Pretzels like from the bakery

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g flour (type 550)
• 250 g water, cold (ice water)
• 15 g yeast
• 10 g salt, fine
• 20 g fat or oil
• 35 g baking soda (NaOH – caustic soda)
• 1 liter of water
• n. B. Salt, coarse

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 12 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 42 minutes

derived from a bakery book, for approx. 9 – 10 pretzels

Knead the first 5 ingredients for about 5-6 minutes. The water must be very cold; it may contain ice crystals, but no ice cubes! The dough can then be processed immediately. Pretzel dough doesn’t need to rest! I make 9-10 pretzels from this amount. Shape the weighed dough pieces into approximately 60 cm long coils, slightly thicker in the middle. Shape them into pretzels. Let the formed pretzels rest for about 30 minutes at 35°C with 75% humidity. Mix the 35 g of caustic soda with 1 liter of water (room temperature). Caution: Add the caustic soda to the water and not the other way around, as otherwise the baking soda will heat up considerably. This lye is corrosive! Do not rub it in your eyes! Do not allow it to come into contact with aluminum. Wash any splashes on clothing immediately, otherwise they will leave holes. Do not use permanent baking foil—it can leave holes! Baking paper works very well. After proofing, briefly dip the pretzels individually into the pretzel brine and then carefully place them on the baking paper. Or let the pretzels stand in dry air for a while before dipping so the surface dries out – this will create a nice cracked surface when baked. Sprinkle with coarse salt and cut into the thick part with a very sharp knife, not too deeply. Bake at 220°C for about 12 minutes without steam.