German New Year Pearl Sugar Pretzel
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod
- 200 ml milk
- 1 organic lemon
- 400 g wheat flour
- 100 g light spelt flour
- 90 g sugar
- 1/2 cube fresh yeast
- a pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolbs
- 1 packet Bourbon vanilla sugar
- 110 g soft butter
- 1 egg white
- almond slivers
- pearl sugar
- flour, for dusting
Preparation
Split vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds
Place vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan with milk and gently heat
Remove from heat and let the mixture steep for 5 minutes
Wash lemon with hot water, dry, and finely grate the zest
In a stand mixer bowl, mix wheat flour, spelt flour, lemon zest, and all but 1 teaspoon of sugar
Press a well into the flour mixture
Crumble yeast into the well and pour in a little vanilla milk
Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the yeast
Mix the milk, yeast, sugar, and some flour from the edge to form a thick paste
Cover and let the mixture rise for 10 minutes
Remove vanilla pod from the remaining milk
Sprinkle salt over the flour mixture
Add the remaining milk, egg yolbs, and vanilla sugar to the pre-dough
Knead gently with dough hooks for 8 minutes, gradually adding 80 g of butter
Knead vigorously for 3 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth but not too soft
Cover and let the dough rise for 60 minutes in a warm place
Lightly flour the work surface
Divide the dough into portions and shape into pretzel forms
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda
Dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution for 30 seconds
Place the pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet
Brush the pretzels with egg white
Sprinkle generously with pearl sugar and almond slivers
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
Notes
This pretzel, formerly affectionately called 'Neujährchen', is said to bring health and luck for the new year
