you twist a pretzel
German pretzels are shaped a little bit different than American soft pretzels. The middle part is thicker and the ends thin out so that you have a really defined pretzel shape with three holes that doesn’t bake up into a big shapeless bun.
Start with a piece of dough and use your hands to roll it into a 16-inch long rope. The middle part should bulge to a diameter of about 1.2 inches (3 cm) and the ends should be thinned out to about 0.3 inches (0.75 cm) to get the perfect pretzel shape.
Next step is to bring the ends together to form a circle and then twist them.
Twist them again.
And then fold them over and secure the ends on the bottom curve. Just press them into the dough. Transfer the shaped pretzels to a sheet of parchment paper and readjust the shape so they look like in the photo below.
Let them rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place but don’t cover them! You want the surface of the dough to dry out to get the perfect texture and prevent it from soaking up the baking soda (or lye) wash. When the pretzels have risen place them next to an opened window or outside for a few minutes so the surface dries out even more because of the breeze. You can also use a fan to achieve the same result.
Now comes the step which gives the pretzels their famous brown look. Bakeries use a lye solution for this but working with lye is a bit dangerous. You would need gloves, protective goggles, and try not to get the powder anywhere. Because of that I much prefer to use baking soda.
It doesn’t work as effectively as lye and the pretzels will be a bit paler and not as shiny but in my opinion, they taste close enough to the original without the added risk. Following all the steps in my recipe will get you the same special texture authentic Bavarian pretzels have. That is also why my recipe uses part milk, part water. The milk helps to develop a browner surface.
After dipping the pretzels into the water bath put them back on the parchment paper and sprinkle them with salt. I have to admit I hate salt on my pretzels so I only use it very sparingly or not at all.
Before they go into the oven slash each pretzel with a sharp knife in the chunky middle part. This gives them the real-deal bavarian pretzel look!
Best ways to eat pretzels
In Germany, pretzels are often eaten as a quick snack. You can get them at every bakery and even at many service stations. Germans also love to eat their pretzels cut in half with a thick layer of butter and chopped chives on top. You have to try this combination!
Pretzels are also served with a Weißwurstfrühstück. That’s a special breakfast that’s popular in Bavaria but especially in Munich. It consists of a kind of white sausage that is served with pretzels and sweet coarse mustard. Sounds a little bit gross but tastes so delicious!
Not so fresh pretzels are also used as an ingredient for soup and pretzel dumplings.
Looking for more German Recipes?
- German Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Bavarian Beer Cheese Spread (Obatzda) – Tastes especially great with pretzels!
- Easy German Spaetzle Recipe
- Authentic German Potato Salad
- German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)
- Kaiserschmarrn
Tools used for making this Pretzel recipe:
Malt Extract: Malt extract adds sweetness and flavor. If you don’t have any on hand you can also use brown sugar to achieve a similar taste.
Lye: This food-grade lye (Sodium Hydroxide) is traditionally used to make pretzels, but you have to be very careful when using it because it is dangerous (you can also use it as a drain cleaner). I prefer using baking soda even so the result is not as great (not as deeply colored) but the pretzels taste like the real deal without the danger.
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Bavarian Pretzels Recipe
Ingredients
For the pretzels:
- ¾ cup milk, lukewarm
- ½ cup water, lukewarm
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar, or malt extract
- 2 ½ tsp instant yeast, or active dry yeast
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp table salt
For the bath:
- 4 cups water
- 3 Tbsp baking soda
Topping:
- 2 Tbsp coarse salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment combine lukewarm milk, water, and brown sugar. Stir together with a fork then sprinkle instant (or active dry) yeast on top. Give it a swirl with the fork and let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- In the meantime melt the butter over low heat, then let cool for a few minutes.
- Add flour, melted butter, and salt to the bowl with the yeast and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover bowl with plastic wrap put it in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch (40cm) long rope, the middle part (about 2 inches or 5 cm) should be bulged to a diameter of about 1.2 inches and the ends should be thinned out to about 0.3 inches (0.75 cm).
- Bring the ends together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends together twice then fold them down onto the bottom curve. Press ends into the dough and shape into a perfect pretzel shape.
- Let the pretzels rise uncovered for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- In the meantime preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) with a baking sheet inside in the lower third.
- Once the pretzels have risen, put them next to an opened window so the surface dries out and the pretzels develop a skin. This step is important for the texture.
- Bring 4 cups water in a medium pot to a boil then add the baking soda. With a slotted spoon dip the pretzels one at a time carefully into the simmering water.
- Take them out after about 5 seconds and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and cut the dough with a sharp knife about 0.2 inches deep in the thick middle part at the top-back.
- Transfer the parchment paper with the pretzels onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until nicely browned. You want them to be really brown and not golden.
- Remove pretzels from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. If you want them to be shiny brush them with a little bit of melted butter.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
debbie says
Made these today. I agree you need to use less flour.
It was a great Octoberfest recipe! My mom was German.
I did it in her honor! I would love to go to Germany some time.
Do you ever give travel advice?
Thank you for your recipe!
Shelley Nolden says
Can you use our water like what is used to make alkaline noodles? If so how would that be diluted?
Julia Foerster says
Sorry, Shelley, I have never made alkaline noodles so I’m not sure.
Michelle says
Just baked these today and they turned out perfect! Used the metric measurements and no issues at all. Loved the idea of baking in the bottom third because the bases turned out so delightfully crispy!
Joe says
How long by an opened Windsor to form film?
Julia Foerster says
It takes about 15-20 minutes.
Jean says
good to share your pretzel experience/tradition. Maybe one day we’ll try…my partner is German-Canadian who probably wants hard crust finish….but I need to prevent the lye use.
Christine Gehrman says
I have never and didn’t think I could actually make homemade pretzels, but I tried this recipe and was truly delighted! Thank you for all the recipe and all the practical tips. These came out great! And were easier than I thought.
Great texture inside and out, and delicious flavor. Making them for an Oktoberfest.
Question, how best to store them and for how long will they last? (I know they are best warm out of oven : )
Julia Foerster says
Thank you for your comment, Christine! You can store them in a paper bag for 1-2 days. They will get soft on the outside but you can crisp them up in a preheated oven or Air Fryer at 350 degrees F for about 3-5 minutes and they will taste similar to fresh from the oven. I just did that for lunch today!
Kai says
Hi!
I followed the recipe 100% Meaning everything. No twists, timings exactly like they are in the recipe.
Pretzels turned out really good. I had no problems whatsoever due to dough sticking to baking paper. Or problems during shaping the pretzels.
Actually this dough is wonderful and easy to work with. Taste…yup…all thumbs up for that. Only few things what I will change for next batch:
I would make 12 not 8 Pretzels out of this recipe and I will make them much thinner – they are really growing up in oven. And I might put some egg wash on them prior oven.
Having said that – really good recipe, works great, dough does not stick to baking paper / baking board, taste is wonderful and all given times are correct.
9,9 out of ten.
Thanks!!!
INGE KOHL says
You should really try to use the lye bath instead of baking soda. I have been making Pretzel for years with food grade lye and they look and taste so much better. Yes, you need gloves and you need to cover your table and make sure to use parchment paper on the cookie sheets. I never use goggles or masks. With a little common sense there is no danger. So worth it.
Coral says
I love them! So soft and tasty. I would’ve liked them a bit more crispy but they were still delicious and perfect!
Mark Z says
I just couldn’t resist. I used KA bread flour, soy milk, plant based butter and dry malt extract. The dough was a bit stiff but, small addition of H20 while kneading helped. I shaped them following instructions from ‘My German Recipes’ and flipped them end over end in the soda bath and baked them on ‘Sil Pat’. They turned out so beautiful!
Mike B says
Thanks for sharing your Recipe. Mine turned out very hard, and I’m not sure where I went wrong. The only thing i can think of is when i let the dough rise the only warm place i had was the garage and it tripled in about 45 min. Other than that, maybe my electric oven cooks hotter? The ones in the back did turn brown, and the ones in the front were golden after 20 min. All were too hard though. Any suggestions?
Julia Foerster says
Sorry, this happened, Mike! Sounds to me like the pretzels were over-proofed. If the dough triples in size it has proofed too long. Instead of getting airy in the oven, they will deflate and get hard. You might also want to check your oven with a thermometer and rotate the pan if you know that your oven is hotter in the back.
Remi says
It says instant yeast in the ingredient list and in the instructions it says active dry yeast. Which one is correct??
Julia Foerster says
Because the yeast is dissolved in liquid in this recipe it works with both. But thank you for catching this I will edit the recipe card.
John L says
I was right about the flour measurement. It should say 4 cups SIFTED flour. (Flour sifted directly into the measuring cup, not dipped into the flour and leveled.) I baked a 2nd batch using 16 ounces of flour and they came out much better. The dough still did not come together like I thought it should, so I made a third batch with 14 ounces of flour and they were great. I use Bread Flour because it gives a better pull to the baked pretzels. This could have some bearing on the amount of flour but not more than an ounce. Different brands of AP flour can do that depending on the type of wheat used to make the flour.
I use Diastatic Malt Powder. 1/2 tsp with the yeast and milk/water mixture them another teaspoon to the yeast mixture just before adding the butter et al. The dough rose very well , which is what it is supposed to do.
I frequent a little village close to Munich. My daughter moved there for school/work and eventually married a German National and now has a son, so I know what the pretzels should look like. Pretzels are everywhere. German have bakeries like we in the US have Starbucks. I feel the ones in the pictures are underbaked. They develop a thin crunchy skin when baked to a deep chestnut brown. They are dipped in the baking soda solution to aid in browning. If not baked to a deep brown the crust is soft, like a hamburger bun. Tell me if yours that are baked to a tan color are not like this. If mine last to the next day the crust becomes soft.
Julia Foerster says
Hi John, thank you for your comment! I grew up in Germany and have eaten a lot of pretzels in my life, so I know what they should taste and look like. I can assure you that the pretzels in the pictures are not underbaked, they are lighter in color than the ones from a German bakery because I don’t use a lye bath but the crust is as perfect and authentic as it can be without using lye. The crust is definitely not soft, but a lye bath will yield a crunchier crust in my experience. So perhaps you want to try that! In my experience, sifting is not necessary for this recipe. I always recommend to spoon and level the flour, never scoop. For me, the amount of flour always worked in this recipe, so I’m not sure why your dough was dry. I will add a note to the recipe for other readers. Bread flour absorbs slightly more liquid so you need to use less flour if you are using bread flour.
Victor T says
Yep. Mine stuck to parchment too. I’ve used the same paper to bake sticky chocolate cakes but it stuck to these pretzels. Also, I had to add quite a bit more liquid to the batter. It wouldn’t bind properly.
Mona says
Super gooooooooood recipe.
They just came from oven can’t stop eatting😊
Darin says
This recipe is very close to one I use, can you explain what the milk plays in the scheme of things? I’ve not seen that used before and I’m intersted. Thanks.
Julia Foerster says
Milk adds a richer texture and a little bit of sweetness which is important for real German pretzels.
John says
Please add the fact that we need to oil the parchment paper
My pretzels are all stuck.
Julia says
Sorry, this happened! I never had this problem with the parchment paper (Costco) I use.
shelli runnels says
These were delicious! I need to make these for a party. Can I freeze the dough? If so, at what stage would I do that?
Julia says
I haven’t tried it myself but there are two options. 1. Freezing the shaped and in the baking soda mixture dipped raw pretzels ( cut before freezing but don’t salt), then bake the frozen pretzels (put salt on just before baking) in a preheated oven until golden brown (Baking Time will be a bit longer) or 2. Freeze the baked and completely cooled pretzels and reheat and crisp up the frozen pretzels in a 300 degrees F oven until thawed and crisp. Hope this helps! – Julia
Cynthia DeMers says
They are perfect! My kids don’t like sweets anymore, so this is the perfect snack for them. They were fairly easy to do and if you can get your kids help in rolling them out, it can go quickly. I looked at several pretzel recipes and yours seemed the best one to try. Especially since it’s a German recipe.
I will say though, when looking for pretzel recipes, your took awhile before I came upon it.
Sarah says
Fantastic recipe! Absolutely delicious pretzels! Thank you!
Jenny says
These tasted like the ones we’ve tried in Germany! Well worth the effort!! Your instructions on how to twist them the right way were very helpful. Thank you!
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing this! :) My dough didn’t come together as well as hoped – please can you elaborate on the “knead for 5 minutes” part? Does this mean knead using dough hook or by hand? I tried both. Love the photos to help guide the rolling!
JG1996 says
Delicious!! It reminds me of the ones my Oma made!