”I really like a basic pretzel, however I hardly ever crave them sufficient to make a batch. Instead, I flip to their simpler sibling, the pretzel bun. These tender buns are quite simple to make and have that particular pretzel flavour, however as they’re made as tender bread buns, they’re in the end simpler to make and so they have extra makes use of. These buns are nice for sandwiches, serving with soup, and even as burger buns. To get the finest and most genuine flavour, they’d usually be dipped in lye. (However lye is difficult to get your palms on and is robustly corrosive, so it should be used with care and warning.) A good various is to make use of baked baking soda. By baking the soda earlier than it’s used, the pH degree adjustments, turning sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate, a stronger alkali that’s nearer to lye. The baked baking soda is far much less caustic in comparison with lye, however it’s nonetheless an irritant, so take care when dealing with and strive to not get it in your naked pores and skin.” —Edd Kimber
Small-Batch Pretzel Buns
Makes 6 buns
Baked Baking Soda
- 8 ounces (226 grams) baking soda
Pretzel Bun Dough
- 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring
- 2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) prompt yeast
- 3 teaspoons (9 grams) kosher salt
- 1⅓ cups plus 3 tablespoons (350 ml) lukewarm water (about 100°F/38°C)
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons honey
Soda Tub
- 5 cups (1.2 litres) water
- 4 tablespoons (60 grams) baked baking soda
To Coat
- 1 massive egg (50 grams), crushed
- Flaked sea salt
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To make the baked baking soda: Line a baking sheet with foil and weigh this, noting the quantity. Add the load of the foil-lined pan to the load of the baking soda, and observe that quantity.
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Unfold the baking soda out into a good layer and bake at 350ºF (180ºC), stirring each half-hour, till the load of the baking soda has lowered by a 3rd. This usually takes about 2 hours. The completed weight of the baked baking soda must be roughly 150 grams. (To verify, weigh the baking sheet with soda because it bakes, and deduct that weight from the beginning weight of the foil-lined pan with unbaked soda.)
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Permit the soda to chill, then retailer in a sealed container. Mark the container as “baked baking soda” so that you simply don’t by chance use it for any common baking.
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To make the pretzel bun dough: Place the flour, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk to mix. Pour within the water, butter, and honey, and beat with the dough hook on medium-low velocity till a shaggy dough types. Scrape backside and sides of bowl and dough hook. Beat on medium-low velocity till the dough is clean and elastic, about quarter-hour.
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Take away the dough, and kind right into a ball. Place right into a calmly greased bowl, and canopy with plastic wrap. Put aside for an hour or till doubled in measurement.
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Minimize a chunk of parchment paper into 6 (5-inch) squares, and place on a baking sheet. Tip the dough out onto a calmly floured work floor, and divide into 6 parts (about 155 grams every).
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Kind each bit of dough right into a neat spherical, and place, seam aspect down, onto a sq. of parchment. Loosely cowl the buns with plastic wrap or a moist kitchen towel, and put aside for half-hour or till overvalued.
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line one other baking sheet with parchment paper.
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For the soda bathtub: Place the water right into a saucepan, and convey to a simmer. Regularly add the baked baking soda, whisking it in slowly, because the water will fizz up so much if added too shortly. With the water on a really low warmth, fastidiously switch the buns on parchment into the water, one or two at a time. Soak the buns for a minute, flipping midway by way of. When the buns are within the water, you’ll be capable of simply peel away the parchment squares.
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Use a slotted spoon to fastidiously elevate the buns from the water, transferring them to the brand new parchment-lined baking sheet. As soon as all of the buns have been by way of the soda bathtub, brush with crushed egg, and use the tip of a pointy knife to chop an “X” throughout the floor of every bun. Sprinkle the buns with flaked sea salt, after which switch to the oven.
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Bake the buns for 10 to fifteen minutes or till a heat mahogany brown. Take away from pan, and put aside on a wire rack to completely cool. These will maintain for two to three days in a sealed container. They can be frozen for two months.
