One of my favorite pastimes when I travel is to take long walks around a city and find their food markets and specialty food shops. My daughter and I visited Germany in September and we were overwhelmed by the confections and pastries we found everywhere we visited. One of our favorites was the nougat pretzels (Nougatbrezel) we found in Cologne. We both agreed that they are one of the most delicious things we had on our entire trip. Imagine a large pretzel shaped pastry filled with chocolate and covered in nougat and toasted almonds. We found these amazingly scrumptious pastries at Merzenich, a small chain of bakeries all around the city and you can’t miss them if you are out for a stroll. If you visit Cologne look for a shop within several blocks of the Kohlner Dom, Cologne’s most famous landmark.
I’m determined to at least come close to making nougat pretzels like we found in Cologne. I’m sure they are made with a yeast dough but the filling and nougat covered tops are a mystery. Googling them didn’t bring up a single recipe suggestion so I went out on my own and found this recipe for chocolate-cinnamon twists, Russian “Sladkay Bulochka” at Cooking Melangery. I didn’t make any changes to the recipe when I made these sweet buns and they are delicious just this way. But I see lots of pretzel potential here and will work on making some changes.
It took a few tries to get the cut side of the filled dough to fully show, but once I got the hang of it…no problem. The original recipe has only a dusting of powdered sugar on top but I wanted to go for it and try a powdered sugar glaze and toasted almonds. I’m on the right track but next time will make something that is a little more nougat-like that the almonds stick to better. I added the almonds after baking but now as I look closely at the photos I think they were put on before baking. This is a real mystery here but I’m determined to solve it. If anyone has seen these pretzels before and has any idea how to make them I surely would appreciate the info.
Merzenich has hundreds of these pretzels in their shop, case after case and racks of them hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately we bought only two so they disappeared before we could completely analyze them. The only negative to our wonderful river cruise is that at the end of the day we sail on to the next city. There is no going back for seconds.
Not in the mood for a nougat pretzel? Why not try a jelly doughnut or 2?
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup warm milk (110 degrees)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2-3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- In a small bowl sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm milk and let it stand for about 5 minutes.until foamy. Whisk the cooled melted butter and egg yolk into the yeast mixture. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast-egg mixture and mix on low speed until smooth, soft and slightly sticky, about 2-3 minutes. Butter a large bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times until smooth. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small bowl combine the filling ingredients. Set aside.
- After rising divide the dough into 8 equal parts. On a well floured surface, roll out each dough ball to a 6? circle. With a brush spread the filling mixture on the dough, covering all of the surface in a thin layer. Roll into a log and cut lengthways in half. Take the 2 parts and twist together and form into a round. Be sure the cut side is up and visible.. Repeat with all dough balls. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment baking paper. Cover with a cloth and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Brush with the remaining cinnamon-butter mix and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375°F for around 12-15 minutes until nicely browned. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle on a powdered sugar glaze and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
We spent Christmas and New Years in Germany and Austria many years ago and their pastry shops were amazing and so are your Cologne chocolate twists. You could easily food someone to believe they came from a fancy shop.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Dream Destination Dinner in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in the South of France
Thank you, Sam. German pastries are so different than French, but equally delicious in their own way. I’ll keep working on this recipe to hopefully come closer to the pretzels we were so excited about.
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Cinnamon Twists of Cologne
Simply caramize the almonds with sugar to get that nougat almond topping :).
Thank you so much Margaret. I wouldn’t have thought of that and can’t wait to try it. Happy Holidays!
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Cinnamon Twists of Cologne
These look wondeful and I love Yelena’s blog!
I have Pinned them..I bet I Pinned them when she made them also..Must remedy and turn a Pin into a Made:)
I have to say..the others look fantastic too!
Monique recently posted..Movember…is …almost..over..Welcome December..
Cathy, glad your river cruise through Germany was enjoyable. Not everyone realizes how much the Germans enjoy their pastry….I have no doubt that the almond nougat pretzels were amazing. Coupled wih a good afternoon cup of coffee probably would make it perfect.
Your Chocolate cinnamon Twists look amazing too. I have a lot respect and admiration for your baking skills.
Velva
Velva recently posted..Savoring the Season: Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples
Thanks, Velva. I never considered myself much of a yeast bread baker, but I’m slowly getting better the more I practice. German pastries are so delicious and I’m looking forward to trying more recipes.
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Cinnamon Twists of Cologne
These are just gorgeous, and sound delicious too! 🙂
Betty recently posted..Lemon Glazed Persimmon Date Bars
Oh, but those are absolutely gorgeous, and I want one right now! What beautiful work!
Adri recently posted..Call it Spaghetti Rapida – A Pasta to Die For
I think yours look fabulous, Cathy. And Margaret’s idea might be the answer you wanted for the almond topping.
What a treat! Wish they were waiting for me in my kitchen right now!
Hi Cathy, I was just browsing through your blog and noticed you have so many great baking recipes, a few weeks ago I made your cranberry bliss and it was wonderful. These twists look scrumptious! Thank you!
cheri recently posted..Roasted Beets with Sesame and Oregano
Oh, they look good! I haven’t had my breakfast yet and now I’m drooling!!!
Happy weekend.
Whether they are exactly like the ones you had in Cologne doesn’t matter. They both look scrumptious. But I’ll be interested in seeing if you do in fact duplicate the originals.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..My Big Fat Raviolo
Well I’ve never had the original version, Cathy, but yours looks heavenly to me! I’d love to try them.
Kitty recently posted..Pecan Pie
I’m made a big twisted wreath before, but I LOVE your minis! Perfect for the holidays!
Liz recently posted..Tartine de Viande des Grisons #FrenchFridayswithDorie
If these are as good as they look, they must be something!
Linda recently posted..WPC: Gone But Not Forgotten
Your cinnamon twist are gorgeous.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon recently posted..One Bite Pecan Tassies
That would be twists.
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon recently posted..One Bite Pecan Tassies
🙂 I pinned the same recipe when I saw it on Cooking Melangery! Yours turned out beautifully and they sound wonderful.
Susan recently posted..Fairy Food Candy
What’s the best thing about traveling? Discovering local food specialties! These twists are gorgeous and I love the filling flavors, it is just what I put in any sweet yeasty thing I make if given the choice. These are so beautiful…. I have to make these. I love working with sweet yeast doughs and love the challenge of trying to shape them.
Nougat pretzels sound so delicious.
Hope you figure it out, but in the meantime
this recipe looks quite wonderful.
Merry Christmas!
Marilyn recently posted..The Littlest Finds a Tree
Walking around a city and sampling their food is my favorite thing to do in a new city too. I definitely would have liked to try these.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes recently posted..Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies
These are absolutely beautiful, Cathy. I have a similar “smoking St. Nicholas” like the one in your picture. I’m in bread baking mode, so I will pin this for later.
Foodiewife recently posted..Peppermint Cream Pie