One of the things Europeans miss most in North America is European bread. We have had so many people ask us where you can find the best European bread. The answer is usually a smaller European store in your city. But if you really want bread that tastes like at home you need to get baking. There are many different types of bread across Europe. Finding a local recipe will get you the taste from home.
In Germany, we love everything made from pretzel dough: pretzels, buns, sticks – with different fillings and toppings. In German bakeries, baked goods made from pretzel dough come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. I had never made anything like this at home before I came to Canada because these products are so widely available in the small bakeries in my home town. But once I had moved to Canada I started to make some of the things I was missing from home. This recipe was one of the first I tried. I made these for a party with friends and everyone loved them. Several of my friends started making them as well and now they have become very popular in our small community of friends. And because everyone had different ideas about fillings and toppings, people created their own favorite Laugenstangen. I am sure you can put your own spin on them.
Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 kg of flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 ¼ cup of milk
1 1/3 stick (150 g) butter
2 packs active dry yeast (or 42g fresh yeast)
For the baking soda bath:
8 cups water
4 tbsp. baking soda
For fillings and toppings:
Ham, hot dogs, salami, cheese, coarse salt, or anything else you would like to taste in your Laugenstangen
Instructions
1) Sift the flour. Mix in salt. Set aside.
2) Heat the cup of water with the butter until the butter is melted. Then pour in the cold milk. The mixture should be lukewarm – warm enough for the yeast to activate but cold enough for the yeast not to die off. Add 1 tablespoon of the sifted flour and the yeast. Stir with a whisk until everything is incorporated. Cover pot or bowl with a drying-up towel. Let it rest for 10 min. This should create a nice “pre-dough” and activate the yeast.
3) Create a small well in the flour. After 10 min of resting pour the yeast mixture in and quickly make the dough with your hands. When a ball of dough is starting to form, fold the outside of the ball towards the middle bit by bit, constantly turning the bowl. Making yeast dough should be a pretty good workout. Bakers say you should keep going until your arm hurts and then add another five minutes of kneading the dough. When you are done turn the dough so that the smooth side is on the top.
4) Leave to rest for 45 min.
5) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (325 degrees Fahrenheit if using a convection oven).
6) In the meantime prepare the fillings and toppings. Hotdogs should be cut in half or thirds depending on their size. Ham or salami need be cut into small pieces. Cheese needs to be grated.
7) When the 45 min are nearly up bring the water to a boil. Then add baking soda (be careful if you involve kids in this procedure as the baking soda reacts in the boiling water).
8) The yeast dough should have doubled in size at this point. Take it out of the bowl and put on a clean surface that was slightly sprinkled with flour. Form the dough into a longer piece so that you can cut off 24 small pieces. I usually halve the dough before I do that.
9) Roll out the pieces with a rolling pin so that they have one pointy end. Fill them and roll them up around the filling. Press the ends together so that the filling cannot fall out.
10) Put the pretzel sticks into the baking soda bath. Leave them in for about 1 minute. They should rise to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, cut them two or three times just deep enough so you can see the filling. Sprinkle with cheese or coarse salt or whatever else you can think of.
11) Bake for 20-30 minutes until they get the golden-brown color pretzels are supposed to have.
This recipe can also be used to make pretzels, pretzel buns, or pretzel plaits. For parties, you can also make 50 very small pretzel sticks. We hope you enjoy these savory treats!
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