Pretzels from Alto Adige "brezel dell’alto adige"

How to make Pretzels from Alto Adige Recipe "brezel dell’alto adige" - Preparation time: 30 minutes – Cooking time: 20 minutes – Rising time: 1 hour 10 minutes

4 Servings

Ingredients:
4 cups (500 g) soft wheat flour
1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
1/2 stick (60 g) butter, softened
2 tbsp. (28 g) baking soda
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. (25 g) fresh yeast, crumbled
1/2 tsp. (2 g) sugar
2 1/2 tsp. (15 g) salt
salt crystals

Method:
On a work surface knead the flour with the yeast, water and sugar, adding the softened butter and salt last.

Cover the dough with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 8 to 10 pieces of the same size. Form small sausages that are a little fatter in the middle than at the ends, then tie the ends up in a ring. Let them rise for 20-30 minutes.

Boil about 4 pints (2 l) of water and add the baking soda. Drop the pretzels one at a time into the water, and boil them for about 30 seconds.

Drain them and let them dry, then arrange them on a baking sheet greased with oil (or lined with parchment paper) and sprinkle some salt crystals over them.

Bake in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 20 minutes.

Did you know that...
In the monasteries of northern Italy, around 1600, the monks gave pretzels as a reward to children who learned the psalms of the Bible by heart. The shape of this traditional bread recalls a child’s arms joined in prayer, while the three holes represent the Holy Trinity.

Pretzels from Alto Adige "brezel dell’alto adige"