![]() Laugengebäck refers to baked items that are made with the same dough and technique as the Laugenbrezel, but are either formed differently or have added toppings. This process, when prefected, takes only seconds, but it needs a lot of practice to get it right. The ends are then pressed onto the body of the pretzel. Both ends of the strand are held up, and through a quick swing, the center of the strand is twisted. Bakers spend years perfecting the pretzel-forming technique. Pretzels today continue to be formed by hand as has been done throughout history. In Swabian the arms of the pretzel sit very low on the body. For example, in Bavaria, the arms are shorter and attached closer to the top (thin part) of the pretzel. There are slight variations of the pretzel shape in each region of Germany. Others say the shape originated in a monastery, where the pretzel shape was designed to resemble a praying monk (back then the praying position was arms crossed with the hands on the shoulders). Some say the shape originates with the Romans, resembling the Roman ring-bread, a small, circular-shaped bread. There are many theories surrounding the creation of the pretzel shape. His guests were very pleased and he became the "pretzel hero." The pretzels came out of the oven with a unique brown crust, soft center, and delicious taste. The baker decided to bake the pretzels anyway. He wanted to brush the pretzels with sugar-water, but accidentally used the Natronlauge, the sodium hydroxide solution being used to clean and disinfect the bakery countertops. The saga goes that on the morning of February 11, 1839, Anton Nepomuk Pfanenbrenner, the baker for the Munich Royal Café, was preparing some sweet pretzels for his guests. Because of this technique, this type of pretzel is also called a Laugenbrezel.Īlthough other regions of Germany have their stories of how it was invented, the Laugenbrezel is accredited to the Bavarians. This is what gives the pretzel its unique color and flavor. ![]() ![]() In German this mixture is called Natronlauge. Pretzels are topped with coarse salt or sometimes with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or poppy seeds.īefore baking, the formed pretzel is dunked briefly in a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. Other variations use whole wheat flour, spelt flour, or a mixture of different flours. In some regions in Germany, fat is added to the dough to soften it. The pretzel is traditionally made from white (wheat) flour, malt, salt, yeast, and water. It has a plump "body", and thin, crispy (not dry) crossed "arms." The ideal pretzel, as served in Germany, has a dark brown, crispy, salty crust, and inside a soft dough.
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