Mix 100 gram flour, 100 gram water and 1 tablespoon yeast and leave this mixture overnight. Add the other ingredients, except the poppy seeds, and knead for 10 minutes. Leave the dough to rise one hour. Divide in 12 portions and roll each portion out into a square. Fold the squares like envelopes, sprinkle some poppy seeds on a baking tray and put the breads upside down (with the folded side down) in the poppy seeds. Turn them around after 20 minutes, spray them with water and leave them to rise one more hour. Spray again with water and bake them 30 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.

On the 17th of June 1953, there was an uprising in East-Berlin (then East-Germany) against the Stalinist government. The Soviets had a hard time suppressing it. Now this day is celebrated as the German Unity Day.  Click on culinary calendar for more links between cooking and history.

Start the evening before you want to eat the pretzels. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 120 grams water and knead for ten minutes. Put the dough in the fridge overnight. Divide in 12 pieces and roll them out to pencil thickness. Fold the pretzels like on the picture. Let them rise half an hour. Dissolve the baking soda in half a cup water and brush over the pretzels. Allow them to rise 10 minutes more. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Bake them 12 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius.

Pretzels are also popular in Luxembourg at least in a sweet form. On the third Sunday of Lent, in Luxembourg Bretzelsonndeg is celebrated and boys give their sweathearts a cake in pretzel shape. Click on culinary calendar for more links between cooking and celebration.