Oktoberfest is here, which means that we need a really yummy soft pretzel recipe to go with all the beer we are planning on drinking, right? If that applies to you, you’re lucky, my friend! Because these German Soft Pretzels, or Laugenbrezel (if you wanna sound fancy and impress your friends), are so delicious that you might even forget to drink the beer. Ha! Just kidding! ? Who would do that? ?❤️?
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival. It is held annually in Munich and it lasts 16 days! (Holy Beer!) More than 6 million people from all over the world attend the festival, which usually happens from mid September to the first weekend in October.
The first Oktoberfest took place from Oct 12-17 in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The five day celebration toasted the royal couple and ended with a horse race in the town square. Since that first celebration, festivities were held every year to commemorate the royal marriage. By 1896, the first beer tents were erected, featuring beverages from local Munich breweries to celebrate the regional drink. Nowadays, several other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the original event. I mean, because who doesn’t wanna drink a ton of beer and eat delicious German food?
Take pretzels, for example. These dark brown, crispy (yet soft inside), salty little guys are the perfect sidekick for an ice cold beer! Add a side of honey mustard or butter and I’m in heaven. There are several accounts on the origin of pretzels. Some credit them to European monks, others say it was invented in a monastery in South France and there’s even those who believe it is a variation of a Greek ring bread. However, the Laugenbrezel – the German version of pretzels – is credited to the Bavarians. Legend says that on the morning of February 11, 1839, Anton Nepomuk Pfanenbrenner, the baker for the Munich Royal Café, while preparing some sweet pretzels for his guests, accidentally used the Natronlauge (which is the sodium hydroxide solution that they used to clean the bakery countertops) to brush the pretzels instead of sugar-water. He decided to bake the pretzels anyway and was impressed with the unique brown crust, soft center and delicious taste. major drool But do not fret! A baking soda solution is a fine substitute and you won’t risk hurting yourself.
“But, do I really need to do the boiling in baking soda solution step?” Yes, please! Do not skip it! That step only takes a few minutes and it’s what makes these pretzels out of this world good! The alkali solution made with baking soda and water (plus beer and brown sugar for extra flavor), is what causes the pretzel to “puff” and get all soft and nice inside. It also gives them their distinctive flavor and dark brown color. If you skip this part, your pretzel will have a different flavor and texture. Quite frankly, it won’t be a pretzel! Also, do try to use the Barley malt syrup because it adds this amazing subtle yet complex flavor that is so characteristic to pretzels! (If you cannot get your hands on one, substitute for brown sugar). Now, pass me that honey mustard cause I just took 12 pretzels out of the oven and I can’t possibly wait any longer to devour them. Cheers! ? P.S. Wanna keep in touch? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up making one of my recipes, I would love to see it! Just take a photo and post it on your preferred Social Media and tag me or use the hashtag #oliviascuisine!
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