Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Pretzels

Options
ChicagoEgghead20
ChicagoEgghead20 Posts: 218
in Baking
Followed the recipe on the BGE site, didn't get them as brown in color as I would have liked, but they tasted amazing.  (I need some more practice rolling them)


imageimage
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    Options
    Nice effort....arent there some hard to find ingredients. For true pretzels?
    Seattle, WA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Options
    I'll take 2 with a cup of nacho cheese please

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,469
    Options
    Ooooh, something new!   :-bd
    _____________

    Remember when teachers used to say 'You won't have a calculator everywhere you go'?  Well, we showed them.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Options
    SkinnyV said:
    Nice effort....arent there some hard to find ingredients. For true pretzels?

    Lye is the ingredient. Be careful how you store it and who has access to it.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cook861
    cook861 Posts: 872
    Options
    nice weres the beer
    Trenton ON 1 mbge for now
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChicagoEgghead20
    ChicagoEgghead20 Posts: 218
    Options
    @Mattman3969 - The cheese really set it over the top, 

    Thanks everyone for the view!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Options
    Prefer mine with a nice German mustard - looking pretty good. I have never been able to get them to brown in the egg, under the broiler for colour, yes, but never in the egg. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Options
    Nice. I'm a huge fan of pretzels. Keep saying I'm gonna try to make some. Never do. :( One of these days...

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • clintmiller
    clintmiller Posts: 147
    Options
    Did you give them a baking soda bath? I put the pretzels in a gently boiling pan of 6 cups water and 1/3 cup baking soda, one at a time for 30 seconds. That causes them to brown up nicely.

    Another trick... Grill up some brats ahead of time. Then instead of rolling out the pretzels like normal, roll them flat and wrap each around a brat before the baking soda bath and baking.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,749
    Options
    SkinnyV said:
    Nice effort....arent there some hard to find ingredients. For true pretzels?
    the red devil stump killer was traditionally used but they took it off the shelf, you can find food grade poison  (lye) on line though. the lye makes a better pretzel over the baking soda. it is some good stuff, the brush i used completely melted/dissapeared in a few hours after using it to baste a little extra on top to get some salt and carraway to stick

    image

    :D
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChicagoEgghead20
    ChicagoEgghead20 Posts: 218
    Options
    @clintmiller - the recipe said to just dip it in a mixture of baking soda, water and butter, but that didn't do it enough. I'll try to boil next time.

    @Fishlessman - That makes me nervous! I don't know if I would feel comfortable using that with food.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
    Options
    ChicagoEgghead20 said:

    That makes me nervous! I don't know if I would feel comfortable using that with food.

    It will not be a problem if you follow ratios and use food grade lye... Do not use "non food grade" lye as it may contain traces amounts of other harmful chemicals. Food grade is totally ok.... Kinda like curing salts, they are poison but used in the right quantities, they are not dangerous.


    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
    Options
    Baking soda and lye are used to lower the PH at the surface of the pretzels to enhance the maillard reaction. Lye is commonly used to make all commercially made pretzels...

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CarolinaCrazy
    CarolinaCrazy Posts: 585
    Options
    Lye is the key ingredient

    I use that same Essential Depot Lye that @fishlessman called out.

    Use it as directed, in small quantities, with gloves on, and it delivers a far superior product.

    Not only does it get them to brown to a nice dark mahogony, but it also creates more of a chewy exterior, kind of like a skin, on the outside with the warm, pillowy interior.

    The dough, is your basic pizza dough, so often I will create a double batch of dough, and then cooks some as pretzels, before heating the egg or oven up to pizza temperatures.


    1 LBGE in Chapel Hill, NC
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    Options
    Tjcoley said:
    SkinnyV said:
    Nice effort....arent there some hard to find ingredients. For true pretzels?

    Lye is the ingredient. Be careful how you store it and who has access to it.
    I don't use lye. I follow the Alton Brown recipe and he says to use baking soda instead of Lye. Works great and is a lot safer.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    Options
    I've eaten commercial soft pretzels (presumably made with Lye) and my own made with Baking Soda and painted with an egg wash before applying the salt and putting in the oven and I like mine better.  They do have to be boiled first (like Bagels) or they won't come out right.

    I also make pretzel dogs by taking hot dogs and wrapping with the pretzel dough.  Once wrapped I boil them and bake.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jhl192
    jhl192 Posts: 1,006
    Options
    This was my batch.  I used the recipe and instructions on the BGE site.  They were AWESOME!  
    XL BGE; Medium BGE; L BGE 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChicagoEgghead20
    ChicagoEgghead20 Posts: 218
    Options
    @jhl192 - those look great! What type of Flour did you use? The King Arthur all purpose?

    Thanks!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
    Options
    ChicagoEgghead20 said:

    @jhl192 - those look great! What type of Flour did you use? The King Arthur all purpose?


    Thanks!
    Agreed! @jhl192‌ You did a great job, they look awesome!

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jhl192
    jhl192 Posts: 1,006
    edited November 2014
    Options
    @Chicago EggHead‌ I used King Arthur in the white bag with blue label. Not the all purpose. It's labeled "unbleached bread flour" and claims it is higher protein for bread and higher temps.
    XL BGE; Medium BGE; L BGE 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChicagoEgghead20
    ChicagoEgghead20 Posts: 218
    Options
    jhl192 said:
    @Chicago EggHead‌ I used King Arthur in the white bag with blue label. Not the all purpose. It's labeled "unbleached bread flour" and claims it is higher protein for bread and higher temps.
    thanks, i'll try that one next time
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Options
    Interesting cook. Put it on my list.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories