Homemade Bavarian Style Soft Pretzels - No Lye | Oktoberfest Pretzels | Oktoberfest 2021

Since Oktoberfest 2021 is cancelled, I thought it would be a fun idea to make Bavarian style soft pretzels this week. Unfortunately, true German pretzels are made with lye, a hazardous chemical that is both expensive and corrosive. PASS! So many home-cooks use a super concentrated baking soda bath boiling on the stove to try to recreate the effect lye has on pretzel dough. Well this baking soda bath, is super clumsy to use and the aftertaste is awful. Thankfully I've found a better way! Sodium carbonate can be bought in the store, or made at home, it gives dough that classic soft pretzel flavour and is much easier to work with than the baking soda bath, and much safer and cheaper than lye. So grab yourself a beer, and I'll show you how I achieved the next best thing to a true, authentic German pretzel. Prost! Ingredients: Pretzels: 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) Dry Active Yeast 1 cup (246mL) Water 376g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar 20g Salted Butter 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (plus more for topping) 1 egg + 1 tbsp water for egg wash Lye replacement bath: 2 cups hot tap water 1/4 cup washing soda (baked baking soda, sodium carbonate) 00:00 - Oktoberfest 2021 is cancelled! 00:40 - Make the Pretzel Dough 01:33 - Let's talk about Pretzel Chemistry (Lye and Replacements) 03:15 - How to Make Sodium Carbonate/Washing Soda at Home 03:55 - Shaping and Proofing Pretzel Dough 05:20 - Sodium Carbonate Bath (Lye Bath Substitute) 06:20 - How to Dip Pretzels for Baking 06:45 - Egg Wash and Bake 07:00 - Delicious Homemade Pretzels 07:50 - How to Store Be sure to let me know in the comments if you make this and tag me in pictures on Instagram or Twitter so I can repost them! And of course, don't forget to like this video if you enjoyed it, or if you learned something new. Be sure to subscribe and follow me on social media if you want to see more of what I'm working on in my kitchen! #pretzel #breadmaking #oktoberfest