Soft Chewy Salted Pretzels | Recipe By My Name Is Snickerdoodle (2024)

FAQs

Why did you dip the pretzels in the baking soda water solution? ›

As noted above, baking soda is a staple ingredient for making homemade pretzels. Dunking your pretzels in a baking soda bath prior to baking is what enables them to develop their distinctive color and crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside texture.

Baking soda that's been baked can be used at a 1:1 ratio for the amount of lye in your recipe. When your pretzel recipe calls for a lye bath, just dissolve a third of a cup of cooked baking soda for each cup of water you are using, then dunk the pretzels in the solution for three to four minutes.

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor.

Ideally, you would use pretzel salt when making pretzels. But this type of salt is not always easy to find in the store. That's why many people turn to kosher salt instead. And indeed, these two types of salt have a lot in common.

Dijon mustard or a spicy brown mustard are the typical go-tos, as they add an extra kick to your pretzel snack. However, you can also get the best of both worlds by choosing a cheesy mustard dip. All you need is spicy brown mustard, a cheese spread, and Worcestershire sauce.

The dipping stage normally takes just 10-15 seconds of exposure to the hot alkaline solution which is about 200°F. Traditionally the solution was a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. Today, most production involves the use of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate solutions which are not as caustic as NaOH.

NO, chemically-speaking, soap itself cannot be made without lye. Soap is made by blending oils (like olive oil or coconut oil), a liquid (water, goat's milk, etc.), and an alkali (lye). Lye is needed to convert oils into soap.

You usually need some kind of strong alkali, and I'll take it that "without lye" means "without caustic potash either". You can still do it with ammonia, triethanolamine, or other alkaline-enough amines. There are no alternatives for sodium hydroxide in soap making.

If your pretzels have any sort of a metallic, bitter taste, it all comes down to the baking soda bath.

For the lye bath:

2 tablespoons (40 grams) food grade lye, see notes for baking soda alternative. 1 liter (1000 grams) water, room temperature. Pretzel salt or coarse salt.

What is the best flour for pretzels? ›

Bread flour is best used for, you guessed it, breads. This is fine for pretzels, but if you don't plan to make that much bread, buying bread flour for just one thing can seem like a waste. All-purpose flour can be used for a wide variety of baked goods, including cookies, muffins, pie crusts, and breads.

When you're craving a salty snack, there's nothing quite like homemade pretzels and mustard. And the only thing better than a pretzel with mustard is mustard variety. Dijon.

Baking Soda + Boiling Water Pretzel Bath

Slowly pour in your baking soda and whisk until completely dissolved. Dip your pretzels in the bath using a slotted spoon for 30 seconds, flipping once during this time. Drain and place back onto your greased parchment lined baking sheets.

Brush pretzel with egg wash or mist with water and sprinkle pretzel salt over it. Reheat in toaster oven or conventional oven at 350 for 3 min. Enjoy with brown mustard.

This is when shaped soft pretzel dough takes a dip in boiling water and baking soda, a quick step that provides the iconic chewy pretzel texture and adds a deeper, richer color to the baked pretzels. The boiling water also locks in the shape so the pretzels don't over-puff in the oven.

Traditional Bavarian pretzels are dipped in a lye solution before they are baked. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is essentially the same stuff that's used to make soap and clean drains. It can even dissolve glass.

Traditional German pretzels are first dipped in a 3% to 4% lye-to-water bath before baking.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.