Laugenstangen Pretzel Sticks with Barley Malt Extract

These pretzel breadsticks are warm, crusty with a satisfyingly chewy, soft center, just as traditional knotty pretzels, but easier to make and enjoy. Best served hot from the oven with cheese sauce or mustard if desired. We love it with extra butter.
The dough of soft pretzel is a rather simple yeast dough that can be made in an hour. The fun and tricky part is to dip the pretzels in a lye bath (In German this mixture is called Natronlauge) before baking, which gives the pretzels their typical caramel aroma, unique deep brown yet shiny colour and chewy texture. For a crunchy and aromatic crust, just like the one you usually find in the bakeries in Germany, you will have to use Natriumhydroxid (NaOH) instead of regular baking soda (NaHCO3). Natriumhydroxid (NaOH), also known as lye or caustic soda, can be dangerous if misused. So do wear eye protection and rubber gloves if you want to make lye solution for the pretzels. One much easier and safer solution is to use baked baking soda. Simply place baking soda on aluminum lined baking tray and bake for an hour at 120C/245F. When baking soda/sodium hydrogen carbonate/NaHCO3 is heated, it becomes the more concentrated sodium carbonate/soda/Na2CO3, which ensures a darker lye colour when dissolved in water, and better taste than baking soda could.

115 ml Water, lukewarm
115 ml Milk, lukewarm
18 g Fresh yeast (or 9 g active dry yeast)
15 g Barley malt extract
20 g Butter, melted
5 g Sea salt
430 g All-purpose flour

1l Water
50 g Baked baking soda
Coarse sea salt

In the bowl of your mixer, add in warm water and milk. Crumble in the fresh yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add in barley malt extract, melted butter, sea salt and flour. Mix on slow speed until the mixture just roughly come together, about 5 minutes. Increase the speed and knead until the dough has become smooth and elastic, 4-6 minutes. Turn out the dough on a work surface and shape into a round. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 120C/245F. Place baking soda on aluminum foil-lined baking tray and bake for an hour.
Punch dough down and divide into 6 even portions. Press one piece of dough into a rough rectangle and roll into a 20cm log. Pinch ends and center seam well to seal. Place it, seam side down, on a baking tray lined with permanent baking foil or parchment paper. Repeat with the rest. Cover the dough and proof until puffed, about 30 minutes.
Place 1 liter water in a large skillet and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and add in hot baking soda. Stir until dissolved.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Carefully transfer 1 pretzel stick at a time to the baking soda water and let soak for 5-7 seconds, then return them to the baking tray.
Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cut 3 diagonal slashes across the top with a sharp knife or a razor blade. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until pretzels are toasty brown and crispy.

47 comments:

Stefania 25/9/21 08:33: Sono molto invitanti, viene voglia di mangiarne subito uno.
Paolina 25/9/21 09:08: Saranno buonissimi! mi incuriosisce tanto la tua ricetta perchè non li ho mai assaggiati e hanno anche un procedimento diverso dal solito! Grazie per le meravigliose ricette che ci fai conoscere! Buon fine settimana!
Nancy Chan 25/9/21 09:13: Beautiful pretzel breadsticks. I am sure it tastes great too.
delphine 25/9/21 10:38: Waouh ils sont fabuleux
Bravo
Tom 25/9/21 12:37: ...they look fabulous!
eileeninmd 25/9/21 12:51: Hello, Angie

Your pretzel sticks look delicious, well done!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Take care, have a happy weekend!
Bill 25/9/21 12:56: They look good, I'll have to try them.
DEZMOND 25/9/21 13:28: Looks crazy tasty! We always have them in our bakeries.
PS I've added you over on Facebook.
Christine 25/9/21 13:31: I may try this.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 25/9/21 13:44: wow those look delicious! and that color is perfect on them!
Brian's Home Blog 25/9/21 14:30: Those look really interesting and I'm sure they smell great!
Federica Simoni 25/9/21 14:35: Wow stupendi😍😍😍😍😍
babYpose 25/9/21 14:59: I see pretzels are special, crunchy like deep fried but not oily, soft inside, yours looked so good.
bread&salt 25/9/21 15:34: Looks great! I would like to smell it first then taste it.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 25/9/21 15:41: These pretzel sticks look fabulous! Gorges colour and so appetizing. I would devour the entire batch in hours, I'm afraid lol
kathyinozarks 25/9/21 20:46: Nothing better tasting than homemade breads
Sakuranko 26/9/21 01:07: Oh wow super delicious darling
xx
My name is Erika. 26/9/21 01:31: These look so delicious. I'm printing off the recipe as I'd like to try these. Happy rest of your weekend.
J.P. Alexander 26/9/21 03:35: Gracias por la receta, lo haré pronto. Te mando un beso
Nammi 26/9/21 04:16: oh it looks so nice, I love the dark colour. but what else can I use instead of barley malt?
Angie's Recipes 26/9/21 08:43: @NammiBarley malt extract provides a malty flavour and adds moisture to the bread. It will also function as a yeast enhancer and browning agent. You can try to use molasses, but it might not work out as the same.
Maria Grazia Ferrarazzo Maineri 26/9/21 12:56: Beautiful and tasty, Angie. A perfect baking work!
Have a nice day,
MG
Martyna 26/9/21 14:48: These looks very delicious 😊
Cooking Julia 26/9/21 16:13: What a nice color for these pretzels!
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 26/9/21 16:25: These pretzels are gorgeous, Angie!!! We are big bread lovers and homemade pretzels would hit the spot!
2pots2cook 26/9/21 16:46: Saved to Holidays since it matches freezing cold beer for Oktoberfest !!! :-) Thank you !
Kitchen Riffs 26/9/21 17:27: Always love how these look -- so attractive. And so tasty! Think I'll use regular baking soda, though, when I make mine. :-)
Królowa Karo 26/9/21 18:08: Isn't there one left for me?
foodtravelandwine 27/9/21 03:16: They look delicious!!....no lye for me....but with baked baking soda they must be so tasty!!......Abrazotes, Marcela
Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews 27/9/21 08:25: Lashings of real butter sounds really good to me too!

Although I wonder if a little grated cheese in the mixture would work OK, as I am not a fan of American style cheese sauce?

Happy Monday! :)
thepaintedapron.com 27/9/21 14:30: These look so good! You had me at cheese sauce...Sounds scary to make though...
Jenna
Mijú 27/9/21 15:35: Se ven súper bien :-))))
speedy70 27/9/21 15:45: Adoro questo pane, bravissima!!!!!!
Ann 27/9/21 16:04: OMG it looks so good.

Ann
https://roomsofinspiration.blogspot.com/
Julie 27/9/21 17:52: These pretzels look so beautifully baked...loved it!!
Hena Tayeb 27/9/21 20:28: These look delicious.
Pedro 27/9/21 22:25: My daughter likes pretzels. I take note of your recipe Angie, which will surely be delicious!
Greetings
Anonymous 28/9/21 01:28: These pretzel sticks look absolutely incredible, Angie!
Lola Martínez 28/9/21 10:07: No soy nada dada a preparar masas y por eso tampoco cocino este tipo de recetas tan ricas. Te felicito por estos pretzel que te han quedado de revista.
Bss
Raymund 28/9/21 22:21: Wow the colours of those pretzels! Spot on Angie
Eva Taylor 28/9/21 22:48: The pretzel sticks look incredible! We adore pretzel bread of any kind. I have never baked the baking soda for pretzel bread but coincidentally, this baked baking soda is exactly how ramen noodles get their slippery texture.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/
tigerfish 29/9/21 03:11: So good to have them fresh and warm, right out from the oven!
Evi @ greenevi 30/9/21 10:51: Wow, these are the prettiest laugenstangen I've ever seen 😍
Tisa Jacob 2/10/21 04:11: Most gorgeous bread.
The Yum List 2/10/21 04:34: OMG, drooling over this bread. Carb addict here.
Paula Montenegro 2/10/21 13:58: They look gorgeous and I think pretzel buns are my favorites! Beautiful crust color Angie, well done.
Debra Eliotseats 12/10/21 14:45: I love a good pretzel!