From the Publisher
Alfons Schuhbeck hails from Bavaria, and is regarded as an authority on German cuisine. In addition to his work as a chef and broadcaster, Schuhbeck is a restaurateur and businessman, with an online food business, wine bistro, spice shop, ice-cream parlour, two restaurants, and a cooking school.
Bavarian Soft Pretzels
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 35 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Dissolve the yeast in a little cold milk. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt, butter, 130 ml (½ cup/4 ½ fl oz) cold water, the remaining milk, and the dissolved yeast, and use a hand or stand mixer with a dough hook to knead everything into a smooth dough. Cover and let rise, about 15 minutes.
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, dust with a little flour, and shape into balls. Cover and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and spray the interior of the oven with water. Very carefully, heeding the instructions given by the chemist (pharmacist), mix the lye with 300 ml (1⅓ cups/10½ fl oz) cold water and let stand for 10 minutes until completely dissolved.
Pour the solution into a casserole dish or another deep, flat dish.
Dust the work counter lightly with flour and shape the dough balls into ropes of about 30 cm (12 inches) in length, tapering at the ends.
Twist into a pretzel shape by twisting the ends of the ropes together, then bringing the twisted ends back to the middle section of the rope, and lay, spaced apart, on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Brush the pretzels with the lye (always wear disposable gloves for this) and let rise for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 15–20 minutes. They can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Ingredients
1½ oz/40 g yeast
⅔ cup/5 fl oz/150 ml cold milk
4 cups/1 lb 2 oz/500 g plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
½ oz/15 g salt
⅓ oz/12.5 g food grade lye (caustic soda)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1½ oz/40 g yeast
⅔ cup/5 fl oz/150 ml cold milk
4 cups/1 lb 2 oz/500 g plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
½ oz/15 g salt
⅓ oz/12.5 g food grade lye (caustic soda)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
Over 500 traditional and contemporary German recipes
Celebrates the diversity of German cuisine
From Hamburg on the north coast to Munich in the Alpine south, and from Frankfurt in the west to Berlin in the east, Germany's cities and farmland yield a remarkable variety of ingredients and influences.
Beautiful photography
From snacks to desserts, meat, poultry, and fish, to potatoes, dumplings, and noodles, this volume showcases the diversity of German cuisine. An introduction showcasing the culinary cultural history of the country and introduces the origins of the classic recipes.
From classic to contemporary
"Beautifully designed, lavishly photographed, well written and pretty exhaustive too. You get a true insight into the country's food, with history, culture and regional recipes all mixed. My favourite culinary series." —Mail on Sunday
Alfons Schuhbeck hails from Bavaria, and is regarded as an authority on German cuisine. In addition to his work as a chef and broadcaster, Schuhbeck is a restaurateur and businessman, with an online food business, wine bistro, spice shop, ice-cream parlour, two restaurants, and a cooking school.
Bavarian Soft Pretzels
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 35 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Dissolve the yeast in a little cold milk. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt, butter, 130 ml (½ cup/4 ½ fl oz) cold water, the remaining milk, and the dissolved yeast, and use a hand or stand mixer with a dough hook to knead everything into a smooth dough. Cover and let rise, about 15 minutes.
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, dust with a little flour, and shape into balls. Cover and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and spray the interior of the oven with water. Very carefully, heeding the instructions given by the chemist (pharmacist), mix the lye with 300 ml (1⅓ cups/10½ fl oz) cold water and let stand for 10 minutes until completely dissolved.
Pour the solution into a casserole dish or another deep, flat dish.
Dust the work counter lightly with flour and shape the dough balls into ropes of about 30 cm (12 inches) in length, tapering at the ends.
Twist into a pretzel shape by twisting the ends of the ropes together, then bringing the twisted ends back to the middle section of the rope, and lay, spaced apart, on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Brush the pretzels with the lye (always wear disposable gloves for this) and let rise for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 15–20 minutes. They can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Ingredients
1½ oz/40 g yeast
⅔ cup/5 fl oz/150 ml cold milk
4 cups/1 lb 2 oz/500 g plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
½ oz/15 g salt
⅓ oz/12.5 g food grade lye (caustic soda)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1½ oz/40 g yeast
⅔ cup/5 fl oz/150 ml cold milk
4 cups/1 lb 2 oz/500 g plain (all-purpose) flour (plus extra for dusting)
½ oz/15 g salt
⅓ oz/12.5 g food grade lye (caustic soda)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
Over 500 traditional and contemporary German recipes
Celebrates the diversity of German cuisine
From Hamburg on the north coast to Munich in the Alpine south, and from Frankfurt in the west to Berlin in the east, Germany's cities and farmland yield a remarkable variety of ingredients and influences.
Beautiful photography
From snacks to desserts, meat, poultry, and fish, to potatoes, dumplings, and noodles, this volume showcases the diversity of German cuisine. An introduction showcasing the culinary cultural history of the country and introduces the origins of the classic recipes.
From classic to contemporary
"Beautifully designed, lavishly photographed, well written and pretty exhaustive too. You get a true insight into the country's food, with history, culture and regional recipes all mixed. My favourite culinary series." —Mail on Sunday