World Famous Bavarian Pretzels - Oktoberfest Special - Food Wishes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- To make “real” Bavarian pretzels you have to use a lye dip. Do you have lye? I didn’t think so. Which is why we going to use a little trick involving baked baking soda to give our pretzels that signature, dark brown appearance, chewiness, and unique flavor. Enjoy!
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My very first memory is of getting lye in my eye.
One of my parents thew the scoop into tge lye and a poof went straight into my eye. It's a miracle I can see through both eyes. Chef John is serious abouhow caustic that baked Food Soda is!
I was born and raised in Munich and worked at the Oktoberfest for several years in my youth. If these pretzels taste only half as good as they look, then that's a real treat. Chapeau!
Great video, but when it comes to the dipping and the gloves, just use a deeper container for the "lye" solution and place them on a slotted spatula or spider.
The spider is an essential buy, both for convenience and safety
But when they inevitably fall apart, I'd need the gloves to put them back into place, as shown.
They probably wouldn't fall apart so easily if they weren't being flipped upside down because of the too-shallow container.
Omg... the secret is to bake the powder. Most pretzel recipes that sub soda for lye do not mention that step at all! BRILLIANT trick! Thank you! I actually have some food grade lye in the garage but, knowing how toxic it is, I've been too chicken to use it for cooking. ALL HAIL CHEF JOHN!
Just use the lye please
@@tommihommi1 hmmm..... I use that stuff to clean drains and strip seasoning from my cast iron pans. Call me a coward, if you like, but I'm going to try Chef John's technique first.
@@jspuckett73 5% dilution and use gloves. Every single bakery in southern Germany does this daily
@@tommihommi1 thanks. I'll take that into consideration. I really need to read up on the history of how people came to decide that simmering dough in something so toxic was a good idea.
@@jspuckett73 where do you get the idea of simmering? You don't heat the lye, god no. You just dunk the dough in it.
Wow. You know it's serious when Chef John wears gloves.
You are the main reflection of your digit protection.
No...
They look really good! Usually we don't make them with beer in the dough, we just use water and / or milk. Save the beer for a drink ;) Oh and you should definitely eat them with butter for an even tastier snack! I also love mine with cream cheese and chives or green onion. But butter is the most classic way definitely!
Another way to eat them: Slice them horizontally, butter them and add a generous amount of fresh chopped chives
I thought you were going to say, "Butter them, and sprinkle with a dash of cayenne!" lol
@@dalmatianluvr It's Chef John so that goes without saying, 😃 But I really liked this video recipe. No offence meant
droooolll
Butterbreze.
ah yes, Nurnberg breakfast style
Now you have to do a video for "Obatzda" - the authentic German / Bavarian beer cheese dip (Brie or Camembert, soft butter, cream cheese, paprika plain or smoked, minced shallots, chives, black pepper... and beer).
Yes Ma'am! I was going to inquire about that as well.
Ever since I left Germany (Bavaria) I've been trying to get this recipe right and have failed every time :(. It just doesn't taste the same as German dip. I'd love for someone to give me a recipe that's authentic to Munich
And usually caraway. But that's a matter of taste.
I just watched Chef Frank from protocooks make Obatzda, I didn't have a clue what it was and it looked so delicious. German food is amazing
@@xxPenjoxx It's Bavarian food. German food as such is much more diverse.
"It's best if we start with the wurst."
What a brat you are, Chef John
🤣 I loved that pun
2 atrocious puns in one sentence, nooooo! xD
I am going to pull an ab muscle from groaning.
That's a pretty frank statement.
@@sixstringedthing ha!
Oh I’m so glad to see this recipe. We just had our last farmers market today and a lovely man came every week with his wood fired oven and his pretzels are amazing.
Servus & greetings from Bavaria - never saw a single pretzel here looking like one of those, although yours does look quite tasty!
Yeah it's more like a Laugenstange with thin ends
Let’s call them “American-Bavarian Brezel”, but I agree those look nothing like real Brezn. 😁
Plus no lye :( I will never get why people are perfectly fine using drain cleaner ( in which there's plenty of lye) and then freak out when it comes to making authentic Brezeln. The baking soda simply won't give you the same results. You can buy food safe lye at the A online shop. To me as a Swabian the thickness is all wrong but since Chef John is making Bavarian Brezeln, I'll let that slide.
Hab ich auch gedacht, sieht aber lecker aus!
I love your recipes and videos Chef John, but I have to agree: They look fantastic, but not at all like a bavarian brezel.🥨💙
Another night of binge-watching Chef John. I hope I can find enough unwatched episodes for a few hours! ❤️
Lol, my German friend definitely has lye sitting around her house. And she definitely makes the best pretzels!!
I bet more than a few Southerners have some lye for their cauldrons of hominy. It's an all-day thing, cooked outdoors.
Can I be friends with your German friend too?
@@maydaygarden I have lived in the South most of my life and I've never seen a cauldron of grits or anyone making grits from lye. Maybe I just don't know the right people though, lol. I would definitely stick around to taste grits made from scratch! We buy our grits at the grocery store. I heard that outside of the South, grocery stores don't stock hominy grits! Now that is awful!
We also keep lye in the kitchen for bretzels. It freaks people out when they know how a proper bretzel ist macht but, they do not stop eating it
@@mygirldarby In order to prepare the corn for hominy they need to be cooked in lye. I don't know anybody down here who makes their own, but that's how hominy is made.
The lye breaks down the hard exterior on corn and makes it much softer and easier to digest. The process is called Nixtamalization, from the Nahuatl name for the process (Aztecs, they gave it to the Spanish which is how it got over here)
"it's best if we start with the wurst" really got me :D
I thoroughly enjoy your videos!
That said, I’ve never heard anyone’s conversational tone of voice cover so many octaves!! 🎶😮
who the hell downvotes, this looks great!
These look great and so yummy! There are on the thicker side, but I honestly prefer it this way than what you’d normally get of the mass produced Brezen at bakeries in Bavaria which are generally too dry. They go great with Obazda and I’d love to see your take on it, if you haven’t already made that before.
A great reminder why I follow Chef John
As we are headed back to Austria to ski this winter where these pretzels are everywhere, I was inspired to give these a try. My first batch did not turn out. The dough was too dry - About 3 1/3 cups not good enough. The second attempt was a success; I measured the 3 1/3 cups of flour EXACTLY. Made all the difference. Recipe turned out great. I heated the water for the lye bath in the microwave - 135 degrees F is pretty high for most people's homes out of the tap. The beer flavor really comes across. The only tricky part was in the rolling out the dough. You really need to put down some pressure as you extend outward to get them to "grow". By the time I got to the last one, was an expert.
“These pretzels are making me thirsty”
What is this salty discharge?
Do you yearn, Adam...
I'm pretty sure you meant "these *pretzels* are making me _thirsty_ "?
Chef John, you are just great! I'm not afraid to make pretzels anymore 😃!
Why I thought of Jurassic Park 1 talking about “slash across the belly”. Dr. Grant scared that boy 😂
I thought of that exact scene, too.
Great srep by step instructions. They look like the one I eat in Germany. I love how you made the baking soda bath to coat the dough. I used to boil water and add baking soda, what a mess that was. Thank you for the tutorial
You're the Bob Ross of TH-cam cooking video's.
Thank you!!
As a native bavarian I need to say: Bravo!
Here's a tip: after shaping the pretzels, put them on your baking tray and then in the fridge for an hour before the bath. They will form a slight skin which will prevent them from unraveling when you pick them up. Plus it adds a slight crisp to the outer texture of the pretzel.
I'm going to try that! Thanks!
Just ordered a pound of lye! I will use it for other stuff as well such as for nixtamalizing corn and making ramen noodles :-) Very excited.
Nice!
Chef John is a national treasure. I love your videos. You always make me smile.
When I get a notification that you have uploaded a video, my happy time begins 📸❣️🍊♥️🥳😘🥰🤩❤️
thank you for making the complicated recipes turn into simple one :)
Oh My Gosh Chef John! They came out So Beautiful! Not to mention looking Absolutely Delicious! Which Of Course is No Surprise, Cuz after All, You are THE Chef John 😉
Pretzels and tons of beer, ahhh memories from when I was in Stuttgart. Epic.
Visit Philly next? We also have tons of both. (and a Germantown)
@@ihateregistrationbul I would like to do it someday, but it is on the other side of the world :D
Going to Stuttgrart to get Brezn and Beer is like going to Canada to have Texas style chili. I love poutine btw....
@@patrese993 i did not go specially for that. I was there for a month, so why not combine
OMG! I've been missing these since I moved from Bavaria to Sweden 6 years ago! But I'm finally moving back in two weeks and getting pretzels is very high up on my priority list of things to do asap!!
Hi Chef John , thnx for sharing this bretzel recipe, Never heard as a German ,Beer in the dough ?!😳
Even in Bavaria , but why not ?By the way :
We have the most selection of best Bread and Cakes also the most selection of small goods ( salami ham etc) from the hole 🌍 world.
Best regards from Germany 🇩🇪, Michelle🙋🏻♀️
You had me rolling with the robot hands ! Thank you can’t wait to try this .
Nice Pretzels, only a few problems. The first is that the Bavarian Bretzel may be lovely, but the superior one is the Swabian one made with spelt. I also have to point out that the Bavarian bretzel is not cut at all and does not have as big of a belly. Also, a tip is to let the Pretzel have minutes uncovered in the fridge before you dunk them. This way they are easier to handle, and they will get a better crust. Sending some love from a lye Bretzel backing Swabian.
1st: the Bavarians have invented the Breze. Therefore: the Bavarian Breze only is the real thing and super-plus-superior in both taste and look!
2nd: okay, a Brezel is Swabian but without a t in front of the z!
Looks almost like croissant on the outside! Thanks for the neat tip on the baking soda. I must try this
I absolutely LOVE your videos chef! Your technique and fun style is awesome! And your recipes never disappoint. Thank you for sharing all this amazing content! ☺️
I love you "this old tony"...from machinist to everyday simple recipes 🤟😎🥂
I love you brother been watching your art class for years. well done
Oooh, a little philosophy at the end of this one. These looked lovely, think I'll try.
As someone who lives in Bavaria and doesn't like pretzels I have to say these look really good and I would try them.
Awesome advice at the end Chef!!!👌
Highly recommend close captioning so as not to be aggravated by his voice mannerisms….. His recipes and instructions are spot on. . This dude knows his cooking. Don’t hold his cadence against him. Every recipe I have tried is spot on. I just mute the sound… put close captioning on and viola!!!! All set. 😁
I would even ruin those with some straight up yellow French's and be stoked on it! Yum! 😄😍
I made these yesterday and my husband and son said they're the best pretzels they've ever had! Thanks for the great recipe and tips.
Very nice! Thanks for the recipe!
The only thing I have to add is that if you cut the belly you get Swabian pretzels. The Bavarian pretzel breaks open by itself and therefore has a crunchier texture on the belly than the Swabian pretzel.
I am Bavarian, and we eat Brezl with Weißwürstl and sweet custard and a Weißbier 😘
Susanne, du solltest wissen, dass wir in Bayern Brezen essen und keine Brezeln!!!
Benny Harvey. Miss ya big man. Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P
*laughs in soap maker* I definitely have lye lying around
OMG! This bring back childhood memories of the Bavarin Pretzel shops that were in the mall. You have to pair it with a cheese sauce and I'll be in the 90's again!
Great tutorial. 11pm was the wrong time to watch this.
Gorgeous work as always chef! Thank you!
Roasting baking soda turns it into washing soda (sodium bicarbonate -> sodium carbonate). You could just buy that without doing the roasting step - it’s pretty cheap.
Pretzels look delicious :). Might have to try them this weekend
I make your pizza pretzels every Oktoberfest. Can't wait to try these!!
Can you use the baking soda bath as a “wash” on regular rolls to give them that browned finish? I feel like that would be great to try on some of my Christmas baking
You can on proper hard rolls. We make lye rolls and they are nummy!
You are after all, the Marty McFly of your pretzels with no lye.
If you bake sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda or NaHCO3) you end up with sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) which is the lye Chinese people use for hand pulled noodles. The lye you need for pretzel, however, is made from sodium hydroxite (NaOH). It sure works your way, but the result will be ever so slightly different.
Chef John said it was close.
A food wish for next year: of course we love our Oktobefrest pretzels and beer and varieties of mustard. But there are other tents there that feature great meals featuring game (both white/red meats), and would love to see your take on them. Even an Oktoberfest roast chicken would be awesome.
I vote for authentic bratwurst from scratch. The store where I live doesn't always carry the good ones - Johnsonville "brats" don't taste anything like what you get in Chicago - and that means paying a lot to get them from a butcher shop. Love me a good brat, seared on the grill and then slow-cooked in beer, with onions and bell peppers. It just says "Autumn."
jedem deutschen blutet das herz bei dem abgestandenen bier ohne krone 🤣
Single twist looks best.
For anyone wondering what baking the baking soda does:
You drive off water and convert the sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. If you were using the same relative amount of solid in a given amount of water, the baking soda pH would be about 8.3, and the sodium carbonate would yield a pH of about 11-12. Pure lye will go to pH 14.
Note that pH is a logarithmic scale, so something that's pH 14 is 10x more basic (caustic) than something pH 13... which means going from pH 12 to pH 14 is 100x as basic.
So as Chef John said, the baked baking soda (sodium carbonate) gets much closer to using lye than regular baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), but is also still safer. Lye is nasty stuff.
Lye doesn’t lie…. Love it!
Oktoberfest Munich ❤ best beer 🍻 🍻 🍻 best food... Funny and happy 😊
In Munich it's also very popular to cut the Brezel in half and spread it with cream cheese and maybe sprinkle some chives onto them.
Coming from the second-best Oktoberfest in the world, (Kitchener-Waterloo) I can't tell you how many of these I've eaten. Your's definitely look JUST as I recall and would love to try those cheesy ideas!
I like that area.
Do you eat those helicoidal radishes as well?
As a German pretzel lover I prefer to eat it with butter and sprinkled with chives ❤️ or sweet mustard or Obatzda.
Thanks Chef John!
looks good chef! obatzda or butter with it would be traditional in bavaria. or even cream cheese (+ chives). but any dip works
Those Brezeln are delicious. Sehr lecker! 👌
Those are cute baby Bavarian pretzels! When we were in Bavaria they were usually 3X that size.
Lye Water solutions are sold from Asian Groceries and Amazon. The Koon Chun brand tends to often have it on amazon. Potassium Carbonate & Sodium Bi-Carbonate Solution (Lye Water) is the description. that will work instead of the baking baking soda @chef John from Food Wishes, also thank you for the easy to make Bavarian pretzels as we move into Oktoberfest. :D
Pretzelsalt is rockier than flaky sea salt and it does not get dissolved that easy, when the pretzels are still a little wet from the lye. Over here we call it "Hagelsalz" ... i know, it's still only salt, but for me it makes the difference ;-)
I love the "Annie" bites. So I'm thinking don't worry about the belly, make them a nice long log and cut them accordingly. What is the final coating they use? It tastes buttery, it's probably not.
Very Very Nice Chef 👌🏽 👍🏼 👏🏽
I had to sign a waiver to even virtually handle lye in my distance-learning chemistry class. Chef is just like, "Nah I'm just going to whip some up in my kitchen".
Are you a mind reader?! My sister was asking for pretzels the other day and I really wanted something close to the original Bavarian pretzels but really didn't want to buy lye. You're a lifesaver!!!!!
These make great pretzels. I will say having made these using baking soda and actual lye bath. Nthe lye bath gives a distinctive flavor the BS does not. There is a reason the old German bakeries still use lye. But I love the beer added to your recipe gives a great flavor.
Chef John, your videos are great. They are always to the point and I am always successful with your recipes.
omg, the amount of lye puns in the first 30 seconds haha
"or your lager of choice".
Pabst Blue Ribbon, it is!!
I make these and they're yummy. I spray the baking soda mixture on. I don't have lye either.
Nice. They are -just like me- a little it oversized at the bottom. But the more pretzel the more fun u have
i like it with marinara
The puns are so wonderful!! Only someone like me (An incorrigible punster .. yes.. I need no incorrigement at all.....) really appreciates your efforts in punning that you do, John!!
Add butter my friend! Best snack ever. Also please try pepper bretzel!
MUSTARD! MUSSSSSTARD! I'm trying these soon. We've been craving pretzels and this video comes out🤘🏽
That's what I was thinking, why isn't he spreading a good spicy brown mustard on those! Ha ha ha
Whatever tutes your flute though you might get a weird look or two dipping just pretzel and nothing else into mustard in Germany :D, the traditional paring for pretzels would be some Bavarian white sausages, sweet mustard and of course some yeast beer
@@ffffffffffffffffffffffffvck So do you just enjoy the pretzel plain, with no condiment?
@@aaron74 Yes or the thick part is sliced open and some butter is spread on which would be something that is served as a snack at events. Sometimes I'll also put some salami or something on there. The lye taste also works quite well with something sweet like nutella though thay obviously is not traditional or anything. In general most things you otherwise put on bread will be fine. I don't think most of us are pretzel purists who will scold you for putting on there whatever you like but just mustard always seems like a bit of an odd one
@@ffffffffffffffffffffffffvck Yeah here in the states, mustard is a very commonly served with fresh pretzels. Sometimes a very strong mustard that clears your sinuses. Usually that mustard and some cheese sauce of a relatively thin viscosity.
In case you want that Brezel "loaded", you can basically do exactly this recipe, but instead of forming them to knots you form them to a bun or "kaiser roll" I believe you call them. Then slice em and fill em like any kind of sandwich. I prefer 'em hearty but you can easily go sweet with 'em as well. Forming them like mini baguettes is also a very popular thing.
they look *amazing*. can't wait to try them (:
Omfg chef John. This is amazing
This makes me think of piroshki’s. Is there a video for those?
LOVE pretzels - beer, not so much. Can you substitute something else for the beer since I never have it around? Also, will it cause a problem if I use a metal spoon to bathe the pretzels instead of donning latex gloves? If so, what about a wooden one? 🎶And as always, thanks for sharing!🎶
Water works just fine
I want this with Indian chai
Good thing I'm in love with the coco- I have so much baking soda lololol ( thanks costco)
Butter is very classy, but the cheese dip "Obazda" is also very appropriated. And some "white sausage", in German Weisswurst, of course with sweet mustard. Oh yeah, that's savoir vivre en allemand or so.
Have you ever done a video of sauerbraten. Amazing pickled roasted beef with tangy gravy. Please make in honor of Oktoberfest!!!
Yay!! I’ve been wanting to make some pretzels, Oktoberfest is over but dang I want some pretzels
I can't keep up with you!! (and that's a good thing - This weekend I'm making your apple cider glazed pork chops with the sweet potato Gnocchi and a raspberry apple salad).
I can never do pretzels but hopefully your recipe will work!!
Me who actually bought lye for making 'Brezeln': *signature look of superiority*
@@existenceisillusion6528 Which is why I bought one that said exactly that. Good advice tho.
I swear this is one of the oldest channels on TH-cam and it doesn't have 50 million subscribers?