In the early days of 2020’s quarantine, when everyone was holed up in their kitchens baking sourdough and banana bread, I watched Jennifer Garner make pretzels on Instagram and fell in love. Shortly after, these Soft Pretzel Knots were born. I never knew that I could make pretzels at home and she made it look so easy!
Pretzels and Lye
Traditional pretzels are typically made with lye. I always thought you needed food grade lye to make pretzels, and this was terrifying. I had scenes of Fight Club running through my brain. And if you’ve seen the movie, the narrative in my head went like this:
Lisa is in her kitchen. She dips a pretzel into the lye solution simmering on the stove. The lye accidentally splashes everywhere. Her face and hands are covered. She screams as she tries to get the burning lye off her skin. As she wipes and rinses, her skin melts away.
It’s basically a scene from a horror movie, and I was having none of it.
Not to mention, I had no idea where to buy food grade lye even if I wanted to deal with it.
Following Jennifer’s lead, I used Alton Brown’s pretzel recipe as a jumping off place for my pretzels as well. And what I learned from Alton in all of his science genius, is that you don’t need lye to make pretzels at all! I could finally make pretzels without having a panic attack!
Using Baking Soda to Make Pretzels
His recipe, and this one, uses an alkaline solution of water and baking soda to get that beautiful brown pretzel color. It does the same thing as lye in terms of the color generation, while being a lot more safe.
When you make the baking soda and water solution, be forewarned. It will make the water boil very quickly when you add the baking soda if you don’t add it at the beginning and wait for it to come to a boil. Depending on the size of your pot, this could mean baking soda solution all over your stove.
You’ll also likely find a coat of baking soda on your stove afterward regardless. It evaporates with the water, and settles down onto your stovetop. Nothing that a wet rag or sponge can’t handle, but it will be a little messy.
When it comes to the taste of your pretzels, be cautious, and keep an eye on the clock. If you leave the dough in the baking soda and water solution for too long, the dough will taste of baking soda. Your goal is to get enough exposure to the soda that it browns the dough nicely, without majorly altering the flavor.
If you were afraid of making pretzels like I was, I hope you’ll give this recipe for Soft Pretzel Knots a try. Let me know what you think of it in the comments! And if you love these knots, why not give my recipe for challah bread a try!
Pretzel Knots
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm 98-100 F water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 stick of butter 4 Tablespoons
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Pretzel salt
To Prepare and Cook The Pretzels
- Vegetable oil for pan
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top. And gently stir to incorporate.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, and butter.
- Add the foaming yeast mixture.
- Using the dough hook attachment, mix at low speed until combined.
- Switch to medium speed and knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl, oil the sides, and return the dough.
- Cover the dough and put in a warm (75-90°F) area for about 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed non-corrosive pot (think ceramic), bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil.
- While waiting for the oven to preheat, and the water to boil, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a 12-18 inch rope.
- Cross the dough in half, like you would when tying your shoes, knot, and tuck the loose ends under to create a ball.
- Repeat for each piece of dough.
- Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds.
- Remove the knots from the water using a large slotted spoon or wire skimmer.
- Place each onto the baking pans, spread equally apart.
- Brush the tops of each with beaten egg yolk, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until a dark golden brown.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
