The pretzels at Addison’s Oktoberfest can be found this weekend, and can be accompanied by copious amounts of German beer. (Rich Vana)
As Uwe Rudnick, the food and beverage director at Addison’s Hotel Intercontinental, picks up a soft, warm pretzel from the basket he has made just hours before, he tears off a pillowy piece and makes an observation.
“These aren’t those same pretzels you find all over the place,” he says with a twinge of a German accent. “These are the real thing – these are what you’ll find in Munich.”
What you’ll find in Munich during the next two weeks is Oktoberfest, a massive annual celebration that involves all five major Bavarian brewers and a cornucopia of classic Bavarian food – amongst which we find the pretzel. If you find yourself unable to travel to Germany, however, Addison’s annual Oktoberfest Celebration, starting Thursday and running through Sunday, makes for a fitting substitute as the second-largest fest in the world behind Munich. Plus, you’ll find these pretzels there, too.
Rudnick’s recipe is simple, hearty, and delicious – the perfect accompaniment for copious amounts of German beer, or even just a Coke. Whatever the beverage accompanying it might be, a soft, warm pretzel always does the trick.
Soft Pretzels (Uwe Rudnick)
By Published: September 19, 2012
- Yield: 6 large, 12 small Servings
Chef Uwe Rudnick's recipe is simple, hearty, and delicious - the perfect accompaniment for copious amounts of German beer, or even just a Coke.
Ingredients
- 3.5 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Water lukewarm
- 1 Tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
- 1 Cup Water Warm
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg Beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Add Baking Soda to 1 Cup Warm Water and set aside.
Add Yeast to 1 Cup Lukewarm water and let sit for 5 minutes to prove active.
- Mix water/yeast, brown sugar and salt in a food processor, or a large mixing bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a bowl or plastic container in the refrigerator).
- Divide the dough into 6 or 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, very thin, a little bigger than a pencil. Shape into an upside down U shape on you table. Bring the ends together and twist them, leaving a little dough after the twist. Flatten the ends and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure making it look like a pretzel. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Let the pretzels raised for a 45 minutes or till about double in size. Dip in the water-soda solution. Brush with beaten egg and water solution. Sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame seeds, and/or Parmesan cheese, or cinnamon sugar
- Bake in preheated oven 450 degrees F (225 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes or until well browned. Brush with melted butter and eat!
There is something wrong with either the ingredient list or the instructions. The water-soda solution called for in Step #3 is already in the dough (or were we supposed to make a separate solution?). When it says to dip in the water-soda solution I don’t see this set aside in the instructions or the ingredient list at the top. I want to make these. Please clarify.
Thanks, Sandi! There was an error in transcription – the baking soda should be mixed with a second cup of warm water and used solely for dipping the dough. We have modified the instructions, and hope that they make more sense. Thank you for the heads-up!
Thank you for the correction! Now I’m going to make these for sure!
Ooops there is another glitch in the printing. The ingredient list doesn’t show up in the print screen. I think I’ll just try copy & paste to Word. Hope that works.