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Custard Pretzels (Puddingbrezel)

Prep
10 min
Bake
35 min
Total
45 min
Makes
8 pieces

Ingredients

  • 7 tbsp90 ggranulated sugar
  • 1large egg
  • 6 tbsp45 gcornstarchA fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes. In the US cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • 1 ¾ cups430 mlmilk
  • ½vanilla beanA whole vanilla pod; the seeds are scraped out and used. In the US use a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per bean; in the UK a vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per pod.
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 2 packagespuff pastry or Danish dough1 German package = about 10 oz (275 g). In Germany puff pastry is usually bought ready-rolled from the chilled section. In the US use frozen puff pastry sheets, all-butter if possible; in the UK, ready-rolled puff pastry.
  • ⅔ cup200 gapricot jam
  • pouring fondantOr a little powdered sugar to make a simple sugar glaze. Pouring fondant is a white sugar paste that is warmed and thinned into a glossy pouring icing; it is not the rollable sugarpaste used to cover cakes. In the US use poured fondant mix (sold online), or a thick powdered sugar glaze; in the UK fondant icing sugar mixed with a little water, or a thick icing sugar glaze. Powdered sugar is very finely ground sugar (US: confectioners' sugar; UK: icing sugar).

Method

  1. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg and stir vigorously again.

  2. Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla seeds and the scraped-out bean.

  3. Add a small splash of the boiling milk to the egg mixture and stir vigorously. Then add a splash of milk two more times, pour the whole mixture into the boiling milk and boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

  4. Remove the vanilla bean and take the pan off the heat. Stir in the butter.

  5. Cover the hot cream and let it cool completely.

  6. Preheat the oven: 350°F (180°C) convection (fan), 375°F (190°C) conventional (top and bottom heat).

  7. If you like, brush the puff pastry sheets with a little water or egg white and stick them on top of each other, then cut them lengthwise into strips about 1 ¼ inches (3 cm) wide. Twist the strips into pretzels and place them on a large baking sheet (about 16 × 14 inches / 40 × 35 cm; a US half sheet pan, 18 × 13 inches, works too).

  8. Fill the cooled vanilla cream into a piping bag and pipe it into the pretzels.

  9. Bake in the oven until the puff pastry is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

  10. Bring the apricot jam to a bubbling boil with a splash of water. Brush the boiling hot jam onto the pastries and wait a few minutes so the jam has time to cool and set.

  11. Gently warm the pouring fondant until lukewarm (hand warm). If needed, add a splash of water or an egg white to thin it, then spread it over the pretzels.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/custard-pretzels-puddingbrezel/