Soft pretzels bring up nostalgic memories for me of going to the zoo with my dad on Sunday mornings when I was a kid or fall football games in college. Now, of course, you see them at big-box stores and even your grocery store's freezer aisle, but have you ever thought about making them at home?
The Los Angeles Times wrote about soft pretzels last week, revealing an easy trick that will result in one mean pretzel: lye. Now I know what you're thinking (and I was, too). When I hear lye, I think of abrasive cleansers. But powerful alkalis, like lye, are often used in food preparation (think about baking soda or dutch-process cocoa powder, for example).
The trick is looking for food-grade lye, making a 3% solution, and using precautions that author Noelle Carter discusses in her piece. So why bother at all? What does lye to do a pretzel that makes it all worth the trouble? Carter explains, "when the pretzel is dipped in the solution, the lye immediately begins to react with the surface of the dough, yellowing it. As it bakes, the color intensifies and turns a deep, glossy brown, and the pretzel taking on a crisp, chewy texture. The alkali is neutralized in the process, making the pretzel safe to eat."
So using lye results in a perfectly brown, chewy pretzels with a lightly crisp exterior. I'm curious about the method, but still not certain I'd bring lye (even if it is food-grade) into the kitchen, incredibly brown pretzel or not. Would you?
Related: Recipe Review: Soft Pretzels from Smitten Kitchen
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I have been OBSESSED lately with some artisan pretzels I've found at a local market. If lye is the only way to get that perfect, chewy, burnished exterior so be it...alkalinized salts are also used to make ramen noodles, giving them their yellow color and chewiness as well.
Didn't Alton go over this already? ;-)
By the way, I tried his recipe (with the baking soda soak and egg wash) and it browned well, looked perfect. I had issues with it not rising properly so they tasted kinda strange, but as far as looks go, the baking soda and egg were great. :)
I thought baking soda in the boiling water did the same thing?
I have used Alton's recipe many times & it works really well. Delicious & no need to find lye.
I just discovered this whole adding-chemicals-to-tasty-things today at a Taiwanese restaurant. I had garlic noodles that smelled strongly of ammonia. Turns out it was a flaw in the noodle-making, but not harmful.
Still...didn't eat them...
Lye isn't just a cool trick, it's *essential* to making an actual pretzel as opposed to twisted bread. This isn't a new revelation: it's been going on at least since the 19th century and good bakeries all over use this method.
@vintagejenta - baking soda approximates the reaction that lye achieves but on a much weaker level. Lye is the only thing that'll get you a real pretzel.
And foodefafa is right, ain't no revelation...dip a single toe in the bagel and pretzel making waters and you'll encounter lye discussions like which brands, where to get, and how much to use.
Anyone know where to get food-grade lye? Or what to look for when purchasing lye to make sure it is safe?
@mehndimegs -- Read this thread over at The Fresh Loaf (a great resource for anyone who likes to bake bread): Food Based Lye vs. Baking Soda
Essential Depot is a good place for small amounts of food-grade lye, plus they're having a sale right now: Food Grade Sodium Hydroxide