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A finished pretzel. Below you can see finished pretzels without the "lye shower". Funny, right?

BAKERY WISHES – get baking! – What do you buy for a small child in a stroller at the bakery? What's almost always in the breakfast bread basket on weekends? And what baked good tastes good to almost everyone? – That's right! The good old (…hopefully fresh… ;-)) pretzel. And that's exactly what my article for you is primarily about today. So far, I've already written about… History, background, and philosophy the bakery Wünsche, located in Gaimersheim I reported on it and took you virtually on my tour through their production facility (read it here: Production tour in the Wünsche bakery). That was really interesting, wasn't it? So I took the next opportunity to look around a bit more closely and even rolled up my sleeves myself. "Let's get to work on the pretzel!" was my motto. So, what makes a really good pretzel, and what's important in making one?

Backstube Wünsche – the Bavarian pretzel and how it is made.

During my visit to the production facility, I had the opportunity to try my hand at pretzel twisting – it's a dedicated department within the production area. With freshly disinfected hands and in full pretzel gear, I joined the friendly women in the pretzel production area and learned how to twist the pretzels. I wasn't quite as good at it as they'd hoped, and what looks so simple requires a lot of practice. The dough, from which the pretzels are formed with a flourish, starts as small balls. These are then machine-formed into long strands, about two centimeters thick, and finally shaped into pretzels by hand. It's only through the skillful, sweeping twist that the pretzel gets its typical shape – thick at the bottom, narrower at the top, and twisted.

Twisting pretzels isn't so easy. Have you tried it?

Wünsche bakery's pretzels are made from Bavarian ingredients. So when you buy a pretzel from one of their bakeries, you're biting into 100% "Bavaria" – confirmed by the "Certified Quality Bavaria" seal. Logistically, the pretzels are delivered frozen and packaged from the production facility in Gaimersheim to the individual bakeries, where they are then baked fresh several times a day. This means you can always go to the Wünsche bakery of your choice and enjoy freshly baked pretzels. I'm mentioning this in such detail because with nearly 300 bakeries across southern Bavaria, you might easily assume that pre-baking would be the only logistical solution, but no, that's not the case – the pretzel arrives fresh in your bag, no matter when you arrive.

First, we'll take a shower with lye solution.

From raw material to finished pretzel, including the required resting time for the dough, the entire process takes around 18 hours. First, the production staff prepares the dough. Again, it's made from purely regional ingredients, a blend of Bavarian grains mixed with a wheat pre-ferment. Once the dough has had sufficient time to rest, production continues, and it's portioned so it can be easily shaped. When the shaped pretzels are placed on the baking trays, they don't go directly into the oven. Instead, they first go into the proofing room and then under the "lye shower." This is a conveyor belt that evenly coats the pretzels with a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. This gives the pretzels their typical lye flavor, beautiful sheen, and chestnut-brown color – the hallmark of a "proper pretzel." Simply out of curiosity, I asked what would happen if the "lye bath" were omitted, meaning no "lye dough" was produced at all. Well, then the pretzel would be cheesy-white and wouldn't really taste like a pretzel, but much milder. I even got to try one and I have to admit, with my eyes closed, I wouldn't have even recognized that I was eating a pretzel – a crucial step, then. After the "lye bath," the pretzels are then deep-frozen in a process of about 10 minutes at approximately minus seven degrees Celsius in order to be delivered – as described above.

Always a treat – whether on its own or as an accompaniment. The pretzels from the Wünsche bakery

What determines the quality (and price) of a pretzel

In short, a pretzel – weighing approximately 70 grams, by the way – is created through ample time for the dough, made from high-quality, regional ingredients, the skilled craftsmanship of trained staff, and perfectly coordinated processes. Top-quality flour, when processed, naturally results in a particularly delicious pretzel that – let's be honest – tastes leagues better than those from the freezer aisle or even the in-store bakery at the supermarket around the corner. Once the pretzels have passed the final quality control check and the packaging department at the Wünsche bakery, they are shipped to the bakeries with consistently excellent quality. What few people know: You can also buy pretzels from Wünsche frozen and store them in the freezer at -18°C for up to 10 days. Bake them at home for super fresh pretzels. Amazing, right? Try it out and next time you bite into a pretzel, pay close attention to the taste. You will surely notice a difference in quality and will gladly pay 20 cents more the next time you buy a pretzel.

Below you can see more pictures of pretzel production at the Wünsche bakery. How do you like to eat your pretzel best? Plain, straight from the bakery bag? With butter? Or piece by piece with good cheese, a fine white sausage, or for breakfast? – I'm curious.

+++ This article was created in cooperation with the Wünsche bakery. Thank you! +++

Contact for inquiries

Wünsche Bakery (Head Office) | Gutenbergstrasse 11, 85080 Gaimersheim
Website

Details: Nearly 300 bakeries; over 300 different products in the assortment;
Preserving tradition and craftsmanship; baking according to in-house recipes

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