Sweet and Savory Pretzels

If you search for pretzel recipes on Google, you will notice almost all of them ask you to plunge them in a baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) solution. Actually, I think it’s a vocabulary mistake which happened probably long ago.

Here’s my theory, which is not supported by any hard evidence by the way. Authentic pretzels are dipped in a sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) brine rather than in a sodium bicarbonate solution. You will notice both these chemical products have the word “sodium” in their name and yet they are two very different substances.

The best pretzels, the ones which contributed to their world-wide popularity are dipped in a sodium hydroxide brine. It seems that their taste and more importantly their texture are not comparable to the baking soda solution dipped ones. If you don’t believe me, ask any old New-Yorker about the difference between the pretzels of older times versus nowadays pretzels.

Why did baking soda solution replaced the sodium hydroxide brine? I really don’t know. But I strongly suspect some chemistry challenged cooks have mistaken a hard to find “sodium” for a widely available one. Who uses sodium hydroxide in cooking? Nobody? Ok, now people who use sodium bicarbonate in cooking raise your hand please… Almost everybody! Voilà! But again, I stress the fact this is just a crazy theory of mine.

I can tell you in few pages exactly what sodium hydroxide when in contact with water and oil. But unfortunately, I can’t tell you what it does to yeasted dough. I hesitated a long time to decide if I wanted to try the sodium hydroxide brine dipped pretzels. As usual, I chickened out and didn’t do it. I’m sure I wouldn’t let anybody in my house eat a snack which came in contact with a caustic solution. I maybe would have tasted the thing… err.. Nah! I’m too afraid of what would happen to my little fragile stomach if I ingested such a thing, even if I know it has been done by thousands of people before and even if I know a 5% NaOH solution is quite weak.

On the other hand, I can tell you exactly what a bath in a baking soda solution does to a pretzel. It makes it shine after baking and it helps for a nice browning in the oven. Yes, that’s it… That’s all what it does except maybe also give a baking soda aftertaste.

If anybody is interested in trying the sodium hydroxide brine, here are the guidelines. The solution should be 5% caustic soda. This means for 1 liter solution, you should mix together 1 liter water and 50 grams caustic soda. The pretzel recipe shouldn’t contain fat or eggs (egg yolks have fat in them). The shaped pretzel are dipped in the brine for few seconds and then put on a baking sheet (no aluminum please!) and then cooked as usual. Let me know if ever you are more courageous than me.

Well, enough talking now, here are the recipes for my entry to the Kikinenveutkikivientkuisiner 5th edition. I made 2 recipes. One is traditional (except for the caustic brine ;-) et the other is a sweet one where a pretzel dough is wrapped around an almond paste filling.

Savory Pretzels

3.5 cups (more or less) all purpose flour
300 ml warm water
1.5 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

For Glaze
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

Topping of your choice (demerara sugar, coarse sea salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, parmesan…)

Take a ½ of the water and mix it with dried yeast and sugar. Allow to proof until foamy (5 to 10 minutes).

In a big bowl, mix the yeast mixture with the rest of the water, the oil and salt. Add all but 1 cup of the flour and mix well with your hands. Add flour ½ a cup at a time while forming the dough. Drop the dough on a counter and knead, adding flour if it is too sticky, until it becomes supple and soft (15 to 20 minutes).

Divide the dough in 24 apricot sized balls. Allow to rest on a floured surface for 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Meanwhile, prepare several baking sheets by either greasing them or cover them with silicon paper.

Form pretzels as shown in the video below. Allow to proof for 20 minutes while you pre-heat the oven at 425º F (180º C).

Whisk the egg with milk in a small bowl and apply with a pastry brush on the pretzels. Sprinkle with topping of choice. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.


Almond Filled Pretzels

1/3 cup warm water
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 egg
2 and 1/4 cups (more or less) all-purpose flour

For glaze and topping
1 egg white
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoon pearl sugar (optional)

For filling
1 cup (260 g) almond paste
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons room temperature butter


Proof yeast in a large bowl with water and sugar until foamy (5 to 10 minutes). Add milk, melted butter, the egg and whisk to combine. Add flour and mix well, then knead adding flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough is supple and doesn’t stick to the hands (15 to 20 minutes).

Allow the dough to rise in a greased bowl until almost doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Meanwhile prepare the filling by mixing well with your hands until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Divided the dough in 2 parts. Roll out in a 3” by 25” rectangle on a well floured surface. Spread half the filling on the dough rectangle and roll jelly roll fashion. Pinch well the seams so the filling doesn’t ooze out while baking. Directly on a greased (or silicon paper covered) baking sheet, shape pretzel like (see picture).



Proceed in the same way with the other half of the dough. You can put both pretzels in a single baking sheet, leaving some space in between them. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180º C). Whisk egg white and apply on top of the pretzels with a pastry brush. Sprinkle slivered almonds and if using it pearl sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serve warm.


Recipe from “German Cooking” by Marianna Olszewska Herbele