As a Bavarian living in California, I really missed the kind of pretzels I know from Munich, so I decided to bake my own.

At first, I was hesitant about using sodium hydroxide lye, which is essential for that deep color, flavor, and texture, but after some research and the right safety gear, I gave it a go. Oh boy…why did I wait so long? They came out amazingly…crunchy on the outside, soft inside. I was so proud!

Since then, I’ve experimented a lot to find the perfect dough - a mixture of sourdough with a bit of yeast, fermented for more than 24 hours for the perfect flavor. This pretzel will not bloat your tummy like other “fast food pretzels” or yeast doughs used for pizza.