Pretzel Buns (Laugenbrötchen)

I've always wanted to try making pretzel buns. They look so gorgeous with their dark outer crust contrasted against the white interior. 

The interior of these pretzel buns, (the buns are also known as laugenbrötchen), is soft and dense, and the crust is thin and crispy, just like a soft pretzel. 

You can use this recipe to make six sandwich sized buns or 12 dinner roll sized buns. 

Ingredients:

This is a leaner dough, with just a little bit of butter and barley malt syrup for enrichment. It rises quickly too. In fact, you can begin making these buns midmorning and have them ready for lunch. 

From your pantry: All purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast, along with water. 

Butter: Either salted or unsalted is fine. 

Barley malt syrup: If you can't find it, you can substitute brown sugar or honey. 

Topping: I used pretzel salt on 2/3 of the buns, and "everything bagel" topping on the rest. 

What distinguishes pretzels is the deep brown burnished crust that you get by dipping them into an alkali bath before baking. 

Lye Bath vs. Baking Soda:

For the home cook, using a baking soda bath is safer and much more accessible. You will still get the dark brown crust, but it won't be quite as deeply burnished and shiny. There also is a slight difference in flavor. 

On the flip side, working with lye can be quite dangerous. First, use food grade lye. You must use rubber gloves and protective clothing and eyewear, make sure your are working in a well ventilated area, and you should protect your work surface with plastic coverings to prevent damage. 

Be sure to use stainless steel or glass for mixing the solution. To dispose of the lye bath, pour it directly down the drain. 

With the baking soda, you add it to boiling water while with the lye, the water should be cold. Definitely add the lye to the water, not the water to the lye. The solution should be about 4 percent lye by weight.  

If you choose to use a lye bath, dilute two tablespoons of the food grade lye in eight cups of cold water in a stainless steel bowl. Dip the shaped rolls for just ten seconds per side and place them on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Wear gloves to score the rolls before baking. 

The first time I made these, I decided to challenge myself and make them using a lye bath (see results in the photo below). 

This time, I dipped them in a baking soda solution.

An option in the middle is to bake your baking soda at 250 degrees F for at least an hour (and up to five hours) on a bking sheet to increase its alkali level. It can be a little more caustic to use, but nothing close to lye. 

Regardless of what method you use, once laugenbrötchen or pretzels are baked, they are totally safe. 

To top the rolls, I used pretzel salt on some and Everything Bagel topping on the others. Unlike kosher or sea salt, pretzel salt won't melt into the surface of the buns as quickly. 

If you do have leftovers, keep them uncovered on a wire rack. The crust tends to get sticky when they are kept in a bag or covered container, especially the ones with salt. You can also freeze them by wrapping them individually in foil and then plastic wrap within the first few hours of baking them. 

Take the number of rolls you need out of the freezer about two hours before you need them and thaw unwrapped on a rack. 

Process for Making Pretzel Buns:

First, mix and knead the dough ingredients together by hand or with a stand mixer until you have a smooth dough. 

Next, let the dough rise until it has doubled. This dough rises very quickly so keep an eye on it. Once it has risen, divide the dough. If you are making sandwich-sized buns, divide it into six pieces. For dinner roll-sized buns, divide the dough into twelve pieces. 

After that, shape the dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise for 20 to 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, bring eight cups of water to boil for the baking soda solution. Add the baking soda, stirring so that the mixture does not boil over, dip the rolls into the boiling solution for 30 seconds per side, and then place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the topping of your choice and score the rolls with a razor blade or scizzors. 

Finally, bake them for about 20 minutes (15 minutes for 12 smaller rolls). 

More Sandwich Bun Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

New England Hot Dog Buns

White Rye Sandwich Buns

Steamed Bao Buns

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Kaiser Rolls

Kimmelweck Rolls

Pretzel Perfection!

• Alton Brown's Soft Pretzels from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Chocolate Chip Soft Pretzels from That Recipe
• Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip from Blogghetti
• Jalapeno Pretzel Crusted Chicken Strips from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Pretzel Buns (Laugenbrötchen) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Pretzel Bagels from The Spiffy Cookie

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Updated April, 2023. Originally posted January, 2015. 

Pretzel Buns (Laugenbrötchen) Recipe

Yield: 6 Buns

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

I've always wanted to try making pretzel buns. They look so gorgeous with their dark outer crust contrasted against the white interior.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 360 grams (3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons barley malt syrup (see note)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons softened butter
• 1 cup water, 105 degrees F
• Pretzel salt, coarse sea salt, Everything Bagel topping, or topping of your choice (optional)

For the Alkali Water Bath

• 2 quarts (8 cups) water
• 1/4 cup baking soda

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the dough ingredients with the dough hook on low speed for one minute. Continue to mix on medium for an additional five minutes, until you have a smooth dough. Alternatively, you can knead by hand until you have a smooth dough.
2. Form the dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 6 equally sized pieces. I used a scale. Form each piece into a ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching them together.
4. Place them seam side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Heat your oven to 450 degrees F and begin bringing 8 cups of water to a boil in a large (at least 4 quart) pot. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Add the baking soda to the boiling water, stirring to prevent it from boiling over.
6. Boil each bun, one to two at a time, 30 seconds per side. Place them back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle each roll with the topping of your choice, and cut a cross pattern with a lame/razor blade, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep.
8. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

For the barley malt syrup, you can substitute brown sugar or honey.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

249

Fat (grams)

2 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1 g

Carbs (grams)

49 g

Fiber (grams)

3 g

Net carbs

47 g

Sugar (grams)

2 g

Protein (grams)

8 g

Cholesterol (grams)

3 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2015/01/pretzel-buns-laugenbrotchen-for.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

rolls, pretzels

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