This is a traditional New Year’s treat which is a sweet pretzel. It make 2 very large pretzels- enough for 4-6 people as a snack or dessert. It’s similar to the dough made for sweet rolls or sticky buns. We have adapted the recipe to be vegan.

German New Year’s Pretzels

Yield: 2 very large pretzels

Ingredients

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 egg replacement
  • ¼ cup vegan margarine
  • 1 package yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 cups flour
  • for the glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ cup almond slices
  • ¼ cup crystal sugar (optional alternative to almond slices)
German New Year’s Pretzels

Directions

  1. Heat the non-dairy mild and vegan margarine in a saucepan until warm.
  2. Prepare the egg replacement.
  3. Place 1 cup of flour in a bowl and add in the yeast, salt and sugar and mix together.
  4. Add the warmed milk mixture and beat well for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the egg replacement and continue mixing the dough.
  6. Add the 2nd cup of flour and again beat well.
  7. Continue adding in flour until it becomes a smooth, soft and elastic dough. This will be about 5 cups total.
  8. Place the dough in a greased bowl.
  9. Put plastic wrap or a damp tea towel over the dough and place in a warm area to rise.
  10. It will need to double it’s bulk- this will take about an hour, depending on the temperature of the place where the dough has been put.
  11. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and let it rise for a 2nd time. This will be another hour. Or if you wish, you could let the 2nd rise be over night in a cold room.
  12. After the dough has again doubled, remove it from the bowl and put it on a lightly floured workspace.
  13. Divide the dough in 1/2 and roll each half into a long rope, about 30 inches long.
  14. Cross the ends of the rope and “flip” the crossed ends back onto the center of the loop forming the traditional pretzel shape.
  15. Place the pretzels on greased baking parchment. and allow them to rise for 15 minutes while you pre-heat the oven.
  16. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375℉ of 190℃ for 30-40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
  17. When the pretzels are done, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
  18. While the pretzels are cooling, make the glaze.
  19. Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and almond flavors in a small bowl.
  20. Add enough water to male a medium thin icing.
  21. Spread the icing on the cooled pretzels and sprinkle with almond slices or sugar granules.
  22. We enjoyed the pretzels with hot coffee, they would also be nice with other warm vegan beverages.

Notes

We made the dough on the afternoon of day previous day, allowing the first rise to happen in the evening. We allowed the 2nd rise to happen over-night and then made and baked the pretzels on the day itself. Happy New Year to all.