Make Pretzels Worth Their Salt, No Boiling Required

Every time I bit into a warm, salty pretzel (usually dunked in beer cheese), I’d wonder: How did the bakers get that hard, shiny crust on the outside with a satisfyingly chewy inside? And could I replicate it in my own kitchen?

It turns out that most pretzels are boiled, often in a lye solution, before baking to ensure that the exterior comes out just right. Thinking that sounded like too much of a hassle for your average home baker (e.g., me), I went looking for a shortcut.

In ATK Kids’ The Complete Baking for Young Chefs, I found a recipe that takes boiling out of the equation entirely. That makes it easier, faster, and safe enough for kids to do, too.

The key ingredient that allows for the shortcut is baking soda. 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. When you take the pretzels out of the oven, they’ve got the perfect dark, shiny finish—ballpark-worthy pretzels without the boil.

You can find the full recipe for Soft Pretzels—as well as our recipe for Pretzel Rolls—on the ATK Kids website.