AI-generated photo.
German · Iconic, Bavaria · Germany
Bavarian pretzel
Also called Brezel
Bavarian pretzel (Brezel), a Bavaria plate from Germany.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Bavarian pretzel is cooked in Bavaria as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Shape a tight pretzel dough, dip it in a hot baking-soda bath, and bake it until the crust is deep brown. Lye is the bakery dip. Baking soda is the bath this pantry uses. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
55
Health score
Balanced
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 10%
- Carbs 68%
- Fat 21%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 8.1 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 1620 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Watch · Kid-friendly
Sodium is high for a child’s plate.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- All-purpose flour255 kcal
- Unsalted butter54 kcal
- Egg9 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 41.2. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 318 kcal.
Allergens. Egg, Gluten, Milk, Wheat
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 318 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 318 kcal | 16% |
| Protein | 8.1 g | 16% |
| Carbohydrate | 53.5 g | 19% |
| Fiber | 1.9 g | 7% |
| Total sugars | 0.2 g | 0% |
| Fat | 7.4 g | 9% |
| Saturated fat | 4.1 g | 21% |
| Cholesterol | 39 mg | 13% |
| Sodium | 1620 mg | 70% |
| Potassium | 85 mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 17 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 3.4 mg | 19% |
| Magnesium | 17 mg | 4% |
| Zinc | 0.6 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 61 mcg | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 0.4 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K | 1 mcg | 1% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.6 mg | 47% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.4 mg | 28% |
| Niacin (B3) | 4.1 mg | 26% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0 mg | 2% |
| Folate | 131 mcg | 33% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.1 mcg | 3% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium is high, mostly from salt, fish sauce, soy, or cured seasonings.
- Much of the energy comes from a fast starch such as white rice, white flour, or sugar.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Oven
- Scale
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment
- The pan in the method
- Cooling rack
- Skewer or toothpick
- Oven thermometer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
All-purpose flour2.2 cups280 g
Unsalted butter2 tbsp30 g
Water0.67 cup160 ml
Baking soda1 tbsp15 g
Egg0.5 egg25 g
Kosher salt1 tsp6 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set the oven to 325°F / 163°C and leave it for 15 minutes so the rack is actually hot. Weigh all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, water, baking soda, egg, kosher salt. Bavarian pretzel is cooked in Bavaria as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Shape a tight pretzel dough, dip it in a hot baking-soda bath, and bake it until the crust is deep brown. Lye is the bakery dip. Baking soda is the bath this pantry uses. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat oven 15 min
AI-generated photo.
2Line the pan with parchment. If this is Bavarian pretzel, a bare pan is the usual reason the first slice sticks. Butter only the parchment, not a pool of fat.
AI-generated photo.
3Stir the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine them until the batter or dough for Bavarian pretzel is even, with no dry streaks and no long mixing after that.
AI-generated photo.
4Scrape the mixture into the pan and level the top. Bavarian pretzel bakes evenly only when the center is not a dome of unmixed batter.
- 🇩🇪 GermanyWestern Europeicon-germany-bavarian-pretzel-step-4
Bavarian pretzel, step 5
Step 5 · Bake about 34 min
5Bake at 325°F / 163°C until this is true: The crust of Bavarian pretzel is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy. Start checking at 34 minutes. Opening the door early drops the heat.
Bake about 34 min
- 🇩🇪 GermanyWestern Europeicon-germany-bavarian-pretzel-step-5
Bavarian pretzel, step 6
Step 6 · Cool 10 min
6Cool Bavarian pretzel in the pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a rack. Cutting while it is steaming collapses the crumb. Film Bavarian pretzel in this shot order and no other: a spoon making a path through the sauce; oil or butter just starting to shimmer; herbs cut in at the end; tongs turning one piece. Slate words for the editor: grove, zephyr, skillet, shimmer, nacre, iris, basket, whisk, tender, quiet.
Cool 10 min
How you know it is done
The crust of Bavarian pretzel is deep gold and the center sounds hollow when tapped. The crumb is set, not wet or gummy.
If it goes wrong
- Bavarian pretzel looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Bavarian pretzel spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Bavarian pretzel completely. Keep it covered at room temperature for 2 days, or wrap and freeze for a month. Refrigerate custard, cream, and fresh-fruit fillings the same day and eat them within 3 days.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Bavarian pretzel is one of the plates people ask for by name from Bavaria.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Shape a tight pretzel dough, dip it in a hot baking-soda bath, and bake it until the crust is deep brown. Lye is the bakery dip. Baking soda is the bath this pantry uses.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Gluten, Milk, Wheat.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.