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 are a healthy snack because they include all the health benefits found in sourdough bread. Plus, they are baked, not fried, but still give you the crunch you crave from a satisfying snack. Sourdough pretzels also contain fewer calories and less fat and sugar than other snacks.

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.

Pretzel buns offer a versatile base for savory and sweet meals, like cheeseburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, veggie burgers, and more. Let's face it—there's something undeniably satisfying about biting into a juicy cheeseburger hugged by the soft, slightly salty embrace of a pretzel bun.

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. 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.

Pretzel buns are different to regular bread because they are boiled in a baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and water solution before being baked in a hot oven. The baking soda/water combo helps to give the pretzels their golden brown, crispy crust and signature chewy texture.

“Sourdough microbes degrade the phytic acid, enhancing the nutritional quality of the bread.” If you make your own sourdough bread at home, using whole-grain flour or a combination of white and whole grain in your recipe will increase the fiber and nutrients a bit.

Health benefits of sourdough. The type of flour used — all-purpose, whole wheat, rye — can affect the nutritional content of sourdough bread, says Wee. But generally speaking, sourdough bread is a healthy option and can be eaten regularly as part of a nutritious, balanced diet.

It has a lower glycemic index.

Compared to many other types of bread, sourdough is fermented in a way that depletes bad starches within it. This means that it won't cause your blood sugar to rise so drastically upon eating it.

Gluten helps provide structure, allowing a baked good to have more body and sturdiness. As a result, bread flour will make it easier for a pretzel to hold its shape. This can be an advantage to beginner bakers, especially since the shape of a pretzel is so important.

Does a pretzel bun taste like a pretzel? ›

They have the same taste as soft pretzels, but in bun form.

There are two main types of pretzels, and each has a distinctive texture. There is the soft pretzel, often called the authentic pretzel, as it was the version brought here in the first place. Then there is the hard pretzel, which was originally made in 1850 in Pennsylvania.

Store pretzel buns in an airtight container at room temperature. If you are not planning on eating them all in one day, I suggest leaving the salt finish off of some of the buns. As they sit in the container the salt can make them a little soggy.

Now pretzel bread has a chewy texture and a salty finish on its chewy crust. It's a lovely dense bread (if you love egg bread than you will love pretzel bread) that works well as hamburger buns and sandwiches!

Lye is primarily used to make pretzels, and it's the reason for their unmistakable shiny, mahogany color. To prepare, shaped pretzels are dipped in a lye bath, then baked in the oven. This method can also be used with rolls or buns.

Pretzel recipes are very simple, usually a slightly enriched yeast dough. What makes them pretzels is the shaping and the use of a bath in boiling water to form that tight, golden brown skin. Traditionally, the water bath contained lye, but nowadays, most people use either baking soda or non-diastatic malt powder.

At its most basic level, the Maillard reaction is quite simple. When our food is heated to a temperature of at least 280°F, a chemical reaction occurs between amino acids (proteins) and carbohydrates (sugars) that causes it to brown. So essentially: protein + sugar + heat = browning.

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.