Contents
Brezn Challenge |
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A Rainy Afternoon in Rethymnon |
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Once Upon a Time…. |
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| There are several legends about the origin of the Brezn.
Our favourite is attributed to Eberhard 1, Duke of Württemberg
(1445-1496). The story goes that there was once a baker from Urach
convicted of larceny. He was offered a pardon if he could bake a piece
of bread through which ‘the sun shone thrice’, and of course, was given
just three days in which to accomplish this task. Well for the first
couple of days, he racked his brains to no avail. Time was running out,
the baker and his wife were becoming increasingly agitated, and this was
doing little to improve marital harmony. On the third day, during the
course of a ‘minor domestic dispute’, the baker’s attention was drawn to
the confrontational way in which his wife had folded her arms (An early
example of the psychology of non-verbal communication?). |
Inspired, the baker set to work, twisting the dough into the familiar looped shapes we know today. However, due to the stressful nature of the situation, things still didn’t go entirely to plan. Just as the baker was about to put the tray of dough into the oven his wife managed knock the whole lot into the wash-bucket, which at that point contained some form of sodium hydroxide solution. The baker and his wife looked at each other. Then they said the equivalent of “Sod it, we’ll fish them all out and stick them in the oven anyway.” Out of this, a great culinary tradition was born. Below you will find the authentic recipe and steps used by Boris to make absolutely delicious Brezn. Note—anhydrous NaOH should be handled with care, is not easily available in shops in Rethymnon and is best purchased in Athens with the help of a Bavarian who speaks fluent Greek…. |
The Challenge: Children, don’t try this at home without a responsible adult present! |
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For the Dough: 500 grammes all-purpose flour 1 packet dried yeast (8 grammes) 2 teaspoons of salt 1 teaspoon sugar 40 grammes unsalted butter 250 ml tepid water For the Dunking: 30 grammes NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) 1 litre water For the Sprinkling: Rock salt |
 Mix the ingredients to a smooth dough. Leave for one hour, covered, at
room temperature. Go out and have a couple of gin and tonics, if this is
difficult due to cultural conditions, try raki and soda or Obstler
(Bavarian fruity schnapps type drink). Come back into house. Discover
that dough has expanded. Start being creative, twisting and plaiting the
dough into various shapes. Wearing gloves, and appropriate protective
clothing, mix the NaOH with the water: To avoid unwanted chemical
reactions ADD THE NaOH TO THE WATER, NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND. Dunk your
creations into the solution and sprinkle with rock salt. Make incisions
with a sharp knife into any areas of your pretzels that look as if they
might be vulnerable to splitting. Bake at 180 degrees, for at least 20
minutes. Best served hot, and great with butter for breakfast. |
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| “Here’s one we made earlier”. It may not be Delia Smith or Jamie Oliver, but in the above photo montage (aside from the compulsory ‘refreshment’ breaks), you can see some of the major stages involved in making your very own traditional home-made Bavarian Brezn. |
| PRETZEL LOGIC….PRETZEL LOGIC….PRETZEL LOGIC….PRETZEL LOGIC…. | ||
| Steely Dan released the album Pretzel Logic in 1974 (Hit single: Rikki don’t lose that number). The songs have no immediately obvious baking references and the title track is about Napoleon. But, to paraphrase some reviewers, the lyrics are ‘twisted’, which might be relevant. | In Astronomia Nova, mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) argued that if the Earth is the centre of the universe, then the other planets must travel in a loopy pattern rather like the shape of a pretzel. Well, perhaps astronomy has moved on a bit since then. | George W. Bush choked on a pretzel in 2002, whilst watching an NFL game. Apparently, he momentarily lost consciousness. Question is: Who on earth noticed the difference? |
| International Bonkers Baking Society |
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