Techniqueintermediatedraft
Pretzels: baked baking soda instead of lye
Also searched as: pretzels, lye rolls, lye bread, baked baking soda, homemade pretzels
In short: Pretzels get their colour and flavour from an alkaline bath. At home, baked baking soda does the job more gently.
Picture it
Like a primer before painting: the short dip decides how the colour turns out later.
How it’s done
Sequence · Step 1 of 4
Make baked baking soda (see the lab recipe): 2 hours at 120 °C.
All steps as a list
- Make baked baking soda (see the lab recipe): 2 hours at 120 °C.
- Dissolve about 150 g of it in just under 500 ml of warm water.
- Dip the shaped pretzels briefly, rinse briefly and let them drain.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake hot.
Rules of thumb
- Baked is an irritant: keep it away from your face and wash your hands afterwards.
- Do not use an aluminium tray or bowl.
- Real food-grade lye (sodium hydroxide) gives more colour but is caustic: only with gloves and safety goggles.
Sources · 2
- America’s Test Kitchen: Professional-quality soft pretzels at home
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)