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As we enter the New Year, I’m presenting a few recipes for foods that are deemed lucky. Today’s recipe is from Germany. Neujahrsbrezel is a large pretzel popular in the Rhineland and other areas in southwestern Germany and is typically served on New Year’s Day to symbolize good luck. Unlike traditional lye pretzels, no boiling is involved before baking and the dough is a little sweeter. The top can be plain (as in the recipe below) though it is often sprinkled with pearl sugar or a combination of pearl sugar and slivered almonds. It’s best served warm from the oven or the day it’s made, though it can still be enjoyed the next day.
Ingredients:
500g (1 lb) plain (all-purpose) flour
30g (1 oz) yeast (or 7g [1 sachet] active dried yeast)
60g (1/4 cup) sugar
250ml (1 cup) whole milk, lukewarm
60g (1/4 cup) butter, at room temperature
1 egg
pinch of sea salt
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg yolk, to brush
Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Serves 4-6 (plus 70 mins rising time)
Method:
Dissolve the yeast in a little lukewarm milk and add the sugar. If using yeast cake, use immediately; if using dried yeast, set aside for 5 minutes until activated.
Sift the flour into a bowl, form a well in the centre and add the add to the flour and mix slightly. Let the resultant pre-dough rise for about 15 minutes, then add the remaining milk, butter, egg, salt and lemon zest and knead everything to an elastic dough.
Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in volume. After this time, knock the dough back, then knead carefully.
Divide the dough into two pieces, one larger than the other. Take the larger piece of dough, form into a long roll and loop it into a pretzel. Take the second piece of dough, divide into three portions, roll each piece into long ropes then plait together and join this to the top of the pretzel (see image).
Sit on a greased baking tray and let it rise again for about 15 minutes. Before baking, brush the top with the whisked egg yolk. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C (400F) and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Allow to cool before serving. This New Year pretzel can be served warm or cold. As an alternative, you can top the pretzel with slivered almonds before baking.
