What would you use to wash pretzel hot dog buns?
I was inspired after seeing a hot dog with a pretzel bun. I have the recipe pretty close to where I want it, but I'm not sure what to use as a wash. I tried egg whites so far and wasn't very happy.
I'm open to all suggestions as I'm not sure what I want or what the expectation of a pretzel hot dog bun should be. Also would you doing anything special with the boil? I'm just using the standard baking soda and water at the moment.
Best Answer
If you want the hardcore, traditional pretzel flavor and crust, lye is really the only way to get it. You can dip it in a boiling bath of baking soda or washing soda for a minute or so. This can have the downside of giving the bun a really thick, leathery crust like a bagel. Alternately, to do a lye dip, you add one ounce of lye to one liter of water (add the lye to the water, not the water to the lye), stir and give it a few minutes to dissolve. The dough can be dipped in or brushed with the cold lye solution then baked. This will give you the really dark, thin, papery crust with that distinct pretzel flavor.
While the lye certainly isn't a chemical to be careless with, if you obey proper precautions (keep it off your skin, don't splash it, etc) it's nothing to be afraid of either.
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How do you freshen up hot dog buns?
Using the microwave is the quickest way to refresh stale buns. Just cover the buns with a damp paper towel and microwave them for 10 seconds. The buns will become soft again.How do you make a pretzel hot dog bun?
Sprinkle the logs with pretzel salt as they come out of the water, to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.Can you freeze pretzel buns?
Pretzel buns are best eaten fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze them for 2 months. You can freeze them by wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in freezer bags or containers.Can you freeze pretzel dogs?
Feel free to either halve the recipe or freeze the baked and cooled Pretzel Dogs. To reheat, just pop the Pretzel Dogs or Pretzels in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350F and they'll taste just like fresh.PRETZEL BUNS - GET YOUR HOT DOGS READY THESE BUNS ARE FLUFFY!!!
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Answer 2
You could get a better crust on the pretzels if you used baked soda instead of baking soda and it's still safer than playing with lye.
As for the wash... egg whites aren't going to give you much flavor. Did you try a regular egg wash? It will give the best color and shine. For flavor, though, you could try clarified butter or some sort of oil. You could mix it with spices or herbs - I brush oil and minced garlic on dough and bake it like that with nice results.
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