White Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much baking soda in water for pretzels? ›

In a large, wide pot, bring 6 cups water and 2 tablespoons baking soda to a boil. Then, transfer one shaped pretzel to the bath using a slotted spatula and let sit for 1 minute. Then move the pretzel to a cooling rack on top of parchment paper. This allows any excess solution to drip away.

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.

To prepare a lye bath for pretzels, fill a large liquid measuring cup with four cups of cold water. Add the water to a heavy, plastic container and carefully mix with two tablespoons of food-grade lye until fully dissolved.

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.

On the one hand, lye gives pretzels their distinctive flavor, kind of a sharp flatness, if that makes sense. It's what keeps a pretzel from tasting like pretzel-shaped bread.

Pretzels may be better than some fatty chips, but four out of five nutrition experts surveyed by Time say if you're trying to eat healthy, pretzels shouldn't be your go-to snack. Although pretzels are low-fat, they are also pretty paltry on the protein and fiber front, and they can be quite high in sodium and carbs.

Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel (1 serving) contains 84g total carbs, 82g net carbs, 12g fat, 8g protein, and 470 calories.

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.

Is baking soda or lye better for pretzels? ›

Lye has a pH of around 13 whereas baking soda has a pH of around 8. This extra alkalinity accelerates the Maillard reaction, allowing that caramelization to develop on the exterior of the pretzels. That ultra-deep color and slightly crispy, crunchy exterior crust is only made possible with lye.

According to King Arthur Baking, lye and caustic sodas are used in the process of baking pretzels because lye's reaction to the pretzels, much like baking soda, gives them that chewy texture, light interior, and brown crust.

The most benign substitute for lye is baking soda. You'll get a little bit of browning and some chew, but don't expect it to taste very pretzel-y. You can also used baked baking soda, which is a stronger alkali than baking soda but not as caustic as lye.

In this method, you're replacing lye with baking soda, both of which are alkalies. However, lye is much stronger than baking soda. Heating up baking soda in the oven turns it from sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate, making it a slightly stronger alkali that'll better replace the lye.

The Material Safety Data Sheets for sodium hydroxide (AKA lye) warn against using chemical neutralizing agents to clean up any sort of lye spill. This includes vinegar. It's true that vinegar can neutralize lye, but it generates heat as a by-product. This is called an exothermic reaction.

So, if you're prone to mild tummy woes or just want to boost your overall well-being, Brandon recommends dissolving a teaspoon of baking soda in an eight-ounce glass of water in the morning to help maintain a healthy pH balance throughout the digestive system for optimal digestion, minimized acid reflux, and healthy ...

Pour 1/2 cup (125 ml) of plain water into a glass. Then, measure out 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) of baking soda and stir it into the glass of water. Keep stirring until the baking soda dissolves completely. This amount is considered to be a single dose.

In general, it is best to use OTC indigestion remedies, as there is a lower risk of overdose. When this is not possible, however, a person can mix half a tsp of baking soda into at least half a cup of water. That said, they should be sure to discuss this with a doctor first.

Baking Soda and Pretzels—A More Authentic Recipe

When it comes to pretzels, you boil them in baking soda water before you bake them. As such, instead of using them in the batter, they're used on the outside of the pretzel.