New Year's pretzel like from the Swabian godmother

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 cube of yeast
• 300 ml milk
• 1 tbsp honey or sugar* (see note)
• 700 g flour (type 550 or 405)
• 3 m.-sized eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 100 g butter, melted

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

For 1 baking tray-sized pretzel; for a midnight buffet or New Year’s brunch.

I prepare the dough without steam (pre-dough). Heat the milk to about 30°C, dissolve the yeast with honey or sugar in it. Using the dough hook on a food processor, combine all the ingredients to form a smooth dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.** Knead lightly by hand on a floured surface, roll out a large rope with your hands, and form a pretzel on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Decorate with leftover dough as desired: braid, ornaments, year, name, etc. Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes, then bake on the second rack from the bottom at 170°C fan/convection oven, 190°C top/bottom heat, gas mark 2 for 30-35 minutes until light golden brown. Do not brush with egg yolk, otherwise the pretzel will become too dark and patchy! The egg wash can also be a bit bitter. *The original recipe calls for 100g of honey or sugar: since pretzels are often served at midnight buffets or New Year’s brunches these days, I prefer the neutral version with just 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey, which goes well with everything: with sour cream or crème fraîche and salmon, with herring salad, ham, spicy cheese, and jams. **Alternatively: Make the dough the night before with room-temperature milk and chill it overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, shape the pretzel and let it rise on the baking sheet for about 20 minutes. The New Year’s pretzel was a New Year’s gift to the godchild and was often presented with short sayings, e.g., “Allas Guade im Neia Johr und a Bräzel wie a Scheuradoor!” or “As viel Kreuzer wie d’Katz hat Hoor und a Bräzel wie a Scheuradoor!” Good godchildren then, in adulthood, presented their old godparents with a New Year’s pretzel.