Get it twisted: New Bloomfield shop makes handmade German soft pretzels

Apr. 26—Connor Claussen mixes three types of flour, dry yeast, sea salt and filtered water.

He divides the dough into equal parts, rolls it into logs, forms each into a distinctive pretzel shape, scores the tops, dips them in lye and puts them in the oven to bake.

This Swabian German style pretzel is the signature item at Claussen Cafehaus in Bloomfield. Swabia is a region in Southwestern Germany.

The shop opened in March.

Claussen's father Axel was born in Germany and started Axel's Pretzels in 2013. Those pretzels are sold via wholesale. The elder Claussen was craving a German pretzel. He started making them in the family's Highland Park kitchen. He brought them to picnics and parties and eventually delivered them to local coffee shops and the nearby Bryant Street Market in Highland Park.

"This is my dad's recipe that he passed onto me," said Connor Claussen, who lives in Shadyside. "He is very big on using local ingredients and no preservatives. Everything is done by hand. Each pretzel is individually rolled out, twisted and baked."

Most people are familiar with the Bavarian pretzel which is larger and more symmetrical in size, Connor Claussen said. The type he makes has a larger top or belly and smaller arms — the part that crosses over. The belly is scored or cut to give it a distinctive look The pretzels are dipped in lye, sodium hydroxide, before baking which give them a dark brown color and flavor.

Learning to make the best pretzel takes more than the right mixture.

"Timing is the most important ingredient in baking," Connor Claussen said. "You know you've become a baker when you can tell by the humidity or feel of the dough how much to adjust the ingredients."

Monday was National Pretzel Day. The shop is closed Mondays but will celebrate on Tuesday.

Claussen Cafehaus sells original, rosemary, black pepper and garlic as well as a gluten free option. The cafe serves house made dips such as herbed plant butter, honey mustard and cinnamon butter cream.

"We want to be known for our soft pretzels, but we like that we are a café and can sell other items too," Connor Claussen, 23, said.

They currently sell sandwiches and are working on a pretzel bagel breakfast sandwich of capicloa, egg and cheese.

Claussen Cafehaus manager Manager Mae Gardner said it is nice to be part of the Bloomfield community.

"We love working with the other businesses here," Gardner said. "This is a beautiful block."

Having his own business has been Connor Claussen's dream.

"I took a leap of faith," he said. "It's been great. When you wholesale a product you don't have the final say in how it is being served. With this, we have full control over that. We also have the connection with meeting the customer."

Claussen Cafehaus is located at 4615 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .