Real German Pretzels (Brezn), Because Oktoberfest Is Cancelled 🥨

[@mynameisandong]

Oktoberfest is cancelled, but Pretzels aren’t! Go to surfshark.deals/ANDONG - Enter promo code ANDONG for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

[@Ibmwxp]

How come you dont put the ingredient amount in the video

[@ultraiscool9951]

@@Ibmwxp the exact amounts are in the description 👍

[@Ibmwxp]

@@ultraiscool9951 Ah ok thx..i usually dont look at that and didnt know lol

[@alinour7488]

Hey Andong, you could steal a page form Alex French guy cooking's book and bake the baking soda, it will give you the desired pH value and is a little safer than lye solution, he did that in the ramen series.

[@AlexADumbDumb]

Have you ever tried another source of alkali for the dipping? Baking soda works, but calcium hydroxide ("pickling lime") is even more alkaline and is usually easy to find at canning supply stores and even regular supermarkets. Presumably you'd need to use less of it / it would be closer to the result you'd get with lye. And it's not nearly as dangerous, and is clearly food-safe if it's being marketed for making pickles.

[@Anesthesia069]

Also, forgot to say, PLEASE do more traditional German recipes like this because I'm really intrigued by German food. Especially bread!

[@TheSam1902]

There's this crazy potatoe bread recipe I'd love him to cover

[@deanstanley2125]

I would like him to discuss the German custom of coffee kuchen. The afternoon coffee and cake and what kind of cakes are popular.

[@54321eclipse12345]

@@TheSam1902 1kg 1050 wheat flour (leave a teaspoon out for later), 1/2kg peeled cruched potato mass, 1/4kg yogurt, 2teaspoons of salz and a cube of yeast (an egg or 2 and a teaspoon of sugar if you like). Mix with water untill you have a mass that doesn't stick to the wall of your bowl. let it sit for 1 1/2h and then spray it with water and put it in a preheated oven max 300°C or as high as possible (either put a little water in a bowl next to it or spray the oven walls aswell). Then reduce heat to 200°C over the next 15 min. Backe for another 45ish minutes. Spray with Water again and sprinkle the rest flour. Backe another 5ish minutes and it is done.

[@TheGogeta222]

How about Bavarian food? If you like Wiesn (the native word for Oktoberfest) Zwetschgenbavesen, Powiddltatschkerln, Reiwadatschi, Fleischpflanzerln, Knieakiachl, Auszogne, Dampfnudeln etc

[@quietone748]

@@TheGogeta222 I miss Steckerlfische.

[@ireland014]

As an American in Germany I love the looks my friends give me when I eat my Brezeln with mustard. Less "That's wrong and disgusting!" but more "Huh, I'm surprised we don't actually do that, it seems like something we'd do." It's like when I saw a place selling "American Pizza" with a hot dog stuffed crust...like, I've never seen that before but that seems like something we'd do.

[@mynameisandong]

I had that hot dog stuffed crust once too and felt extremely American hahaha

[@ireland014]

@@mynameisandong The bald eagle carrying your passport is on the way. I'd say we should retaliate with a Bratwurst stuffed pizza topped with Sauerkraut and dollops of Kräuterquark, aber diggi das wäre geil.

[@Herocaa]

ireland014 😂

[@Sturzfaktor2]

I wouldn't eat brezn with mustard only tbh. But if there's still mustard left after I finished my weißwurst, I will eat it with the last bits of brezn. (A German from Bavaria. ;)

[@ireland014]

@@Sturzfaktor2 You're right, a good Brezl is perfect on it's own, Obatzda is fucking amazing, it feels like culinary cheating by just how good and simple it is. American Pretzels are quite different though. Often (accurately) called "Soft Pretzels", they aren't very crisp on the outside, it's just all soft and chewy, often gently spritzed with water and dipped in salt. You normally get them in stadiums, so the salty Pretzel+tangy yellow mustard is a great combo when you are drunk and hungry.

[@lampofamber]

Speaking of mustard, an episode on the different types of mustards and how to make homemade versions would be very interesting.

[@TheGogeta222]

There are only two kind of mustard a cultural person can eat: Dijon and Händlmaier

[@barvdw]

@@TheGogeta222 you clearly never had Tierenteyn ;) tbh, it's not to everyone's liking, but for others, it's the best. For dijonaise, I prefer the coarse variety, especially for roasts.

[@Giblet12]

@@TheGogeta222 Yellow American mustard is good on a cold cut sandwich and maybe a cheeseburger. Although I prefer Dijon for the latter

[@PabstBrownRibbon]

If you bake your baking soda in the oven (dry) for ~45 minutes (~400F), you can make sodium carbonate from sodium bicarbonate. The absence of that CO will make a powder that will increase the pH of your blanching water somewhere between NaOH and Baking Soda. You will get much closer to the mark on the exterior color. I do like that you covered the reason for doing this (starch pre-gelatinization and pH gradient of Maillard browning) Source: I'm a Food Science graduate and brew beer for a living...I was supposed to go to Oktoberfest this year &!#^O*@. Great video, Prost!

[@justsomeone8580]

I love when people comment like this, im amazed by Science and surely didn't expect it under a pretzel video. Thank you for making my day stranger

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

While accurate and definitely better than just baking soda it is no replacement for food grade lye in both PH level and flavor.

[@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410]

You can also use a pan directly and get it done in about a quarter to half of the time. Fun to see the powder moving around (as the water evaporates out, it kinda acts like a fluid). Just don't add water to the pan. It'll poof caustic powder everywhere Remove the powder to a bowl, add water to the pan, then re-add powder

[@bigruapurart]

If you add molasses(Sie können Molasse bei Edeka kaufen) to the baking soda water mix, it will give it that dark color and deep flavor you are looking for.

[@StefanSentroshiReechani]

Also known as Zuckerrübensirup ;)

[@xXNiggooXx]

Yo can somebody confirm this? Too lazy to google it.

[@emilychb6621]

You can also just buy the sodium hydroxide lye at basically any pharmacy in Germany. And grab a cheap 10 Euro pair of polycarbonate lab glasses and you'll do just fine. Sure 4% sodium hydroxide is quite corrosive, but it won't do any harm if you accidentally get it on your skin and then wash it off straight away. Sourcing from a pharmacy also means you'll get pharmaceutical grade NaOH, i.e. the food safe kind. Cause pharmacies used Sodium hydroxide (and hydrochloric acid) to adjust the pH of liquid medications they compound. Like eye drops have to have a different pH than nasal spray, and sometimes the pH of the active ingredients can vary quite a bit, so you correct it with miniscule amounts of sodium hydroxide. Not to mention that getting a high concentration sodium carbonate solution into your eyes has basically the same consequences as doing so with dilute lye.

[@TheJugendstil]

Molasses ist nicht dasselbe wie Deutscher Zuckerrrübensirup!

[@dconthe3]

I use molasses instead of malt/sugar to give my yeast a kickstart and it tastes fantastic (but I also use proper lye)

[@offroadskater]

Best Brezel I ever had was at a wedding. After starving us for hours an Einstein-level genius angel brought out warm Brezeln with melted Butter injected into the thick part moments before serving. I don't know if it was the hours long deprevation but those Brezeln were one of the best meals of my life.

[@psychoedge]

Fresh, warm pretzel-like baked goods and butter are a great combination no matter whether you're stuffed or starved :D

[@HugoStiglitz609]

Just tried this recipe tonight and it was so tasty. I did end up using a lye solution. I couldn’t find the oven temp anywhere so I guessed and did 375°F for 15 minutes. They came out soft and pillowy! Delicious. Wouldn’t mind a bit more of a crust on them so I might play around with the oven temp and time next batch. Thanks again for a great video.

[@boseranger7049]

400 up to 450 should work better

[@Khalidazizphoto]

My Breakfast routine contains a Butterbrezel (Pretzel cut in half and spread butter on it) once in a while. As I moved from my home town (Heidelberg) south of the Weißwurst-Equator to Berlin, I had a desire for a Butterbrezel. I got in a Berlin bakery (a traditional bakery not a self service bakery) I asked for a Butterbrezel. The staff looked at me as I was asking for the impossible, my request got denied got told that they don't offer Butterbrezel because it is to difficult to produce. I guess they thought a Butterbrezel is made like a Butter-Croissant. Well since then I never asked for a Butterbrezel again, in Berlin at least.

[@wavyy]

Bin auch sehr enttäuscht von der kaum vorhandenen Brezelkultur in Berlin haha

[@ericvauwee4923]

@@wavyy Streich das mit der Bretzel, Berlin im Allgemeinen ist ein kulturloses Sammelsurium was-mit-medien-studierender Birkenstock Starbucks-Sörens.

[@popennaannepop684]

Aber es gibt doch sogar Laugencrossiants :D die übrigens mega geil schmecken

[@Cookie-iw1zt]

The thing is that Butterbrezel can be understood as a Laugenbrezel with butter. Where I live some people refer to Martinsbrezeln as Butterbrezel when it's not St. Martins Day, since the dough contains butter.

[@tempelhof4234]

Well the Rhein-Neckar-Region is going crazy for Butterbrezeln, Mannheim ist like the capital of Butterbrezen, you can buy that stuff everywhere. But Berlin has different things to offer. Try to get some cheap, good quality, interesting food in Heidelberg, Munich, everywhere south of the weißwurscht-equator - wait, you're screwed.

[@lesumsi]

Adding beer to your dough, so you can have beer while drinking beer. Nice. On a side note: Sweet mustard with Bretzeln or Laugenstangen is just awesome!

[@spinnenente]

you are only two steps away from the perfect bavarian breakfast. just add some beer (wheat bear preferably) and some weiswurst.

[@ninototo1]

Sweed mustard is always awesome

[@SundaysSound]

Although I'm vegan I appreciate your content so much because of the quality of your videos (I assume due to the hard work you put into it). You are so well spoken and explain so much about the whys that I feel like I've learned so much after each of your videos!

[@NicolaiCzempin]

Ich (auch Berliner) hab vor kurzem gelernt, dass die Brezeln in Bayern eher gleichmäßige "Arme" (?) haben und die schwäbischen (die ich hauptsächlich in Berlin kenne) die Dicke variieren (sodass der mittlere Teil dünn und knusprig ist).

[@johannesruf5903]

Würd ich so pauschal nicht sagen. Ich bin Bayer und und man findet beide Varianten hier. Ist von Bäckerei zu Bäckerei unterschiedlich, teilweise von Bäcker zu Bäcker, sprich in der selben Bäckerei sind die Arme manchmal regelmäßig, manchmal unregelmäßig und knusprig. Ich persönlich bevorzuge die knusprigen.

[@gepee3654]

@@johannesruf5903 Aber in Schwaben sind die Ärmchen immer dünn und knusprig, und man schneidet nie die ganze Brezel durch für eine Butterbrezel, das geht bei den Ärmchen gar nicht, man buttert nur den "Bauch"

[@neonvr]

Ich weis ich komm spät aber! Gelernter bäcker hier. Ich bin ein verteidiger der beiden varianten der brezn also dicke ärmchen als auch die dünnen da ich diese ,, bababa ba das muss aber so weil sonst darf man das so nicht nennen " leute hasse. Ich arbeite in einer bäckerei die kollant ist mit allen wir haben pizza kasten brot oder auch pizza stangen wo der belag in der knusperstange ist. Sooo aber jetzt erst mal fettes lob an diesen kanal für die tips ^-^

[@leDespicable]

Die dicken Brezen kenne ich nur als die wirklich riesigen Brezen, die es in manchen Biergärten oder auf Festen gibt. Die normalgroßen Brezen von der Bäckerei haben bei uns hier im Süden von Oberbayern eigentlich nur knusprige Arme. Kenne das nicht anders.

[@EltoV]

I love the food in south Germany or Austria! The enjoyment of having a Brezel or Rinderkraftbrühe(mit Backerbsen!) and a nice plate of Wurstsalat after a long hike is so satisfying...

[@tombrown4848]

As an Englishman living in Munich, I came for the beer and stayed for the Obazda.

[@leporello7]

Das war klasse! Bei Dir weiß man immer, dass man keinen Schmarrn oder halbgar Zusammenrecherchiertes erzählt bekommt. Freue mich auf die nächsten Folgen.

[@johnsmiter4654]

You can increase the alkalinity of your baking soda by baking it dry on a tray first. Sodium Bicarbonate < Sodium Carbonate.

[@zaraak323i]

I came here to say the same. A friend of mine, who is a chef, gave me that advice the first time I baked Brezeln.

[@johnsmiter4654]

@@zaraak323i I keep some around pretty much just for hand pulled noodles.(Another concept Andong viewers would be familiar with) I would use it for my pretzels but I actually don't mind gloving up and using lye. I have a large amount of the food grade stuff for soap production so it's not too inconvenient for me.

[@daanwilmer]

But then again, increased alkalinity = increased danger. I'll stick with the baking soda if/when I try this, just so I don't accidentally turn my hands into soap.

[@johnsmiter4654]

@@daanwilmer That's also a fair point. But I've never had any problem with it. It is a mild irritant but it's not as strong as lye.

[@muzaaaaak]

The same technique is used when making Asian noodles, or mein. The added alkalinity creates a noodle with more bounce, dense texture.

[@TJWhiteStar]

OMG I absolutely adored the Butterbrezn I used to get outside of Munich mmmmm absolutely gorgeous and I have not found any that can compete.

[@Herocaa]

You can *bake* your *baking soda* to get a higher pH-level

[@willywodka1924]

That is something you surely can do. Or get to your local pharmacy and get some real Sodium-Hydroxide there. At least that is how my mom gets hers for doing Laugengebäck.

[@AelwynMr]

Yes and no! I mean, that way it turns into sodium carbonate, which direcly dissolves into a higher pH solution at room temperatire, but boiling temperature is more than enough to cause the decomposition of baking soda anyway, which happens at about 60°C with vigorous bubbling. So, as far as the water is really quite hot and has bubbled all the CO2, using baked (carbonate) or unbaked (bicarbonate) soda is just the same. I use hydroxide!

[@FelineOcelotLady]

That clip of the pretzel bites with seeds reminded me suddenly of the taste of authentic German seedy breads and Brötchen, which I haven't had since the last time I visited my German relatives, nearly 9 years ago. You remind me so much of one of my cousins, by the way.

[@Aaron-en5cc]

You can get NaOH in the Apotheke. You shouldn't use NaOH drain cleaner because of heavy metal contamination.

[@velazquezarmouries]

I use sodium bicarb

[@Aprilitsa]

But you should always be very careful with it, even while using a small amount like in this recipe. Never drop water in the NaOH, always drop the NaOH in the water. Always wear gloves, preferably do everything outside because of the fumes, and have vinegar in hand in case it gets on your skin. Don't ever touch it with your bare hands, don't leave your eyes unprotected, just 1 sec of contact can leave you with a burn. More than that can actually fuck up your skin for good.

[@Aaron-en5cc]

@@Aprilitsa dude its just NaOH. With it it doesn't really matter to put it in water or the other way around because it is a solid. Wearing eye protection with bases is generally a good idea. But don't try neutralizing an base with an acid you will burn yourself and it won't helb you just wash it off for like 2 minutes and you'll be fine. I know this from doing lab work as a chemistry student. And gloves are dumb you need to have special glove wear to protect you otherwise the base just goes through and usually this hurts more. 1 sec of eye contact is not as bad as you put it you are not working with highly concentrated solutions. You will blind yourself if you don't immediately wash it out but I don't think you would have permanent damage.

[@andrewk9630]

If you are in the US it is very easy to get NaOH on the Internet. I bought mine from "Essential Depot" but I think Amazon sells it too. As far as safety goes, I understand why people on the Internet are so afraid to recommend it. There are many foolish people on the Internet. But if you have some chemistry education and safety training the risk is manageable.

[@patricko9479]

Its a lot easier to just buy it from amazon.

[@Blackjack1317]

In german we say "Wie beim Brezelbacken" to express, if something goes quick and easy. THis of course only refers to the shaping of the Prezels, which is done with a neat little trick by the pros. There are super fun videos on the internet of people doing this. I was kinda hoping to see you do this but then again, this ought to be a beginners guide, right? Oh and by the way. Wouldn't using baked Bakingsoda solve the alkaline problem? If i remember corectly, baked baking soda has a ph of 11. I belive Alex talked about that in his Ramen series. However, its still not the safest thing to do so i guess regular baking soda is fine. I mean who am I? The Prezelpolice?

[@holzi224]

ohne witz, ich komme ausm tiefsten Franken (Bayern) und habe das noch nie gehört xD

[@Blackjack1317]

@@holzi224 Es gab sogar Mal einen Beitrag in der Sendung mit der Maus dazu :D

[@tolga1cool]

@@holzi224 ich habs auch noch nie gehört obwohl ich mein ganzes Leben schon in Bayern lebe

[@MrBuschi531]

@@holzi224 Als Franke müsstest du wissen, dass Franken nicht zu Bayern gehört ^^

[@Harry-bj6jq]

Noch nie im Leben gehört

[@butagami4915]

Personal favorite: cutting the brezel in half and smearing it with Nutella. The salt on the brezel and the nutella just work

[@Huter2142]

Im a UK boy, but i have SUCH a weakness for German foods, and Pretzels (now corrected to the proper name, thank you Andong!) are an all time favourite of mine, nothing better than a warm fresh baked one and a coffee on my lunch break from the local bakery (well, when i used to work that is haha). DEFINITELY going to give this a go, as well as the dip, it looks delicious! both my sons love Brezn aswell, so i expect it isnt going to last long, better make an extra large batch haha Many thanks for the video my man, i'm so glad i found your channel, every video you do is informative and engaging, keep up the good work and be well :)

[@WayofRamen]

Damn gonna have to try this

[@Szpenio]

oh wow! Did not expect you here! :D But yeah, nothing beats a freshly baked Bretzel.

[@Theo-1984]

I totally agree with you on the issue of salt on Pretzels! The big salt chuncks make it too salty for taste so I remove them, but not having any salt on it just doesn't feel right.

[@cryotankexpansion]

I'm from Brazil and I live near the city which hosts the biggest Oktoberfest outside Germany. i am usually not a fan of it (because over here it is kinda like The Walking Dead due to all the drunk people wandering around and throwing up everywhere), but this year I'll celebrate it - at home, with your recipe and some good beer ;)

[@anastylos2812]

To be honest that sounds exactly like the original German Oktoberfest. Also the reason why I avoid them.

[@Nico_BlackForest]

Is this the City of Blumenau?

[@cryotankexpansion]

@@Nico_BlackForest yep

[@Nico_BlackForest]

Amanda Steffen I have a good brazilian friend located in Vila Velha. He told me about the Oktoberfest in Blumenau. Greetings from Germany

[@linajurgensen4698]

So it’s no different than the original Imao

[@Lamako77]

Thank you so much, Andong for the recipe. I just notice that you haven't mentioned the temperature of the oven, is 350 F the right temperature?

[@lechignatowicz8302]

"bake" the soda to increase the alkalinity of the solution after adding it to water. 120'C for 1h should do it.

[@bloodgain]

Sam comment I was going to make. This converts the sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate (aka soda ash), which has a significantly higher pH, but still much lower than lye. You should still wear gloves and safety glasses isn't a terrible idea, but if you get it in your eyes, it'll mostly just irritate them.

[@hbfdfgjcyk555]

Baking soda decomposes into sodium carbonate, water, and carbon dioxide at around 80C, so the boiling water does the same thing.

[@bloodgain]

@@hbfdfgjcyk555 Does it work that way in solution, though? Sodium bicarbonate decomposition is a dehydration reaction. I'm no chemist, but I would assume you can't do that in an aqueous solution. Also, once dissolved in solution, sodium bicarbonate dissociates into its ions and creates carbonic acid and hydroxide ions (and the sodium ions from the original dissociation). As a food science geek, I really wish I had a stronger chemistry background for this kind of thing. There's an easy way to test this for our purposes, though. Bake some sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate. Weigh your starting and ending products to determine the mass lost to decomposition (this can also be used to calculate the conversion rate, but we don't really care about that for our use). Then dissolve both sodium bicarb and our "baked bicarb" into equal amounts of water according to this ratio and measure their relative pH. Then bring both solutions to a boil, allow them to cool, and check their relative pH again.

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Don’t get that on skin either, pretty bad irritant. Used it in making Ramen and only made that mistake once.

[@hbfdfgjcyk555]

@@bloodgain I think you might be right.

[@geolam58]

I tried your German coleslaw recipe... it is fabulous. Unfortunately, I’m not on Instagram, or any other Facebook portfolio platform, so I cannot post pictures, but I will most certainly try this Bretzel recipe! Ich liebe deutsches Essen! Vielen Dank für die Rezepte!

[@mathiasbraunling368]

Is it just me or didn't you mention a temperature for the oven?

[@billithebutcher52]

Thank you for beeing there Andong I really enjoy your Videos. I would like to add some Story to the Laugenbrezel. Cause we swabians are a bit grumpy about the Bavarians take nearly All the Credit for the brezel. There are two kinds of Laugenbrezeln. The swabian and the Bavarian. The swabian has crunshy Tips and a higher fat content combined with the typically belly cut which prevents it From ripping. While the Bavarian has the same thickness All through so no crunshy Tips, everything chewy and no cut so it can rip whereever it wants to.

[@tinabeck5575]

What the heck, you didn’t say the baking temperature

[@hnybdee]

I thought it was just me. I’m watching this for the 4th time. lol

[@Arishava]

true. but you can just use 180-200 C or 350-400 f like 99% of what baked goods use. always look through the glass and take them out when they're browned to your liking

[@doughnutfingers]

Never heard of 3-50 hundo?

[@clontzcamaron]

I love this channel I watch alot of the big cooking KZbin channels and this is one of the best and also who the hell first made pretzels with corrosive dangerous chemicals

[@CHEFPKR]

I enjoy dipping one end of my pretzel in cheese and the other in mustard.

[@mynameisandong]

Wait how do you dip in Cheese? Is that a US thing with cheese from a tube and stuff? :D

[@mistabean9119]

@@mynameisandong its a cheese sauce/melted cheese

[@johnsmiter4654]

Cheese whizz is common haha.

[@AllTheArtsy]

@@mynameisandong is cheese dip not a thing? Start with bechamel, and add cheese?

[@CHEFPKR]

@@mynameisandong ohhh I use cheese sauce/bechamel

[@tobizocker123]

I like your Obazda recipe it is almost like my grandma's :)

[@mynameisandong]

That's the highest form of praise ❤️👵

[@doubleq1223]

I’m always amazed by the quality of the videos and your English is INCREDIBLE!!!

[@hondacivet]

Oh wow, I didn't know that mustard for dipping wasn't traditional. I live in Wisconsin which has a lot of German history and pretzels usually come with both mustard and a cheese dipping sauce. It's usually a whole grain, spicy kind of mustard.

[@Inucat]

yeah the only time I see mustard and brezel on the same plate is during a Weißwurstfrühstück but that is with whole grain and sweet mustard.

[@frigidlegumes]

There’s a German restaurant in the town where I grew up and they always served bread with obatzda, except I never knew what this wonderful spicy cheesy buttery spread was called until now! So stoked to finally learn what it is and hopefully make it soon!

[@daveprice5911]

I somehow never realised Obatzda was a german thing, you can just get it in shops here lmao

[@alicetwain]

Such cheese dips were made in northern Italy too, as an accompaniment to drinking too. We usually let them mature... Gets pungent to say the least.

[@Cheruka]

Do you mean Südtirol (Southtirol)? Used to be Austria.

[@alicetwain]

@@Cheruka no. I mean piedmont, lombardy, veneto, and all of the rest.

[@greenmachine5600]

probably originated in italy and spread northwards.

[@user-pw5rp4qt1o]

@@greenmachine5600 no obazda IS bavarian and originated in bavaria

[@brokenspine66]

@@greenmachine5600 I guess they got the same kind of briliant ideas on both sides of the alps and in between simply because it's delicious and created all their own variations.

[@dr.feelgood2358]

surprisingly, the beer you poured into the dough is the only german beer sold at my local corner store in Portland, Oregon! If i didn't brew my own beer, that would be a convenient choice.

[@josephpalmeri1865]

What is the oven temperature?

[@maxpeters9088]

I was curious about the german recipes at first, but gotta say these look legit. Gute Arbeit für nen Dude aus der Hauptstadt! :D

[@vellacir]

Chives is so northern German, or so Berlinlike. Here in “Süden“ we eat Brezeln with only butter. But great recipe, hut ab! :-)

[@Ehrentraud]

In Munich you can get them with chives everywhere. I don't think it's a north-south thing.

[@McFrechdaxXx]

Yep 100% agree so northern :D you can get them with chives in Munich, but they are not as popular as the regular buttered ones, can vouch for that as I worked at a bakery part time during my university days

[@vellacir]

Yeah you can only find chives in big chains on Bahnhofs (Ditsch, Yormas etc) normal ones never sell/serve with chives.

[@Ehrentraud]

@@vellacir Okay, thanks. But on the other hand you won't find them very often with chives in a random bakery here in Berlin either.

[@annageiger7240]

Indeed, great recipe. I think, I'll try this.

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

My preferred dip for pretzels is the following. Sautee onions in butter and add flour to make a roux. Add malty beer of choice, cook off alcohol. Grate cheese and toss in flour before adding one handful at a time while stirring until desired consistency is reached.

[@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece]

I only learned that butter thing after i moved to the south. Here it's everywhere but i haven seen that before. Seems to be at least somewhat regional.

[@speedikat6822]

Yay! Thank you for posting this! I've used Alton Brown's recipe but with SO2. I'm definitely going to try yours next. My partner who speaks Gernan and I really miss Berlin from our visit there a few years ago. Loved the pretzels of course!

[@weirdoonboard]

I was so surprised when he cut the Brezel in lengthwise. In the part of Germany I am from I have never in my life used anything but my own two hands to tear it and eat it. And I have never seen anyone else do it any other way. I mean doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of eating it. Because you can undo the twist and tear it of and eat each individually thick part in the order that you enjoy the most??! God I never thought I'd get so riled up over Brezeln... That's the most German thing I have ever said/typed...

[@nicolbolas1092]

So how do you eat Butterbrezel? Here in the Swabian area wie cut the thick part to put some butter on it - it's simply perfection.

[@Cookie-iw1zt]

​@@nicolbolas1092 I personally get a brezel, tear off a piece get some cold butter onto my knive ant spread it on that teared of part. Sometimes I also just dip the piece into the butter... that's how my partent taught me to eat it In some bakerys were I live you can by brezel that are cut lengthwise and buttered But there are also playes where you get a small packet of butter and a brezel if you order are brezel with butter.

[@lisar3944]

my favorite implementation of a butterbreze was on a flight between Berlin and Munich. The breze they served me had the butter INJECTED inside it. Evenly distributed, not too much, not too little. It was fabulous and I have never seen a technique like that before nor since. Great idea. Bakeries here in Munich split them like Andong does then spread the butter inside, which you can then twist and tear to your desires, but at home I do it like Cookie - tear and spread each piece with butter as I go. now I'm hungry :/

[@Cookie-iw1zt]

@@lisar3944 Oh yes, I had that kind of brezel as well once. I liked that way more than the ones that are cut open

[@profkluk]

@@Cookie-iw1zt Same. Did it all my life this way.

[@mil_enrama]

Blanching the dough in lye reminds me of how mooncakes use jiǎnshuǐ! So convenient that both seasonal recipes share an unusual ingredient.

[@piemaster6512]

As a philadelphian it blew my mind when you said that germans don't eat their pretzels with mustard.

[@mynameisandong]

According to some comments on this video it happens - but either way, butter+chives or a spread like Obazda is more common for sure

[@sstrano]

Same 😂 I used to eat a pretzel with mustard almost every day

[@minecrafter023]

Who in their right mind would put mustard on their f**king Brezn?! WTF America? Just why?!

[@EwgenijBelzmann]

Never seen it with mustard, but it can't be bad if the mustard is good. I love mine with butter, or just plain if it is really fresh.

[@pL4571k]

Butter! Alles andere versauts Everything else messes it up Greetings from Rhineland Palatinate

[@SKPetel]

Tip to get a better crust from a ramen chef: bake your baking soda in the oven on 100 degrees Celsius for at least an hour. when ready the baking soda will be noticeably whiter. by doing this you raise the alkalinity of the powder giving a better chewiness and crust. Baking soda has an alkalinity of 7, by baking it you can raise it to around 10-11 (while caustic soda is around 14.) the process from pretzels, ramen and bagels is basically the same, so if it works for my noodles, it works well for pretzels as well.

[@appreciate_moment]

Guten Tag!! Thanks for sharing. I have been to Germany 3 times, love the bread but never tried Pretzel. Next trip will take note of it and try one. Hahaha. Cheng Pei

[@jmrios]

Yeeeessss!! The manner in which to bypass the alkalinity issue and also the inclusion of diastatic malt. Perfect, just what I needed. I'm totally going to try this recipe, thanks @My Name Is Andong for that!

[@MsSagittariusA]

I feel called out by the mustard comment. 😅

[@mynameisandong]

Don't be, according to some comments from Bavaria on this video some people do eat it like that! :D

[@JadeAffe]

sweet mustard and prezel = delicious. greetings from munic :D

[@amstorms]

Same! 😅

[@lunamaybe8038]

@@JadeAffe but also sweet mustard is delicious with almost everything

[@marenkuether-ulberg3311]

I got such a stink eye in Munich for requesting mustard for my pretzels. Gasp!

[@santojorge]

if ph in the lyeing solution is an issue, you can bake the baking soda in an oven at 90 C for an hour and get sodium carbonate. this should get you a ph of around 10. you could also use it for ramen if you make a big enough batch

[@TheGatleyman]

Can you show how to make a classic German pork knuckle? Definitely a highlight of visiting Deutschland!

[@manzanasrojas6984]

Get a pork knuckle, rub it with spices, roast it. You're welcome. There's honestly nothing special about it.

[@NiklasRi]

I live in Munich and you see quite a lot of people dipping their brezn in sweet mustard (ofc when eating white sausage) ... I do that too, when we have a weißwurstfrühstück and honestly... it tastes really nice

[@krishnasreenivasan8522]

one man oktoberfest

[@mynameisandong]

2020 style

[@willtube61]

My wife is German so back in 2009 I learned how to make Brezeln the authentic method. I have always used food grade lye, being very careful with it. I dissolve 2 tablespoons granules in 2 quarts cold water in a plastic bowl with a lid. I store it in a safe place and use it for 2 or 3 batches. I’ve not used backmalz or beer so those are some good hints. Edit. I now use diastatic malt, makes an even better pretzel! I've also found that using half bread flour and half AP flour makes the best texture and taste.

[@cbrady8573]

Crazy idea: Pizza with Brezn crust and Obazda “sauce”. I want to try it

[@mynameisandong]

Daaaaaamn that sounds awesome

[@mirilali]

Possibly with sausage bits on top as well to balance out the whole festival.

[@TheNinnyfee]

You would have to "boil" the entire formed pizza base in the soda solution, though. 🤔 Maybe mini pizzas would be good for a first attempt.

[@Zephiias]

@@TheNinnyfee Maybe just brushing the crust before, and during the baking process multiple times with some lye solution

[@talli9462]

I always use frozen Brezn for my pizza dough! I just defrost them and reshape the dough 😅

[@davids9027]

Great vid! Soft pretzels have disappeared from my part of the U.S.A. so I'm glad to have a recipe with delicous looking results. Thanks Letch and Rocky for your suggestions.

[@XDonTobi]

I am from Bavaria and I am approving this video. You did a greate job! Also we eat pretzel with sweet mustard.

[@horstp.7995]

Naja, aber nur wenn die dritte Weißwurscht zu gach wär und man noch ordentlich Senf am Teller hat.

[@XDonTobi]

@@horstp.7995 Ach Quark, das geht auch so

[@saba6502]

@@horstp.7995 Wahr!! Brezn mit süßem Senf - brrrrrr! Brezn schmeckt ohne alles am besten. Sie steht für sich selbst.

[@TheNinnyfee]

Yes, I experienced the mustard in the US, too. It was weird. I also recommend a seed mixture called "everything bagel" for the bites.

[@greenmachine5600]

that seasoning is good, you can buy it at Aldis I think too. And in Bavaria, mustard can be eaten with brezel. Usually sweet mustard.

[@BMG2Sven]

Hi Andong! It would be cool if you make a video on german 'Dampfnudeln' and how to master them (of course if you like them too). I do think that Dampfnudeln are banging and can easily compete with other fluffy dough dished from around the world, but they are definitely not that popular.

[@reaota3819]

With a salt crust !!

[@Quibus777]

Awesome! Here is a tip for you, next time you get some beer buy a few bottles with yeast in it (the high alcohol Belgian beers from larger older breweries like Westmalle and Chimay are ideal for this, the high alcohol content proves the yeast is pretty strong, the older breweries have their own yeast strains, sure modern hipster craft beers will work too, but personally I rather enjoy a Chimay 10 then yet another IPa with funny/hipster label :). You pour the beer and either add some sugary water to the bottle or rinse out the last beer and yeast in a bowl you'll use for the making of bread dough. Just add some 100% hydration flour/water like 100gr and treat like sourdough starter, but since you have started with decent amount of strong yeast it is ready faster and way less sour (work clean and there is no sour flavor at all)

[@thezaher]

The perfect follow up video would be How to make Snyder's of Hanover Honey mustard and onions pretzel pieces. Those little bites are delicious!!

[@mynameisandong]

Actually I was planning to include that. But it turns out to be much trickier than I thought. Working on it for a future episide.

[@thezaher]

@@mynameisandong Ich freue mich sehr drauf 😊

[@milgwimper]

The Bavarian Brezeln has thicker arms, and the Scwaebisch had the thinner crispy arms. This is what I saw when I lived in Baden Württemberg, and when I travelled to Bavaria. Thank you for the Obatzda and Pretzel recipe. My favourite Brezeln are the pumpkin seed, with butter and a coffee. I like it also with mustard but it has to be really good mustard, but butter and a warm pumpkinseed brezeln is the best.

[@hnybdee]

Did I miss the temperature? I’ve watched this a few times. I’m going to assume it’s 350F?

[@dillomano]

I was wondering the same thing on other recipes I’ve seen 425 and 400

[@emalinel]

I'm already drooling from all the pretzel bites and other pretzels in the intro 🤤 Also whoa, I never knew that's how pretzel was pronounced! Oh wow...ok that dip looks BOMB. I'm stopping by my local grocery store to see if I can source any Bavarian beer. Thanks for the recipes, Andong! :)

[@MrHodoAstartes]

Sinceyou only add a bit of it, you don't need to have a very good beer. Anything that's malty and not too bitter with hop should do, if you even taste much of it under all the cheese, spice and vinegar.

[@emalinel]

@@MrHodoAstartes mmm that's a good point. I do have to admit I am curious what Bavarian style beer (I'm usually just familiar with Belgian or American style beers/ales/lagers) tastes like though, so I'll try to source that first then look for the alternative you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@sasstsuma1467]

​@@emalinel Paulaner is an example of internationally-popular Bavarian beers.

[@emalinel]

@@sasstsuma1467 thank you! I'll look for that :)

[@artmentor-chrishendrix1724]

You can also bake the baking soda in the oven before adding it to water. This will get you closer to a pH of 10. Alkaline solutions cause gelatinization of the proteins in dough. This is why ramen noodles use alkaline water when making their dough, to increase the noodles’s springiness.

[@susangarland6869]

About the baking soda. Making ramen noodles also requires the use of a high pH solution. Home noodle makers bake baking soda to change it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate, which is more alkaline (higher pH) than the original product. And it's very easy. Just bake whatever amount of baking soda at 250 F (121 C) for one hour. So, while regular baking soda works, I wonder if using baked baking soda would be even better? Also, try rolling those pretzel bites in hot duck fat. A local restaurant does that (with a bit of rosemary in the fat for extra flavor), then sprinkles the little nuggets with parmesan. So good.

[@mynameisandong]

It is, I tested it. BBS is Sodium Carbonate, aka (washing) soda. It works a bit better than regular baking soda, but not that much. Not worth the trouble of making it if you don't have it already, especially because it will slowly turn back to regular baking soda with time (a few weeks/months, depending on how its stored), and I don't like not knowing how far along that process it is. But if you have it - use it! :)

[@Qaeter]

Andong: dont use drain cleaner! Muricans: muh freedom😡

[@ananonymousoyster365]

*mUh fReEdOm

[@vengefulspirit99]

It doubles as a coronavirus vaccine!

[@catlady8324]

Do use: Food grade lye from eBay or Amazon.

[@quietone748]

Laughing my ass off here.

[@waterlemon5272]

@@notsoaverageslovenian amgos

[@FlorianIrsigler]

Pretzel rolls also make for nice burger buns in my opinion - they are quite stable on the outside while fluffy on the inside. Use sweet mustard, grated horseradish and Obazda for condiments and you have some sort of Bavarian burger.

[@adwSteve]

Grüße aus München, feier deinen Channel sehr! Some thoughts: - Bakeries in Bavaria, at least here in the "deep south" usually don't roll out the edges as thin as in your video, the center is still bigger but with very thin edges the arms become harder and crispier than the rest of the Breze, which does make for a nice texture contrast overall. As far as I'm aware that's more of a rest-of-Germany thing though. I have no strong opinion about either option though really - both is accepted and loved. - Good Obazda is heaven and it's so easy to make (as we saw!) that I really question people's sanity when I find a store bought one in their fridge - please, don't do that, they're terrible and taste nothing like the real thing. I also recommend making boat loads of it if you can, keeping it in the fridge for a week at least makes it even better - don't worry about white "moldy" spots forming, that's part of the flavour! Of course leave the shallots/onions out when preparing the whole mixture since those do go bad way quicker than the rest. Add them on top afterwards, that's just fine. Now this is a tad unorthodox and I have gotten some dirty-bordering-on-disgusted looks for it but I like a few bits of Limburger in there! Limburger is a very intensely smelling and tangy tasting cheese so go easy on it - I personally love it because it adds some contrast to the rather mild cheese (like camembert or brie) you use as the "base". - Love to see Bavarian food represented on a international channel. All of that good stuff is available throughout the year too, and not only during or at the Oktoberfest. Honorable mention goes to the mighty Leberkas, the godfather of quick snacks during the day, personal favorite dish is probably Schweinsbraten with Semmelknödel (pork roast with bread dumplings). Perfect combination of all sorts of savoury flavours and textures (the crust 😍 ) in my opinion. - My take on the mustard issue - the only time I'd ever think of dipping Brezn in any kind of mustard is when I've put too much of the sweet mustard on my plate when eating Weißwürscht and need something to clean it all up. Don't even start with mittelscharfer Senf (the "standard" mustard in Germany)! Condiment-wise that's reserved for Fleischpflanzerl (more commonly known as Frikadellen or Buletten in the rest of Germany). - Last one, I promise! Fun fact on the topic of American-Bavarian culinary relations: Spezi, probably the hallmark non-alcoholic drink in Bavaria, was described by Americans as "carbonated swamp water with the taste of thinned down cough syrup". Now Spezi is nothing but a cola and orange lemonade mix but why the home nation of soft drink and fast food empires can't wrap their minds around such a simple yet amazing thing has always escaped me. Has become more of a thing in the rest of Germany though which is great to see.

[@paulus.schmaulus]

The small „arms“ is very traditionell in Baden Württemberg, at least for the normal Laugenbrezel. Neujahrsbrezeln or sweet Brezeln are often thicker around the arms. In Stuttgart we offen eat Brezelen as Meal with all kinds of toppings and dips, like you would with your normal kind of bread, but I never heard of eating them with mustard.

[@TJWhiteStar]

Spezi is absolutely amazing and I've even had to resort to trying to mix different versions of Coke and fizzy orange to get the right flavour and I eventually found it. I just wish they sold it outside of Germany. Everyone I've given my homemade version too pulls a face at the murky brown look but loves it once they try it. It's 2 Parts Coke to 1 Part Orange BTW if anyone wants it and I've found St Helena Orange from B&M or ALDI works the best with normal brand Coke but it will work with diet Coke.

[@somedude5723]

People I know despise Spezi yet they down bottles of the orange coke they sell in our vending machines like what the hell its the same thing (from Texas)

[@TJWhiteStar]

@@somedude5723 I think maybe it's because that that day glow radioactive ☢ Orange the USA has called Orange soda is what they use when the one in Spezi is more of a muted yellow colour here and has orange juice in it (not all colourings and Corn syrup). I'm not sure the USA version of "Orange" has ever seen an orange lol. You just have to look at what each country called Fanta to know there's something wayyyyy different. But all in all I agree it is weird they'd drink that but not Spezi

[@somedude5723]

@@TJWhiteStar yeah European Fanta tastes like carbonated orange juice while American tastes like liquid sugar

[@podlak]

Soda ash is between 11.3-11.8 pH and it's very easy to make. I use it for my bagels.

[@patlev97]

At what temperature should I bake them? I don't think he mentions it in the video. Btw if you see this, love vid, keep the good work dude! :)

[@AnupumPant]

At 450F for like 10 mins

[@ragnkja]

Adding beer to your dough makes a bit more similar to bread made with old-fashioned barm, which was brewing yeast that the bakers got from brewers.

[@datelken]

My way of eating pretzels: the thicker parts like a bread roll, sliced into halves and then covered with butter and chives, and the thinner twisted parts which are like crunchy sticks, dipped into obazda... @Andong are you team "thicker with butter" or "thin and dipped", if you have to choose? 🥨🥨🥨

[@mynameisandong]

You are asking the right questions :) I actually enjoy not having to choose, because a good Brezel has both. But probably more of a "thick & buttery" guy myself

[@datelken]

@@mynameisandong do you know anything on the history, I mean like who invented this shape of baked goods?

[@stefanb6539]

@@datelken There is ton of folklore about it it, so It's hard to find out the real history. The form is said to have had a religious meaning, with the three openings formed in the center refering to the Trinity. It definitely is very old, the oldest known depiction in art is from a manuscript drawn around 1160, the Hortus deliciarum (acc. to wiki)

[@datelken]

@@lostmoose7352 about the cutting of symbols into bread before baking it: I learnt somewhere that this is an traditional family habit from times, when there were no single ovens per household but instead many families would share THE oven in the town or village. So in order to know your loaves from the rest every nonna had her own typical cuts, crosses, lines, grids, etc...

[@UloPe]

You'd probably also enjoy your Brezen with Spundekäs. It's similar to Obazda but without the Brie. Very popular in the Rhein-Main / Rhein-Hessen area.

[@winifredzachery7672]

Greetings from Bavaria! Really nice recipe (hast guad gmacht!) , just maybe leave out the cream cheese ;P

[@chuffnalde1060]

If you don't like salt on your Brezel you can substitute it with sesame seeds. It just tastes amazing and it definitely looks good too :)

[@RandeT73]

I'm part German in the US. Our son was born during Oktoberfest so he tends to ask for a lot of German meals, snacks, sweets for his Birthday ever year.

[@DPrabhakarification]

We’ve just filled ourselves with your pretzels and they’re amazing! Loved the tip of using beer as the liquid!

[@vinodsamala8592]

11:14 when I saw that container with white stuff, I assumed it as MSG🙄

[@kprefleuril8881]

vinod samala haha 😂 me too 🤣

[@WorldofKlown]

You might be able to get a better surface if you cook off the baking soda first (convert it into sodium carbonate through thermal decomposition). Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) has a pretty mild ph in solution ~8.2, Sodium Carbonate has a ph ~11.4, Sodium hydroxide at the 3-4% has a ph of ~13. It is also a bit safer than lye.

[@axlnu_nki6515]

Thank I always like a good bretzel like my großmütter used to buy in Freiburg

[@DarDarBinks1986]

I never dip my pretzels. The point of pretzels is to be soft inside, crispy outside, and salty. Why would you sully that with cheese or mustard?

[@mynameisandong]

Butter does work magic though

[@sauco4278]

@@mynameisandong Yes! Butter squad!

[@DarDarBinks1986]

@@mynameisandong Even better when you butter the pretzels before putting the salt on them.

[@jeremytee9960]

I am reminded of using baked baking soda to make ramen. The baking process increases the pH and changes it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. Maybe try that instead of the lye?

[@DiningwithAlex]

"That highly encourages the Maillard reaction, also know as delicious browning" "Yeah, of course... I knew that ^^'"

[@sramaxhiku]

Thank you very much for a detailed and clear explanation of the recipe, especially for the substitute for that dangerous poison. Cheers!

[@datelken]

Brezn frisch aus dem Ofen, mit Almbutter und nen Haufen Schnittlauch... Hhmmmm... so, hab jetzt Hunger und Lust auf ne gescheite Brotzeit... 🍅🥒🌶🥨🥨🧀🥓

[@chimneyimp1486]

Bei mir gibts heut auch was ähnliches 😂

[@lemoooonJelly]

lost moose do hosde recht 💔💔💔

[@lanycera]

I grew up in Munich, Bavaria and I can say a lot of us DO enjoy a Brezn with mustard. Sweet mustard (Hausmachersenf) though! It's so good!

[@TimothyReeves]

Homemade mustard? That sounds good.

[@ZielWasserVermeider]

Try suebian bretzel. We are adding milk to the dough. Besides that.... you also can make "Laugen Croissants(combine Alex recipe)" and top them like the laugen snacks... croissants next level...

[@TESFox]

Laugengebäck!

[@SamiAlSharabi]

Just tried this amazing recipe, luckily I had food grade lye at my disposal. The result was AMAZING. this was my first time trying pretzel ever and it blew my mind. everyone loved it especially with butter

[@andrewk9630]

What concentration of lye do you use? I assume you are starting with the anhydrous crystals... how many grams per liter of water?

[@SamiAlSharabi]

@@andrewk9630 4% concentration. I added 80g of lye crystals into 2 liters of water (40g/L)

[@TheJensPeeters]

übrigens Andong, hab ich auch erst letztens gelernt: Die französische Aussprache von maillard ist mäjar und nicht majard, wie Amis immer sagen Edit: Wie ich drauf hingewiesen wurde, eher mahjar

[@brockbrown4423]

Nice recipe, and thank you so much for the proper pronunciation of pretzel, as an American who is interested in learning German and travelling to Germany that was helpful. Prost! 🍻

[@BinauralBae]

Advice: Don’t use drain cleaner *USA has entered the chat* Is that a challenge?

[@jasonbenjamin1464]

it’s our lye pod challenge

[@astr0labe566]

@Mani Thangavalu okay snowflake lol

[@ValleysOfRain]

@Wrong Think "Trump never told people to inject bleach. he asked the medical experts present if there are ways to disinfect the body from the inside, like using bleach on the outside." No he didn't but the way he spoke heavily implied that's what he was suggesting. His base doesn't do well understanding nuance. A press conference is meant to answer questions and allay fears, not float ideas that spontaneously come to mind - Trump also heavily pushed Hydroxychloroquine, despite the fact that multiple studies where saying it either did nothing or actually worsened the patient's health.

[@jasonbenjamin1464]

@Wrong Think "So I asked Bill a question some of you are thinking of if you're into that world, which I find to be pretty interesting. So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether its ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said, that hasn't been checked but you're gonna test it. And then I said, supposing it brought the light inside the body, which you can either do either through the skin or some other way, and I think you said you're gonna test that too, sounds interesting. And I then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute, and is there a way you can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it'd be interesting to check that. So you're going to have to use medical doctors, but it sounds interesting to me, so we'll see. But the whole concept of the light, the way it goes in one minute, that's pretty powerful." direct quote... injection inside w.r.t. using disinfectant. yes he suggested that injecting disinfectant could be a tool.

[@ValleysOfRain]

@Wrong Think "Disinfectant" is a vague term for a group of cleaning agents which kill microbes. Bleach is considered a disinfectant - in fact, the whole reason why disinfectants are good at disinfecting is because they kill living cells - if you were to inhale or inject disinfectant, the results would be terrible, injection would kill you, and inhalation/ingestion would give you horrible chemical burns. "Also theres actual devices for UV-Light treatmemt of blood and lungs" For blood, yes, and they've been phased out from use because of concerns about cancer and questions raised about its efficacy. It's only used for a specific kind of T-cell lymphoma (blood cancer). For lungs, there have been some papers which have investigated the technology, but nothing conclusive enough to warrant widespread adoption. And again, cancer risks. "but thats why he Asked THE EXPERTS." You do that in private, in briefing rooms, not in a press conference where you're disseminating information to the public (who are not experts, by and large, and may try and do dangerous stuff because Trump made ill advised comments). You have a horse in this race - you want Trump to win in November, for whatever god forsaken reason, and so you're willing to blindly defend some really stupid, poorly thought out statements by Trump, just because you want to "Own the libs". Stop defending a guy that keeps selling your country down the river just to soothe his ego.

[@hanno8705]

Me, based in North of Germany and never got used and rather suspicious to the Bretzel excitement of my friends from the South, was visiting Bavaria for three weeks just a couple of days ago (including a few days of quarantine cause my friends got signs of Corona, but everyone was tested negative, just a kind of flu...). So my stay was not intended for so many days, and on top a friend from Ireland came for a few days visiting, he got a cheap flight from Dublin to Memmingen. Anyway, what I want to say: it feels like a I went on a three weeks Bretzel festival! Every day Bretzel with butter - I am sooo used to it now that one of the first things I bought coming back was a bunch of deep frozen Bretzel from a supermarket (you get them in nearly every supermarket in Germany)! I need to say that I worked for a few years in a small organic bakery, I have no baker degree but could co-finance my study with it, and I had never baked a single Bretzel in my whole baking career. I even went to professional baking workshops in baking schools with fellow baker's and Meister's debating about how to bake the best organic Brötchen for example. So although I don't earn my Brot with baking bread anymore, I am still very interested in bakery, which means when I am traveling I am always stopping at bakeries along the road. At one of my first stops at a bakery on my three-weeks trip in Bavaria I of course bought a few Bretzel, a few Brötchen, a Laugen-Croissant (as Bretzel, croissants put into soda before baking), but also saw an advertisement for Butter-Bretzel. Butter-Bretzel, I thought, that sounds interesting! So bought one too without looking to closely at it. At home then I was ready for the tasting. Started with the Brötchen, then the croissant, then a Bretzel, and finally the Butter-Bretzel. But funny enough, I also then wasn't giving the Butter-Bretzel a closer look but immediately bit into it. My disappointment was huge as I noticed what I just had put into my mouth and I expected a Butter-Bretzel to be, and I immediately started to laugh about my disappointment and my expectations! So it's just a Bretzel, cut lengthwise, and buttered... :D

[@JohannesIppen]

I can’t find the orange bottle drain cleaner brand in my supermarket, will it taste fine if I go with another brand?

[@MissBobino]

Love it! I'll make some next week. I don't think sugar is a substitute for diastatic malt. Amilases in the malt slowly release sugar during the whole fermentation process, simple sugar will just be used quickly as it is easier.

[@Alex-yu3wc]

Hot damn I want to use ground Sichuan peppercorns as a topping.