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Laugenbroetchen (German Pretzel Rolls)

If you love soft pretzels, you will love the dense, chewy dough and beautifully browned, salty crust of Laugenbroetchen, these German pretzel rolls.Yield: 12 dinner rolls

Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 people
Course: Bread
Cuisine: German

Ingredients

For The Dough
  • 3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 c water, warmed to 105F
To Poach The Pretzels
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/4 c baking soda
  • coarse salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.
  2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add warm water and mix well, until the dough comes together. (Add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, if necessary to create a smooth dough.)
  3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 7-10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (Alternately, mix 2-3 minutes using the dough hook of a stand mixer. Or, use your bread machine's dough setting, following the manufacturer's instructions and picking up this recipe again at step 5.)
  4. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
  5. When dough has doubled, punch in down and knead a few times. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls onto a well-greased sheet of parchment or wax paper, about 2 inches apart. Cover loosely with a damp towel and let rise until puffy and nearly doubled- 20-30 min.
  6. Ten minutes into the dough's rising time, start the 8 cups of water boiling in a 3-4 quart pot and preheat the oven to 450F.
  7. Once dough has doubled, add the baking soda to the boiling water. (Do this carefully, as the baking soda will fizz up considerably.)
  8. Adjust heat so that the water barely maintains a gentle simmer. (You want tiny bubbles to give your dough a smooth crust, big bubbles will beat up your dough and result in a mottled-looking crust.)
  9. Carefully, so you don't deflate the risen dough, add a few rolls to the water at a time, making sure there is enough room in the pot that they do not touch.
  10. Poach dough 30 seconds on each side. (It is important not to over-poach the rolls, or they won't continue to rise in the oven. During the poaching, you just want to create a nice film on the outside of the rolls.)
  11. Remove dough from the water with a large slotted spoon. Let as much water drain back into the pot before placing the rolls onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
  12. Once all rolls have been poached, gently cut a deep X into the top of each roll using a serrated knife. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
  13. Place rolls into the oven and bake 14-15 minutes, until nicely browned.
  14. Let rolls cool on a wire rack.

Notes

  • If you would like more burger bun style rolls, divide dough into 6 equal portions, and follow the same instructions for dinner rolls, but bake for 17-20 minutes.