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Soft Pretzels


stscam

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We're going to be making Amish-style Soft Pretzels to sell at an Oktoberfest being organized in our town for next month. We've got a good pretzel recipe. We dip them in a baked baking-soda bath (a'la Harold McGee, and in lieu of lye) prior to baking, and they come out looking fantastic. But after 12 hours or so they start to wilt and wrinkle, and look altogether sad.

The process: mix, scale, tie, dip, salt, bake. No ferment or proofing (they get way to poofy if we do). Bake at 450F for 6-7 minutes. They come out looking gorgeous. And they taste great, too. But after a few hours they begin to wilt.

Any thoughts on how we might prevent the wrinkling?

Cheers

Steve Smith

Glacier Country

Steve Smith

Glacier Country

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I've always thought soft pretzels were one of those things you had to eat within a few hours of baking, like bagels. Would it work to freeze them right after baking and then thaw and warm them right before you sell them? Could you partially bake them, freeze them, and then on the morning of the sale thaw them, apply an egg wash and salt and brown them?

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I have never had the problem that you describe, though they usually don't last too long. The only difference in process is that I egg wash them prior to salting, but I can't see that making a huge difference.

I use Alton Brown's recipe, and they have turned out perfectly, and still been good a day later, without any noticeable difference. Granted, I have never been looking, specifically.

-Rick

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Soft pretzels were on my 'things to do at least once' list and they're checked off. Not bad, but not good. I'm not a pretzel expert.

But, from the more general bread genre, freeze 'em. As soon as they're cool, freeze 'em. Without preservatives (or in this case, preservation), day old bread is day old bread.

You should put them in plastic bags prior to freezing. Then there are two strategies. Out of the bag and into the oven, or thawing in the bag (the thawing ice crystals in the bag are said to rehydrate the bread). I'd test it both ways.

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I have made tens of thousands of pretzels by now (with sodium hydroxide, the scary stuff) so I am sure I can help you with this. Post your recipe and I'll adjust it for you.

By the way, freezing is not going to help you with this issue. The two most likely culprits are over proofing and outside moisture degradation. To explain, either the inside is collapsing as its losing moisture, or the humidity and temperature changes are causing the "skin" to retract from the moisture (ie. skin on your hands after being in the pool too long).

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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