Ingredients (for 10-12 bunnies)

For the dough:

• 360 ml lukewarm milk
• 30 g yeast (room temperature)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 600 g wheat flour type 550
• 35 g baking malt
• 10 g salt
• some starch for the trays

For the lye:

• 1 l water
• 100 g baking soda (e.g. Kaiser Natron, baking soda)

For the Dough Pour the milk into the mixing bowl of the food processor. Crumble in the yeast and add the sugar. Add the flour, baking malt and salt and knead with the dough hook until the dough comes away from the bowl. This takes about 10-12 minutes. The result should be a slightly firmer yeast dough.

Cover the dough and leave to rise at room temperature for approx. 30 minutes. Then transfer to a lightly floured work surface with a dough card, divide into pieces weighing approx. 90 g and roll into rounds. Cover the dough balls and leave to relax for another 10 minutes. Now roll each ball into a strand approx. 40 cm long. The ends should be pointed and there should be a "belly" in the middle. Roll into bunny shapes and place on baking trays sprinkled with starch. (The trays should fit in the fridge!)

Now place the trays in the fridge for approx. 2 hours (alternatively in the freezer for approx. 45 minutes).
 

Heat the Merklinger to approx. 230°C.

For the Lye Bring the water to the boil in a tall pan, remove from the heat and slowly add the baking soda powder. Attention: The baking soda powder foams up! It is therefore best to use a tall pot. Put the pan back on the hob, switched off but still warm. Now place each bunny individually on a slotted spoon and leave to soak for approx. 20-25 seconds. Carefully dip the bunnies in again and again. Drain well on the slotted spoon and carefully place on baking trays lined with cling film.

Brush the pretzel cookies again with the lye, score the ears and twice on the belly with a serrated knife and immediately slide into the hot Merklinger.

Bake at approx. 230°C top heat for approx. 17 minutes.
Remove the trays and leave the bunnies to cool on a wire rack.


Attention:

• Work with gloves when lyeing!
• Sensitive work surfaces and metal sheets protect!
• Only prepare the dough pieces directly before Baking lye!
• Bakers use a 4% sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH). This may sound quite similar, but chemically speaking it is completely different. It is also not easy to get hold of caustic soda and handling caustic soda is not without danger. That's why I use an alkaline solution made from household sodium hydroxide (NaHCO₃), e.g. Kaiser Natron, baking soda...