Pretzel sticks

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 20 g fresh yeast
• 280 ml water, lukewarm
• 500 g wheat flour type 550
• 40 g butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp honey, liquid
• 2 tsp baking malt
• 35 g lye pearls
• 1 liter of water
• n. B. Salt, coarse, for sprinkling

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 15 minutes

as from the bakery, for about 12 pieces

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and let it rest for one hour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with salt, butter, honey, and baking malt (available online) and add the yeast water while stirring. Knead this dough for at least five minutes. The longer the better. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let it rise in the oven with the light on for about 1.5 hours. Knead the dough again and then scoop out 12 portions (approx. 75-80 g each). Roll out the dough pieces into a rectangle (approx. 10 x 15 cm) and roll up from the short side to form logs. Cover these again and let rise in the oven for another 20 minutes. Then place the raw logs in the freezer for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Carefully dissolve the lye pearls (also available online) in the water. PLEASE DO NOT POUR WATER ON THE PEARLS! It is recommended to wear gloves when handling them. Dip the frozen sticks into the lye, let them soak for about 10 seconds, and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain well and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil or paper. Use a sharp knife to make two or three diagonal cuts in the surface and sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Bake in a hot oven for about 20-25 minutes. Note: I deliberately chose to dip them in cold lye, because dipping them in hot lye deforms the dough pieces and makes them quite difficult to handle. Plus, the lye from the pearls can be reused.