Double Soda Pretzels #BreadBakers

Soda bread dough, dipped in baked-baking-soda water, turns into the most delightful (and easy!) treats I’m naming double soda pretzels. Brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with salt before baking, they are a warm, wonderful snack.

This month my Bread Baker friends are all making pretzels to share with you and it's my turn to host. We have an amazing line up of recipes, some quite traditional, some with twists on the classic method. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom and check out the list.

Every challenge like this one always requires some research on my part. I know that the original German pretzels call for a dip in a water bath with lye. But when one cannot source lye (or is scared to work with it) there are alternatives. The first time I made pretzels for a blog post in this space, I chose to stuff the pretzels with cheese. Definitely not traditional but that did give me the chewiness I was looking for.

This time my research led me down a different path to getting the color and chew without lye or cheese. The great and knowledgeable food scientist expert Harold McGee wrote an New York Times article back in 2010 recommending that pretzel bakers raise the alkalinity of baking soda by baking it before dissolving it in the water bath. It’s not the same strength as lye would be, but it gets closer.

And because it is damn cold where I am right now, I also decided to make a soda bread dough rather than trying to get a yeast dough to rise. But can a quick dough be as good as a yeast dough for pretzels?

The verdict: Yes, it can! This recipe/method turns out chewy pretzels with great flavor. I don’t think I’ll ever make them with a yeast dough again!

Double Soda Pretzels

I brought a couple of these double soda pretzels over to my neighbors and they earned two thumbs up. If you are not a fan of working with yeast, do give my soda bread version a try.

Ingredients
For the water bath:
2/3 cup or 185g baking soda
5 cups or ml water

For the pretzel dough:
1 cup or 240ml milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
3 1/4 cups or 406g all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup or 60ml honey

For baking:
1/4 cup or 57g butter, melted
1-2 tablespoons flakey sea salt, for topping

Method
Preheat your oven to 250°F or 121°C and line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Sprinkle the baking powder for the water bath on to the foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and tip into a large non-aluminum stock pot with 5 cups or 1.2L water.

Bring it to the boil and then remove from the heat and put a lid on the pot.

Pour the 1 cup or 240ml milk into a 2-cup measuring vessel and add the vinegar to it. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and grease two (preferably non-stick) baking pans or use silicone liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda and salt. Add the honey to the milk mixture and whisk till it is dissolved in the milk.

Add the milk and honey to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until it has formed a dough.

Turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Knead it a few turns and form it in a smooth ball.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (If you are a scale user, know that mine weighed about 95g each.)

Use a little sprinkled flour and roll them like sausages until they are about 12 to 14 inches or cm long.

Form into pretzel shapes.

Overlap

Overlap again

Flip the twist up and pinch the ends down so they stick

Use a spatula to transfer them one or two at a time to the warm soda water bath for 30 seconds.

Remove them from the bath and transfer to a baking pan. Continue until all the pretzels have had 30 seconds in the soda water bath.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle on some flakey sea salt.

Do not use parchment paper under your pretzels. Even if it is buttered, your pretzels will stick. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the double soda pretzels are lovely and brown. When they come out of the oven, you can brush them with more butter, if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out all of the lovely pretzels we are sharing today! What a fabulous start to the new year.

• Authentic German Pretzels from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Ballpark Pretzels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Beer Pretzels from Passion Kneaded
• Buttery Pretzels from Ambrosia
• Cheddar Garlic Soft Pretzels from Palatable Pastime
• Cheese Jalapeño Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Herbivore Cucina
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites from Cook's Hideout
• Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels from Hostess At Heart
• Double Soda Pretzels from Food Lust People Love
• German Pretzel Rolls from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Honey Mustard Snack Pretzels from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pretzel Dogs from Sneha's Recipe
• Pretzel Sticks from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Saffron Pretzel Rolls from The Schizo Chef
• Soft Whole Wheat Pretzels from What Smells So Good?
• Sourdough Soft Pretzels from Baking Sense
• Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites from I camp in my kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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