Gluten-free German Pretzels
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY - Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Nut-free
One of life’s little pleasures is enjoying a giant doughy pretzel warm from the oven, sprinkled generously with sea salt. These soft pretzels, also known a ‘brezel’ in German, are delicious dipped in mustard, melted cheese or even served sweet with a chocolate or caramel sauce. Traditionally they are made with regular flour, but I was sure I could recreate a similar experience sans gluten.
First, I considered what made a perfect pretzel and I decided it had to be deep golden brown on the outside with a beautifully chewy texture inside and must not be dense, as can often happen with gluten-free doughs. From here I knew I needed to add extra protein to replace that found in regular flour and to improve the structure of the bake, so I decided to add egg whites. Next came the addition of brown sugar to mimic that beautiful caramel malt flavour minus the gluten, and, finally, I’d need some tapioca flour to help provide that chewy texture pretzels are so famous for.
Shaping the dough into pretzels can be tricky, especially when using a delicate gluten-free dough like we are. The trick is to use a light dusting of tapioca flour before rolling the dough into a long sausage shape with your hands. Then, form a ‘U’ shape and cross the ends over before bringing them back to the bottom of your pretzel. Use a little water to stick the ends to the dough.
Once your pretzel dough is shaped, you’ll need to briefly drop them into what’s known as a bicarbonate of soda bath. This is a mix of water and bicarbonate of soda brought to a rolling boil over high heat. This process activates a reaction between the sugars and protein in the pretzel dough. You’ll notice your pretzels will come out golden in colour and feel firm to the touch. This process will ensure a beautiful deep golden crust once baked, so your pretzels look as authentic as they taste. Happy baking!
Gluten-free German Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1½ cups lukewarm milk
- 1 sachet instant dried yeast
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 150g tapioca flour
- 300g gluten-free flour
- 80g sorghum flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 40g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 egg whites
- 1L water
- 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg, whisked
- Sea salt flakes
Method
- Warm your milk, then add the yeast and sugar. Stir and cover for 15 minutes until a foamy head forms.
- Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Add the yeast mix, apple cider vinegar and egg whites to the dry ingredients and stir until a sticky dough is formed. You can use a stand mixer for this if you wish.
- Now cover the bowl with clingfilm and set your dough aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour. Your dough should almost double in size.
- Pre-heat the oven to 230°C (210°C Fan)/450°F/Gas Mark 7.
- Measure out the water into a pan and add the bicarbonate of soda. Stir and set over high heat. Bring it up to a rolling boil.
- Lightly flour your surface with tapioca flour and tip your risen dough out on to it.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal portions.
- One by one, roll out the dough using your hands into a long sausage. Shape the dough into a ‘U’, then cross the ends over each other and fold down, pressing the ends on to or underneath the bottom of the pretzel. You can use a little water to help them stick.
- Gently lift the pretzel on to a spatula and lower into the boiling bicarb mix for 25 seconds, then lift on to a lined baking sheet. Repeat until all pretzels are prepared.
- Brush each pretzel with egg wash, then sprinkle generously with sea salt flakes.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes until dark golden in colour. They should feel springy to the touch.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes then lift on to a baking rack to cool down. Enjoy warm or cold. The pretzels will keep in an airtight container for 4-5 days.