OK, friends, in this thread I'm going to walk you through how to bake these #yummy lye pretzel rolls. #quarantineProject #recipe #baking #baker #bakingbread #homemade 
Here are the ingredients: 2 cups of lukewarm water, a scant 6 cups of bread flour, a packet of yeast, 1 tablespoon of canola oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 3 teaspoons of sugar.
You'll also need food-grade lye. This scares people but it shouldn't. You need to take care when using it, but it's really not a huge deal. I've made dozens of batches over the years and never had any problem. You can order it online. I ordered mine from essentialdepot.com.
Put all ingredients in a bread machine pan. (You can make the dough w/o a machine; you're on your own for that.) I put in the water, sugar, and oil; stir it a bit to dissolve the sugar; then add the yeast; then pour in the flour; and then put the salt on top. Use the dough cycle.
While the dough is in the machine, I measure out the lye. You'll need to create a 3-4% lye solution to dip the rolls in before you bake them. I use 2 liters of water, which means I need around 70 mg of lye.
The point of the lye is to create an alkaline bath for the rolls. It gives them their beautiful dark brown exterior. Some people use baking soda instead of lye. Easier to obtain, but the results are nowhere near as good. Trust me.
At the end of the cycle you'll have a beautiful dough.
Dust a working area with flour for the dough. Let it sit for a few minutes.
At this point you want to convert that ball of dough into 16 units of equal shape and volume.
How you get there ...
... is up to you.
Next you want to turn each into a shape you like for a roll. You sort of turn each of your pieces inside out and knead it a little into the shape you like. If there are big seams, pinch them closed. Line them up on a flour-sprinkled surface to rise.
Keep them kind of close to each for rising so they'll fit under a towel. Leave them alone for an hour or so.
During the rise, get two baking sheets ready. I use these silicone mats. You can also use parchment paper. But do use one or the other. Don't grease the pans and assume things will work out. They won't.
Also during the rise, get the lye bath ready. Wear rubber gloves. Pour the lye slowly into the water.
Don't have your face directly above it when you do this, stay back a bit because unpleasant fumes will come off of the liquid as you gently stir the lye in to dissolve.
Heat the lye solution to just under a rolling boil and keep it there.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Prepare the work area for the lye solution. Put the two pans close to the pot with the lye solution because you're going to not want there to be a big area for the lye solution to drip across as you shift the rolls from the solution to the pans.
Take the towel off the rolls. They will have risen and be kind of puffy.
Gently place several of them into the lye solution using a hand with a rubber glove. Let them float for about 30 seconds.
Then, using a slotted spoon or other implement, gently flip them over and let them float on the other side for 20-30 seconds more.
Using a slotted spoon, shift them to the baking pans.
Sprinkle them with some coarse salt.
Put them in the 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Turn on the light and watch 'em start to brown!
Take them out after 20 minutes and let them cool for a couple of minutes.
Then, when they're cool enough to touch without burning your fingers, shift them to cooling racks. Try to let them cool completely before eating one. (Good luck with that.) Then eat just one. (Good luck with that too.)
Enjoy! /end
Enjoy! /end
@threadreaderapp unroll
