Baking soda accident in pretzel dough - Can it be salvaged?
I made a mistake and put the baking soda in the pretzel dough! Instead of using it for its intended purpose ( Boiling the pretzel dough in it before baking.) It was a box mix: Pretzel Creations Homemade baking mix.
Should I just toss it or is it going to be okay? Is there any way to counter act the baking soda. It is still in a dough ball. The packets were not marked and I thought the baking soda was the yeast package.
Best Answer
I made this same mistake because I didn't read the directions all the way through. After realizing what I had done, I did a search and came across this post. Since I didn't see a response about going ahead and baking anyways, I decided might as well.... I can report back:
WORST. PRETZELS. EVER.
They were extremely bitter and performed terribly in the oven. I cannot describe how bitter they turned out, but compare it to how bitter bitter melon is, douse it in kerosene, light on fire, then put that fire out with baking soda and there you have it.
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How do you get the taste of baking soda out of pretzels?
The longer the pretzels are boiled, the more of the \u201cbitter\u201d taste from the baking soda there will be. A 15-second boil is perfect for my taste buds. Drain, then brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with salt.How do you counteract too much baking soda?
Mix in something acidic Use a small amount of an acidic condiment such as lemon juice or vinegar to neutralise the soda. If the recipe has chocolate, simply add half a teaspoon of cocoa powder to it. Buttermilk can also be used to counter the pungent taste of baking soda.What happens if I accidentally put baking soda instead of powder?
A less than ideal result. Too much baking soda could create a mess in the oven; and even if everything bakes up well, the flavor will be heinous. If you accidentally use baking powder instead of baking soda, the taste could be bitter, and your cake or baked goods won't be as fluffy.How do you fix dried pretzel dough?
If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 tsp. at a time.) Continue kneading on medium-low speed, or by hand on an unfloured work surface, until it is elastic, 5-7 minutes. All of that elasticity means the dough has built enough gluten, which gives pretzels their addictive chewy texture.BAKING a TRIP to GERMANY! | Soft Pretzels with Baked Baking Soda
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Answer 2
Taste the uncooked pretzels. That's the key. The baking soda won't affect how they bake; if the uncooked pretzels taste OK, they'll be fine. That's my opinion, there is disagreement, see the comments. If you do end up baking them, we'd love to hear the results.
As Didgeridrew mentions in comments, skip the soda in the boiling step. If the pretzels taste bad because of the soda in the dough, there isn't anything you can do to make them OK again.
Answer 3
As for this old question, if anyone in this situation is up for an experiment, try slowly working in some vinegar or another acid, like lemon juice. It will react with the baking soda and produce carbon dioxide and salt. So you could at least have very salty pretzels instead of bitter.
While the end result might still be too salty (or sour) to use for pretzels, it might still be edible as some kind of dinner roll. Worst case scenario, after adding enough acid to neutralize the baking soda, add water/oil until the dough is very soft, then let it relax, and stretch it verrrry thin. Brush on a little oil and seasonings of choice (probably not salt though), and bake briefly. Break apart and you can have some kind of crackers.
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