Pretzel science

[NewYorkDave]

http://class.fst.ohio-state.edu/fst605/laboratories/sample.pdf

I use a weak sodium carbonate solution, myself (a small amount of baking soda dissolved in boiling water). The texture and color both come out very well, IMO.

 

[NewYorkDave]

My last batch came out excellent. I used 1 tsp. baking soda to each cup of water in the soda bath, which works out to about a 2% solution. (In addition to that, I added just a little bit of extra water to account for boil-off).

The outer surface of the pretzels is quite satisfactory, so I don't feel the need to mess around with lye.

In the dough, I used raw cane sugar in place of refined white, which seemed an improvement. But next time, I'm going to kick it up a notch and use malt instead of sugar--the real old-school way.

 

[NewYorkDave]

Kubi,

I spent my childhood in a German neighborhood in New York and that's where I learned what a good pretzel tastes like. The Germans know their pretzels.

Most of the pretzels you can buy in New York these days are crap, which is why I've started making my own.

 

[Stagefright13]

I used to make pretzels at a pretzel shop as a kid. You need caustic soda to make real ones. For the wash. However if you make them with baking soda they come out nicer with a little molasses in the wash. But there is no substitute for the soda!! We used to use 50/50 wheat and white flour.

 

[bapiano]

Nancy Silverton's book 'Breads from the La Brea Bakery' has a lot of good information on all things Sourdough and says that the only that will do for REAL pretzels is food-grade lye. Not drain cleaner (!) but edible stuff that you can buy at some pharmacies.

I haven't made them but keep several sourdoughs going and enjoy her book very much.

A link to old world pretzel topic in a bread forum:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4616/food-based-lye-vs-baking-soda-making-authentic-german-pretzels[/url]

 

[NewYorkDave]

I dunno, I'm getting really good results with the baking soda. Although the crust isn't as dark and shiny as the best commercial pretzels I've had, I'm still quite happy with it (and it beats present-day, run-of-the-mill commercial pretzels by a mile).

I used to work in a lab many years ago and we had to wear gloves and goggles when handling sodium hydroxide. I'm just not into the idea of using something like that in my food, even in a weak solution.

 

[Stagefright13]

Yeah it is kinda funny. When I was a kid and I mixed the wash in the tank I got the powder from a black 5 gallon can. It had the melting hand icon on it. And was never told the stuff was bad or anything. Altho I never tasted the stuff luckily.

NOW you guys tell me... :green:

And another thing we cooked the pretzels in a pizza oven. So prolly a pizza stone would be the next best authentic thing.

Speaking of the wash tray... I burned off half my eyebrows once trying to light it with a match. I was trying to look in to see if I got the flame in the right spot. Then it ignited in a BIG way!

OH and I can twist 1 pretzel every 2 seconds to keep up with conveyor belt hehe. And I NEVER even to this day EVER got tired of eating them damn things. I am still addicted.

 

[Stagefright13]

Don't be afraid of Caustic Soda. You've eaten it millions of times. I know I have.

I also have here food grade phosphates, MSG, Fermento, Dextrose, Fructose, Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite, soy protein concentrate, Gelatin powder, Binder, purified salt, brewer's yeast, pickling lime, sheep intestines, cow intestines, and a host of other goodies... You are what ya eat! :shock:

I also have a nice big jar of Vindaloo Curry paste I have been dying to use.

As you may have guessed I like to cook.

 

[callot]

http://www.brezen-kolb.de/

that´s the real bretzel deal.
interesting fact is, that almost all the other Pretzels You can buy in Germany
are basically delivered from one big factory in Stuttgart. At least that´s what I was told in business school.

 

[fmed]

[quote author="Stagefright13"]Don't be afraid of Caustic Soda. You've eaten it millions of times. I know I have.

[/quote]

Corn chips, tacos, or anything made from masa, for example. Masa is made by soaking field corn (posole) in lye water to turn it into hominy which is then ground. The lye treatment actually releases more protein making it more nutritious.

 

[NewYorkDave]

I hear what you're saying... But the baking soda does a good job for me, it's cheap and I don't have to wear protective gear when handling it :grin:

http://www.brezen-kolb.de/

that´s the real bretzel deal.

That pretzel looks just like mine. That's encouraging!

 

[solder_city]

my neighbor came over tonight to watch a movie, he brought over some of his home made pretzels. they were great! brown and crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, better than any commercial pretzel ive had in years. i remembered this thread and asked him what he does for the bath- he said he uses baking soda, 1 teaspoon per cup of water, boil each pretzel in the bath for one minute. so theres a vote for the baking soda

 

[Stagefright13]

I'm sticking with my lye lol! I have 4 pounds of it. You can get it from http://www.aaa-chemicals.com./sodium-hydroxide.html. It's food grade and even kosher!. Another advantage of lye (Besides taste) is you only dip the pretzel for a second. So it doesn't start getting all gooey and falling apart when you transfer it to the baking sheet. It is a weak solution anyways. 1 tablespoon per quart. And I dump the stuff into my bathroom sink wich used to always be clogged... :grin:

I only use safety glasses. Cause I use a spatula to transfer the pretzels not my fingers. But I also don't have kids running around anymore.

I could never get the baking soda thing to brown or taste correctly. But I hear an egg wash helps in that respect.

Here is a highly respected soft pretzel recipe with baking soda:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37073,00.html

The actual TV show for the pretzels is on tonight on the cooking channel!

Oh BTW if ya wanna be a pro the pretzel salt is here: http://spicebarn.com/pretzel_salt.htm

 

[solder_city]

i dunno, these were really good. i talked to him just now and he says he doesnt use an egg wash, just the baking soda. the outside may not have been as hard/shiny as a commercial pretzel but it was crispy, brown and good tasting. maybe they could be even better with a lye dip- but i do know that these are the best i ve had in a long time.

i will send him the links you posted.

i guess ya just got to use what works for you!

 

[Stagefright13]

The baking soda may work just fine. I may have not had the correct amount. And I may have dipped them for only a second. Instead of 30 seconds. I can't remember. I did see a pretzel factory in PA on the travel channel and they were using baking soda they said.

Can you imagine a 4000 gallon waterfall of lye on the conveyor belt??!! LOL

 

[bapiano]

Point to point wiring is not done on a conveyor belt either.

We're talking 'boutique' pretzels here!

 

[CJ]

logical song

 

[SSLtech]

Dig it, dig it, dig it... -yeah!