Homemade Sourdough Pretzel Buns Recipe ~ Barley & Sage (2024)

FAQs

What makes pretzel buns brown? ›

Lye-dipped pretzels, or in this case, pretzel buns, have a distinctive flavour that is both savoury and slightly bitter. The lye, a strong alkaline solution, is used to give the pretzels their characteristic dark brown colour and chewy exterior.

Sourdough pretzels make healthy snacks because they can easily be paired with protein-rich foods like cheese, nut butters and yogurt to keep you fuller longer.

Soft pretzels are just a yeast bread is that formed into a pretzel shape. The one big difference in pretzel making, as opposed to a regular bread, is that pretzels are boiled and then baked. It is the boiling that gives the outside of the pretzel its beautiful golden brown color and uniquely crisp and chewy texture.

Boil the water in a large stockpot and add 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Boil the pretzels, 3-4 at a time, on both sides for 30 seconds each, making sure not to crowd the pot.

But it's the distinctive "pretzel" flavor that makes this bread extraordinary. That comes from dipping the shaped dough in an alkaline solution — traditionally a small amount of food-grade lye dissolved in water — before baking.

The lye, as well as the baking soda, increases the alkalinity of the surface of the pretzel and allows for a browning reaction between amino group and reducing sugars to occur.

These pretzels are crafted from authentic sourdough, delivering a rich, savory taste with a satisfying crunch. Perfectly baked to a golden brown, Utz Sourdough Specials are ideal for any snacking occasion, whether you're at home, at work, or on the go.

Individually rolled and twisted, then slow-baked to seal in the flavor of real sourdough… like the genuine taste and hearty crunch of our Sourdough Hard Pretzels.

This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor.

What makes Auntie Anne's pretzels different? ›

Our Original Pretzel only contains 5 grams of fat, and, yes, it is lightly dipped in butter. Since Auntie Anne's Pretzels are made fresh in our stores, you can request your pretzel without butter for a lower calorie option or order your pretzel without salt.

I tried milk instead of water, all purpose vs bread flour, a combination of both. If you like extra chewy pretzels, use at least one cup of bread flour. This will increase the chewiness factor!

Under fermented sourdough

Under-proofing the dough is a very common issue. You can tell if your loaf was under-proofed after it has been baked. A thick and chewy crust (that is hard to cut), a gummy and undercooked texture, a dense crumb, a few large sporadic holes…these are all signs of an under-proofed loaf.

I dip my pretzels for just 5 to 10 seconds in a 4% lye solution (4 grams of lye per 100 ml of cold water). If you would like lighter colored pretzels, you have two choices. Either dip your pretzels for a shorter period of time or go with a more diluted solution.

It sounds obvious, but bread generally needs to be baked at a high temperature. A golden-brown, glossy crust is achieved when sugars and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the dough react together at high temperatures in the oven.

All you do is dissolve ½ cup of baking soda in 8 cups of water, bring the solution to a boil, lower it to a simmer (heating the solution makes it more reactive and effective), and briefly dunk each pretzel in it.

If you don't dunk your pretzels in the bath before baking, it's going to take much longer for that browning to occur. And by the time your pretzels get as dark and crackly as you want them to, the interior texture is going to be destroyed, and they're frankly going to be just gross.