Pretzels are German right? Or, Bavarian? I asked my dear Austrian friend to help me understand why pretzels were ubiquitous in Austria (as if soft, chewy salty bread needed a reason BESIDES pure deliciousness) He assured me that pretzels were EVERYWHERE in the Alps and stressed that they are NOT just a German thing- Pretzels belong to everyone in the Alps. Ok then!
So this week, I set out to find a soft pretzel recipe. That was straightforward enough. Most of the recipes called for the same basic ingredients; yeast, flour, salt, Lye… what? Lye? Like in Fight Club?? I’ve never cooked with a scary corrosive substance before- which may be comforting or disturbing to my Norwegian family (Lutefisk is made with Lye after-all) so I decided to seek out an alternative recipe… for round one. Here, I present you with a Lye-less soft pretzel recipe- and spoiler alert- they are yummy- BUT I have ordered some food-grade Lye, because I need to taste the difference.
Ingredient:
2 tsp (1 Package) active dry yeast
1/8 Cup Warm water
1 1/3 Cup Warm water
1/3 Cup Brown sugar
4 1/2 Cups Flour
(lots of) Baking Soda (see below)
Pot of water
Dissolve the yeast in 1/8 cup warm water. Stir in 1 1/3 cups warm water, 1/3-cup brown sugar and 4 1/2 cups flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. I let my dough rise for about 30 minutes for good measure.
Heat your oven to 475°. In a heavy saucepan, measure 2 tablespoons baking soda to each cup of water. Put enough water to fill the saucepan at least 3 inches high. Bring the soda and water mixture to a light boil and set heat to simmer. Make sure the baking soda is well dissolved. Tear off some dough and roll a long thick pencil shape with your hands. Pick up both ends, cross to form rabbit ears and then twist the ends and pull them back to the rest of the loop. Place aside on lightly floured surface and let rise a few minutes.
Soft pretzels are totally Philadelphia!! It’s thought that this area is where American pretzels began. Did you know that the average Philadelphian today consumes about twelve times as many pretzels as the national average (supposedly)? Just sayin…
Consumed: My Culinary Adventure
Wow! 12x as many! I’m impressed & intimidated
Do you have a recipe you like to use at home? Thanks for trying my quinoa salad by the way- and BIG congrats on gettin’ hitched!! 
xoxo
radmegan
Check out http://www.essentialdepot.com . their Lye is free of impurities and is great for Pretzels. If you use the discount code “ship30″ you can receive an additional 30% off shipping.
Thanks Bill!
hey, ive got some more good news! Essential Depot is offering the first 300 customers a very special deal of only $2.94 for 2 lbs. of High Quality Food Grade Sodium Hydroxide Lye Micro Beads. Grab yours today by clicking on this link:
http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-2/2-lbs-Food-Grade/Detail
AND you will receive a promo code for a 20% discount on any of their essential oils
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hey everyone, back once again with yet another update! Essential Depot is giving out the discount code “EDPC10” worth a 10% discount on your total order cost – including shipping and handling!
Hello again! well, i had a hunkering for some nice soft pretzels the other day and found this really nice recipe that makes really good pretzels, it does involve a lye bath for the dough but oh man are those pretzels yummy! ( i give props to Essential Depot for the Food Grade Lye) anyways i wanted to share the recipe with you guys so here it is… enjoy!
2 envelopes dry yeast
1 qt. milk, 2% is fine
1/2 c. warm water
3/4 c. shortening (I mix lard & butter & flavored Crisco)
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
12 c. all-purpose flour, unsifted
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
Coarse salt to sprinkle
LYE DIP:
2 level tbsp. lye
2 quarts. cold water
Soften yeast in 1/2 cup water. Scald milk. Stir in shortening. Cool . Add yeast with 6 cups flour. Beat, vigorously. Cover, sit in warm place until risen , this takes just about 30 minutes.
Add remaining flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix until well blended. Turn out on smooth surface. Cover with moist towel 3 minutes. Knead until elastic. Put in big kettle. Cover with towel. Put in warm place and Let rise until it has doubled in size, usually takes 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into quarters then Cut quarters into 12 pieces. Cover with towel. Roll each piece into long strip for twisting. Place on stainless steel baking sheet, then put one at a time, pretzels on slotted, stainless steel lifter, dip very briefly in lye, usually a 3-5 second bath, drain on lifter and place back on sheet. As soon as cookie sheet is full, sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in 400 degree oven until brown, about 15 minutes. Place on dry towel to cool. Cover twisted pretzels with towel until half raised.
IMPORTANT: Lye creates a volotile reaction with aluminum! aluminum sheets or dipping tool CANNOT BE USED. Also, I spray sheets with Pam, so there is no sticking.