Baking
Covrigi with poppy seeds and salt
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Slender yeast pretzels with soft centres, briefly poached and baked hot. Our home version follows the covrigi brașoveni style. Unlike simit they have no pekmez dip and receive a poppy-seed and salt topping.
Timing
- Preparation: about 25 minutes, including about 5 minutes during rising
- Rising: about 80 minutes; cooling: about 10 minutes
- Poaching and baking: about 25 minutes
- Total time: about 2 hours 15 minutes
Estimated nutrition
per serving · Calculated for 4 servings.
- Energy
- ≈ 260 kcal
- Protein
- ≈ 8.5 g
- Carbohydrates
- ≈ 45.8 g
- Fat
- ≈ 3.8 g
The nutrition values are estimates based on the ingredients and quantities used. Actual values may vary depending on the product, portion size and preparation.
Calculation basis
Item weights and household measures are estimated. Unless specified: milk with 1.5% fat, cream with 30% fat and Gouda cheese. Optional ingredients, small amounts of seasoning and separately listed side dishes are excluded. For imprecise entries, the amounts below and comparable reference products are assumed. For alternatives, the first listed ingredient is used. Cooking losses have not been measured.
Includes all dough, type-550 flour and all 12 g poppy seeds. Poaching water and its dissolved bicarbonate are discarded and excluded. Four pretzels make four servings.
Quantity assumptions and ingredient mapping
- 250 g white wheat flour, German type 550 · ≈ 250.0 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
- 140 ml lukewarm water for the dough · ≈ 140.0 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
- 3 g instant dried yeast · ≈ 3.0 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
- 6 g sugar · ≈ 6.0 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
- 8 ml neutral oil · ≈ 7.28 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
- 12 g poppy seeds · ≈ 12.0 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
Matvaretabellen: Mattilsynet · Santa Maria
Food data: Max Rubner-Institut, BLS 4.0 (2025), CC BY 4.0. Calculated and rounded for this recipe. BLS 4.0 · CC BY 4.0
Ingredients
- 250 g white wheat flour, German type 550
- 140 ml lukewarm water for the dough
- 3 g instant dried yeast
- 6 g sugar
- 5 g fine salt for the dough
- 8 ml neutral oil
- 1.5 litres water for poaching
- 10 g bicarbonate of soda for poaching water
- 12 g poppy seeds
- 2 g coarse salt for topping
Instructions
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar and fine salt. Work in 140 ml water and knead for about 8 minutes into smooth firm dough. Coat thinly with oil, cover and rise for about 60 minutes until visibly expanded.
- Divide into four and roll each into a thin strand about 60 cm long. Make a loop, twist the ends twice, fold them onto the loop and press firmly. Cover on a tray and prove for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 230°C conventional heat. Heat 1.5 litres water in a wide pan. Add bicarbonate slowly, allowing for foaming. Gently poach pretzels individually for about 30 seconds per side, lift out carefully and drain.
- Set on suitable parchment, sprinkle with poppy seeds and coarse salt and bake for about 18–20 minutes until deeply golden. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
Tips
- Use food-grade bicarbonate, not caustic soda lye. Poaching water is discarded rather than eaten. Parchment must suit the oven temperature.
- Sesame instead of poppy is an identified topping variation. The stated batch makes four larger pretzels, one per snack serving.
