1. Add milk and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine. Crumble the yeast, add it to the bowl and mix everything until the yeast has dissolved completely. Let sit and bubble in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

2. Add the flour, salt, and butter to the bowl and knead everything for about 10 minutes until a smooth dough forms – it should be very elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30–40 minutes. The dough should roughly double in volume.

3. Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured surface with your hands, then divide it into 10 portions and shape each into a smooth ball. Place the dough balls with some space in between on a board or baking sheet lined with baking parchment or a baking mat and place them in the fridge for about 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin* and set it aside.

5. Bring a pot with about 2 liters of water to a boil. Slowly sprinkle in the baking soda (Caution: it will foam up vigorously!) and stir until completely dissolved. Place the dough balls in the simmering baking soda water (only 1–2 at a time) and let them swim for about 30 seconds. Remove the dough balls from the water with a slotted spoon*, let them drain briefly, and then place them – smooth side up – into the cups of the prepared muffin tin.

6. Once all the dough balls are in the cups, cut a cross into the top of each one using a sharp knife – don’t be timid here and make good, deep cuts. Sprinkle the dough balls with coarse salt and bake them for about 17–20 minutes. The pretzel rolls should be well-risen and nicely browned. Remove the rolls from the oven, let them cool slightly, then carefully release them from the muffin tin (e.g., using a knife) and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. To make the Obazda, cut the Camembert into small cubes, then mash and mix it in a bowl with the cream cheese and butter – the mixture should look uniform but can still contain small chunks. Add the finely diced onion, paprika powder, some crushed caraway seeds, and a little salt and pepper, then mix everything well. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.

8. Garnish the cooled pretzel rolls as desired with some Obazda, salted pretzels, radish slices, and chives to make them look like cupcakes.