I was raised surrounded by German culture – but not German food. I’m not sure why. I still find it really appealing though. (Maybe it’s the German in my blood?)

Either way, I decided that a (belated) Oktoberfest dinner was essential last week. On a whole, it was quite a disappointing meal. The only recipe that turned out the way on wanted it to was this one for pretzel rolls, but they were so fantastic that it totally makes up for the dud of a meal.

These taste very similar to the pretzel rolls that Wegman’s sells – my husband was thrilled!

Pretzel Rolls
(from une bonne vie)
Makes 8 rolls

For the dough:
3 3/4 c. AP flour
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. active dry yeast
3/4 c. milk, slightly warmed
1/2 c. water, slightly warmed

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

For the bath:
7 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons baking soda

In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.Whisk flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture. Pour mixture into bowl with flour. Knead in the bowl until dough is very smooth. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute. Cut dough into 15 pieces. Form balls by pulling the dough under. Place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.

While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400F degrees and get the pretzel bath ready. In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil. Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them “poach” for 1 minute on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown.