Pretzel Bao With Sweet Sesame-Hot Mustard Pork Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient which makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel? ›

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor.

Soft pretzels are just a yeast bread is that formed into a pretzel shape. The one big difference in pretzel making, as opposed to a regular bread, is that pretzels are boiled and then baked. It is the boiling that gives the outside of the pretzel its beautiful golden brown color and uniquely crisp and chewy texture.

Like bagels, pretzels are made in boiling water prior to baking to give them their snappy outsides and chewy insides (messy!). Soft pretzels must be boiled, or dipped in a baking soda bath (or lye if you're gusty and strict with your pretzel traditions). THEN, they can be baked.

Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up (you'll need to do this in batches). Prise open each bun and fill with our barbecue pork and pickled carrot & mooli. Eat while they're still warm.

The pretzel buns get a water bath in a solution made from water and baked baking soda - this gives them that signature pretzel taste. Egg wash and score.

I really recommend that you use bread flour rather than all purpose when making soft pretzels. Bread flour has a higher gluten content, which in this case yields softer and chewier soft pretzels than you could expect with all purpose flour.

While an option for making quick pretzels is given, too, I highly recommend the overnight method because the dough's flavor really develops during the slow fermentation, becoming nuanced with a yeasty tang that is worth every moment of anticipation.

The pretzel bun is the perfect choice for these sliders because it brings a saltiness that perfectly complements the ham and Swiss cheese — as well as the tangy stone ground mustard. Additionally, the pretzel bun is a bit more dense than a regular bun, making for a heartier meal.

Unlike their American counterpart, Bavarian pretzels pack a denser, chewier inside and a darker, crispier outside. And there's a certain "tang" to the Bavarian-style pretzel that sets it apart from other soft pretzels. But best of all, it doesn't need to be dipped in cheese or drenched in butter to taste delicious!

Its origin is often attributed to Germany, specifically to the region of Bavaria, although its precise beginnings are somewhat debated.

Why do you put baking soda in water when making pretzels? ›

Like lye, baking soda is an alkaline substance, and when mixed with water and brushed over the pretzel dough, it changes the pH of the dough and gelates the surface starch. In the oven, the starch gel hardens and the alkaline baking soda makes browning happen fast.

Cover with parchment paper to prevent them drying out while you roll the rest.

Preboiling the water can sometimes lead to a firmer texture if the bao has not fully leavened or proofed. I also find that most baos will need 10-25 minutes of steaming depending on the size and which rack the baos steam on.

Eat the buns warm! If they cool off, you can reheat them once more by steaming again for ~2 minutes.

Lye. The dough is simple; take a basic yeast-risen dough that can be readied in an afternoon. But the trick to great pretzels is dipping the pretzels in a liquid wash before baking — and not just any wash, but a combination of water and lye. That's what gives pretzels their terrific color, texture and flavor.

Whisk together 2 cups (454 grams) of warm water and the 1/3 cup (90 grams) baking soda in a shallow dish. Dip the pretzels into the baking soda bath. Flip and dip the other side. Place the dipped pretzels onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

They're Boiled, Not Baked.

The dough is first shaped into a long rope and then boiled in water before being baked at a higher temperature than bread. This process creates a distinctive pretzel shape and gives them their unique taste.

Lye is primarily used to make pretzels, and it's the reason for their unmistakable shiny, mahogany color. To prepare, shaped pretzels are dipped in a lye bath, then baked in the oven.