“When we went around and tried all the pretzels in Singapore to get an understanding of the lay of the land, none had that lye flavour,” he recalled.
“It’s not only the colours or the sheen that make it beautiful; it’s also a very unique taste that for me, makes or breaks a pretzel. That, from our perspective, can only be achieved with lye, the German version of an alkaline solution that is chemically slightly different from the baking soda that is used in bakeries around the world, and in Singapore as well.”
PUTTING THE TWIST IN PRETZELS
Von Berlepsch, 44 and Richard, 41 have perfected their recipe over the course of over three years. They’ve chosen to make Swabian pretzels, which have big, fluffy bellies and thin, crispy arms, as opposed to Bavarian pretzels, which have thick arms; another difference is that a Swabian pretzel is scored on the belly before baking, while a Bavarian pretzel is allowed to split all over.
They find the Swabian pretzel prettier, the couple said; and on top of that, they can split one because Von Berlepsch enjoys the crispier parts while Richard likes the fluffy, chewy bit.
Every bakery in Germany has their own dough recipe – some have more sugar, some contain lard – and the couple has lighted upon one that works for their own as well as local tastes. They use French butter – no lard – and each pretzel is sprinkled with special pretzel salt imported from Germany.