Edd Kimber’s Small-Batch Pretzel Buns

”I love a classic pretzel, but I rarely crave them enough to make a batch. Instead, I turn to their easier sibling, the pretzel bun. These soft buns are very simple to make and have that distinctive pretzel flavour, but as they’re made as soft bread buns, they’re ultimately easier to make and they have more uses. These buns are great for sandwiches, serving with soup, or even as burger buns. To get the best and most authentic flavour, they would normally be dipped in lye. (But lye is tricky to get your hands on and is strongly corrosive, so it must be used with care and caution.) A good alternative is to use baked baking soda. By baking the soda before it is used, the pH level changes, turning sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate, a stronger alkali that is closer to lye. The baked baking soda is much less caustic compared to lye, but it’s still an irritant, so take care when handling and try not to get it on your bare skin.” —Edd Kimber

Small-Batch Pretzel Buns

Makes 6 buns

Ingredients

Baked Baking Soda

8 ounces (226 grams) baking soda

Pretzel Bun Dough

4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast3 teaspoons (9 grams) kosher salt1⅓ cups plus 3 tablespoons (350 ml) lukewarm water (about 100°F/38°C)2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted2 tablespoons honey

Soda Bath

5 cups (1.2 litres) water4 tablespoons (60 grams) baked baking soda

To Coat

1 large egg (50 grams), beatenFlaked sea salt

Instructions

To make the baked baking soda: Line a baking sheet with foil and weigh this, noting the number. Add the weight of the foil-lined pan to the weight of the baking soda, and note that number.

Spread the baking soda out into an even layer and bake at 350ºF (180ºC), stirring every 30 minutes, until the weight of the baking soda has reduced by a third. This normally takes about 2 hours. The finished weight of the baked baking soda should be roughly 150 grams. (To check, weigh the baking sheet with soda as it bakes, and deduct that weight from the starting weight of the foil-lined pan with unbaked soda.)

Allow the soda to cool, then store in a sealed container. Mark the container as “baked baking soda” so that you don’t accidentally use it for any regular baking.

To make the pretzel bun dough: Place the flour, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk to combine. Pour in the water, butter, and honey, and beat with the dough hook on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl and dough hook. Beat on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.

Remove the dough, and form into a ball. Place into a lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for an hour or until doubled in size.

Cut a piece of parchment paper into 6 (5-inch) squares, and place on a baking sheet. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide into 6 portions (about 155 grams each).

Form each piece of dough into a neat round, and place, seam side down, onto a square of parchment. Loosely cover the buns with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and set aside for 30 minutes or until puffed up.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the soda bath: Place the water into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Gradually add the baked baking soda, whisking it in slowly, as the water will fizz up a lot if added too quickly. With the water on a very low heat, carefully transfer the buns on parchment into the water, one or two at a time. Soak the buns for a minute, flipping halfway through. When the buns are in the water, you’ll be able to easily peel away the parchment squares.

Use a slotted spoon to carefully lift the buns from the water, transferring them to the new parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the buns have been through the soda bath, brush with beaten egg, and use the tip of a sharp knife to cut an “X” across the surface of each bun. Sprinkle the buns with flaked sea salt, and then transfer to the oven.

Bake the buns for 10 to 15 minutes or until a warm mahogany brown. Remove from pan, and set aside on a wire rack to fully cool. These will keep for 2 to 3 days in a sealed container. They can also be frozen for 2 months.

The post Edd Kimber’s Small-Batch Pretzel Buns first appeared on Bake from Scratch.

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