It’s a bank holiday weekend, the unofficial “start to summer” and we’re in a global pandemic, so Munich trips are off for the time being! Didn’t stop me from wanting to be in the biergarten and craving Bavarian Food. Alas, Brezn (pretzels) are harder to come by (make your own!) and so is Obatza, the cheese spread that you find almost everywhere there. Traditional accompaniments are radishes, chives, gherkins, sometimes cherry tomatoes or even some charcuterie. Ein gutn!
Ingredients for the Obatzda
270 grams Brie or camembert cheese, soft at room temperature
30 grams butter, soft at room temperature
125 grams whole milk Quark*
1-3 tablespoons light bier (a helles/pils or ale)
1 small shallot, very finely diced
Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
caraway seeds (optional)
Serve with red onion rings, radishes, small gherkins, cherry tomatoes, salami or prosciutto and most importantly, pretzels (Brezn)!
Directions
Dice the Brie/Camembert into small pieces. Finely dice the shallot. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and quark, then add the cheese, shallot and beer. Season to taste. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
*if you can’t find quark, look for “fromage blanc” or “farmer’s cheese” — they are more or less the same thing and can be used interchangeably. If you can’t find any of those, mix together half a package of cream cheese and 3 tablespoons sour cream.
———————————-
How to make Laugenbrezeln
Ingredients
500 g high protein flour (I use King Arthur’s High-Gluten Blend, which has 14% protein. Bread flour is ok to use at 12%).
5 g active-dry yeast
250 ml water, heated to 100-110F
50 g butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 liters water
1/3 cup baking soda
Coarse salt for sprinkling
Directions
In the work bowl of your stand mixer, place 100 g of the flour. Make a small indentation and then sprinkle in the yeast, the sugar and half of the water. Place the butter cubes on top and wait 15 minutes, until the yeast becomes foamy.
Add the remaining water, flour and the salt and combine with the paddle attachment on low. Once completely combines, switch to a dough hook and use the stand mixer to knead the dough for 10 minutes on medium until a dough forms and does not stick to the sides. After 10 minutes, transfer to a floured board and knead by hand for an additional 5-6 minutes.
Place dough in a bowl coated with the vegetable oil (oil the dough as well), cover with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, approximately 2 hours.
Divide dough into 14 balls for small pretzels, 8-10 balls for medium pretzels. Roll into snakes and form into pretzels. Let rest for an additional 15 minutes covered with the clean dish towel(s).
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
In a shallow pot (or wide-rimmed pan with sides 3 inches deep), bring the water to a rolling bowl. Add the baking soda (careful, it will bubble up tremendously!) and continue to boil until the baking soda is completely dissolved. Then turn the water to a simmer. Using a spider or slotted spoon, submerge each pretzel, one at a time, into the simmering water for 30-45 seconds (but no more!), holding the spider underneath the pretzel, in case it starts to fall apart. Immediately transfer to the baking sheet, cut a small slit in the bottom section and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
