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20 maj 2021 · Lye isn't used frequently in baking, but when it does show up in a recipe, it must be approached carefully. Lye can be dangerous to work with if you're not exercising caution; at the same time, it's essential for achieving the distinct taste and texture of classic pretzels and pretzel-style buns.
14 sie 2015 · The reason some recipes use lye is that alkalinity is a major promoter of the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for the crisping and browning you see in many baked goods - most notably pretzels. I haven't seen cookie recipes using it but I imagine that those recipes would produce very crisp and hard cookies - not my cup of tea but maybe ...
You can get a weak partially reacted lye water if you take Sodium Bi-Carbonate (Baking Soda), and heat it in an oven, where it will become Sodium-Carbonate. Then adding it to water will result in reaction forming Sodium Hydroxide.
Treating the well-stiffened dough pieces with lye is one of the most critical process steps. Putting the dough pieces into a lye bath by hand and taking them out again only makes sense for small quantities. For larger quantities, it is advisable to use a lye application machine.
What is Lye? Lye, or caustic soda, is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. This strong alkaline compound is used sparingly in baking due its dominate properties. While stronger solutions of lye have been made famous for making soap and other cleaners, food-grade lye is a much milder solution.
8 sie 2022 · That said, if sourcing and handling lye isn’t for you, you can use a simmering baking soda solution instead. With a pH of roughly 8.3, it reacts less than lye and yields pretzels that are lighter in color and flavor, but the results are still impressive.
How to Make Lye from Baking Soda. To make lye from baking soda, you will need to perform a process called electrolysis. Start by mixing equal parts of baking soda and water to create a paste. Then, spread the paste onto a flat surface, such as a glass or stainless steel baking dish.