Bavarian soft pretzels (safely) bathed in caustic soda

[@aragusea]

Thank you Helix for sponsoring! Visit helixsleep.com/ragusea to get 20% off your Helix mattress, plus two free pillows. Offers subject to change. #helixsleep

[@monadolifesaver5613]

I just noticed this was a new one.

[@monadolifesaver5613]

Is there any type of glove people allergic to latex can use? Asking since I know someone with the issue in my close family.

[@bethanymcmurtrey9542]

Adam, how many Helix products do you own and how do you shoot the footage? You rarely reuse footage during your ads and you seem to unpack a new mattress every ad. What do you do with the other mattresses? Or is it all the same mattress you pack up after each shoot and unpack again for another?

[@Furluge]

So I have to ask. Given all the effort, which would you rather make, this pretzel or your previous pretzel? Is the juice worth the squeeze here?

[@mummer7337]

Helix supporting the Ragussy

[@alexandre4953]

I'm a chemist that works almost daily with caustic soda and another advice that I give is: if you feel your hand a little soapy, wash it. It's the caustic soda reacting with the oils in your hand and making soap. Also don't use aluminum, it will react with the caustic soda and could even eat trough it.

[@elekbuday81]

Important to note that a product of that aluminum reaction is hydrogen gas, which is flammable

[@yes-zb2fb]

​@@elekbuday81 and thats how you make a bottle bomb

[@spyman1482]

What’s your thought on him saying rinse it off if you get the powder on your skin? Nursing school has told me that you likely would want to brush it off (in a safe location) first so that the water you would rinse with doesn’t create more of a reaction.

[@swedneck]

@@spyman1482 Thing is that it's a very small amount and you're *rinsing* it off, so the water is just going to remove the lye before it has time to react more on your skin.

[@alexandre4953]

@@spyman1482 honestly? It's not that dangerous a small amount and the volume of water would easily compensate for the heat almost instantly

[@surfnerder]

Sorry to be extra specific here, but I'm German so I can't help myself: The thicker "belly" and crispy thin "arms" is typical for the swabian "Brezel" whereas the bavarian "Brez'n" is rather uniform in thickness. The bavarian version is also less fatty and isn't cut along the "belly" before baking. Among German hardcore pretzel fans there is an ongoing debate on which version was invented first and / or is the superior pretzel. That being said: Even most Germans don't care, both are delicious!

[@baloonman5]

Strangely in his last pretzel video he said that Bavarian pretzels are more uniform and Swabian pretzels have fat bellies and skinny arms. I wonder if this was a slip of the tongue, or a script error of some kind

[@surfnerder]

@@baloonman5 Though I'm a fan of the swabian version I have to admit: Outside Germany Bavaria is the poster boy of pretzel baking. This might be the reason he chose the title.

[@Ginkoman2]

There is no discussion. the original is also the best: The Swabian Brezel

[@mr.random3943]

Just to add: Yes it's true the origin of the Brezel (the form) is debated, but the origin of the lye-dough is pretty much accepted to be originally swabian nowadays.

[@Jesus-42]

We in Bavaria definitely don't have the thin crispy arms, but we do definitely have the thicker belly. At least in Franconia, I never ate a Brezn without the thicker belly, but yes, the arms are most definitely thicker and not tiny crispy strands And if I remember correctly, most if not every Brezn I've had, had this cut along the belly. Maybe in the purest traditional recipe there is no cut, but most bakery's in Bavaria definitely do this cut as well

[@craoun6116]

As a chemist I have to say, I really appreciate the safety part. Caustic substances are no joke, especially if you get them splashed in your eyes. So PLEASE, in addition to wearing the mentioned gloves, also wear eye protection, like goggles or at least glasses like Adam. You do not have a protective layer of skin on your eyeballs, so if you get any lye in there, it could cause irreversible damage in a matter of seconds.

[@ItsMrBozToYou]

Honestly, get goggles anyway. Getting tears from cutting onions is lame. They're probably the most used non-kitchen item I use for food prep.

[@noahleach7690]

You can chew gum to prevent the eye irritation for onions too

[@Jennifer-pk4wq]

also, if you have, turn on the kitchen fume extractor

[@noahleach7690]

@@Jennifer-pk4wq what’re the dangerous gaseous bi-products from the reaction? Google says there aren’t any…

[@kiryowtk2869]

​@@noahleach7690there are none but I think he meant for like frying onions or smthing

[@LAK_770]

I worked as a baker at a high-volume soft pretzel shop in Philly through college. We indeed called the NaOH "the caustic" (in a heavy Philly accent) and had huge drums of it with which we would replenish a giant boiling vat for the pre-bake lye wash. Let's just say that OSHA didn't have a heavy hand in our workplace. We wore heavy boots, nitrile gloves, goggles, and masks, but it only did so much when you're rushing to bake and lye is splashing all over the place. Meanwhile, temperatures directly next to the giant industrial oven regularly exceeded 160F. Don't forget the salt dust in the air at all times. Loved that job, the hours just flew by and our boss paid well. I developed fluent Spanish working with my Ecuadorian buddies there, though much of it was filthy. Wherever you are, Manuel and Pedro, espero que estén bien, y chingan tus madres.

[@OmniversalInsect]

That description is giving me breaking bad vibes

[@Checkmate1138]

Jajajajaja 🤣

[@coryman125]

10/10 comment

[@Draconic_Aura]

lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@TRACTOOOOOOOOOR]

Nice closing line. True Spanish speaking friends right there 10/10

[@tuatha1337]

Great vid! Just a safety note for those trying at home. The order of operations with creating the lye bath is extremely important. The sodium hydroxide should be poured into the water (as Adam did in the video), and not the other way around. The large mass of water acts like a heat sink to allow the sodium hydroxide to dissolve safely. DO NOT pour water onto sodium hydroxide by putting the sodium hydroxide into the pyrex and pouring water over it! The first few drops of water that hit the lye will dissolve the sodium hydroxide so quickly that the exothermic reaction may cause those droplets to flash to steam in a small explosion, potentially spraying you with concentrated lye solution.

[@michaelgoldsmith3534]

"Do as you oughtah, add caustic to watuh"

[@ryanjohnson4565]

No. Do as you otter, add the acid to the water.

[@herpderp4078]

@@ryanjohnson4565 NaOH is a base tho

[@chelarestelar]

​@@herpderp4078still, the saying applies to both

[@raraavis7782]

I'm 42 and still remember the helpful little rhyme, our chemistry teacher used, to make us remember that 😅. 'Tu nicht das Wasser in die Säure, sonst geschieht das Ungeheure!'. Roughly translates as 'Don't put water in acid, or terrible things will happen!' Also true for lye, it seems... weirdly enough, I remember nothing about that...

[@graendread1704]

One very important detail: ALWAYS add the NaOH into the water, not the other way around! (Adam did this correctly, but could have pointed it out). The exothermic reaction could heat the water up so fast that it immediately starts boiling and splashing - possibly into your face or eye.

[@noahleach7690]

Hopefully not a risk with the low quantities of the reactants but yh he probably could’ve mentioned it lol

[@coopercummings8370]

@@noahleach7690 The volumes don't matter with this operation, you always have to add a concentrated base or acid to water not the other way around, because if you do the reverse the small amount of water that reaches the solute first will be superheated and boil instantly, which will send hot acid/base and possibly also some of the still solid crystals flying in all directions

[@bethkleimenhagen9351]

Really appreciate the attention to safety in this video and the pretzels look delicious! A fun note from my time in chem lab: strong base will etch glassware if stored for a while, so make sure you dispose of the lye solution shortly after you use it! (Don't try to save the lye bath for another day, you will ruin your pyrex pan)

[@SILVERF0X13]

Had no plans on storing strong bases, but still good to know that it is capable of etching glassware. Didn't know that one.

[@bethkleimenhagen9351]

@@SILVERF0X13 IDK who'd want to store a vat of caustic lye either but just in case, right?

[@giancahe8202]

Didn't know about strong base etching glass, what's the mechanism behind it? I could guess that usually a very miniscule amount of the SiO2 dissolves in a way similar to other non-metal oxides and forms an acid, but usually immediatly goes out of solution, but with the strong base this H2SiO4 doesn't get the chance to turn back into SiO2. But I've never heard of H2SiO4 or SiO4 salt, this is just a guess

[@bethkleimenhagen9351]

@@giancahe8202 Good question! I had to look that one up. Can't post sources on KZbin because links are flagged as spam, but from what I can find, looks like NaOH reacts with SiO2 to form Na2SiO3 (called "waterglass"). Waterglass is soluble to a degree in water. Its formation and subsequent dissolution leads to the cloudy appearance of glassware that has been etched by base.

[@Felix-ve9hs]

You could also shape and fold the pretzel dough after cutting it into quaters without letting it rise, put them in a freezer right away, and an hour later take the frozen pretzels and dip them in the base. After taking them out put them on a wire rack and when the dough stops dripping, put them in the oven to bake. This at least is what one bakery I did an internship in a couple years back did as far as I remember.

[@boowompthecat]

surely the remaining caustic soda on the pretzels would melt through a wire rack...?

[@holocene5451]

​@@boowompthecat There's not much lye left after dipping them and it also reacts with and soaks into the dough. I can't believe you'd cause any damage to a stainless steel oven rack. The bakery I worked at as a summer job had a machine with a rack/grid drawer that you placed the pretzels on and then pushed into the machine to apply the coating. The trays for baking had some kind of coating though, maybe because of the lye.

[@layzy24]

Bake them while still on the wire rack? Or did you transfer to a sheet pan with paper?

[@Hybridsixtynine]

@@layzy24 the latter

[@holocene5451]

@@layzy24 They were baked on trays, but without baking paper. The trays had some coating though I think

[@CHoustonify]

I can imagine they're a lot of work compared to just watching over the shoulder videos, but I really enjoyed having a small science aside with Adam's Face in this video, and wouldn't complain if it happened more often.

[@wylanvallotton4462]

Why does this comment feel computer generated?

[@nram3930]

​@@wylanvallotton4462 that's most likely because it is written by a guy using his full name as the name and with a photo which won't shame any stock photo described as "generic white guy sitting at desk" (no offense) Couple that with competent grammar, lack of online lingo, and a sincere request from the creator to result in a comment that looks a lot like a template. Put simply, it's probably just not as cynical a comment as you're used to.

[@CheekyPseudonym]

Check out his video about dry aging meats

[@coryman125]

@@nram3930 Hello! I am writing in to say that I concur with the sentiments expressed within your comment, and appreciate your rational appraisal of the situation. Comments like these are very constructive towards conversation on this website. Kind regards, Not A. Bot

[@Coolbillion]

I could actually imagine they are less work, as there's fewer shots to set up and edit. I also really liked the demonstration and explanations in this video though.

[@76jmlaw]

two more items of safety worth emphasizing: 1) a glass dish is best, but do not use aluminum! stainless steel is preferable if you do not have glass. 2) it might also be advisable to wear some eye protection (goggles, not safety glasses) while dealing with the lye - I heard lye can be particularly bad to our eyes

[@sapphireseptember]

Earlier today I was watching a Royalty Soaps video where Katie was saying exactly that! I'm guessing that the solution here was much weaker than the one she uses for soap making, but I still wouldn't want to risk it.

[@ryanjohnson4565]

Our eyes have a defense mechanism for acids, but not bases!

[@87karci]

Hi Adam. Sodium hydroxide actually reacts with glas. It's not a fast reaction, but I've seen a concentrated solution of NaOH eating away thin layers of Pyrex borosilicate glass. That's why NAOH solutions are always stored in plastic bottles in the lab.

[@damian2159]

Now, the big advantage of living in southern Germany is that you can quite cheaply buy "Brezeln", as they're called where I live, freshly baked and hand-made in any small bakery where they still bake themselves from scratch and with their hands. Therefore, I'll probably not do them myself, because there isn't really need to do so. However, I never really knew how pretzels actually are made, so this still was an interesting video for me👍

[@undertakernumberone1]

at least in Bavaria, it's "Breze" or "Brezn". Not Brezeln.

[@sindbad8411]

Unfortunetely nowadays they often ship deep frozen pre baked Laugengebäck (not only pretzel but rolls and Croissants too) aka lyed backing goods via airfreight from the baltic countries, saving on labor costs. I learned that years ago when working on fair grounds and convention centers in Munich, Nuremberg and Frankfurt Advanced tip: cut the baked pretzel in half horizontely and add butter to make it a next level butter pretzel!

[@Hybridsixtynine]

@@sindbad8411 While you are at it, add not only butter but a cold cut like salami or ham. Childhood dish right there.

[@devonsharpe9909]

Ok bot

[@damian2159]

@@undertakernumberone1 Yes, but where I live, it's "Brezeln". Not Bavaria, but Baden-Württemberg, which also is in the south of Germany.

[@whatshouldmyhandlebe123]

As a Bavarian that grew up right next to a traditional small town bakery, I commend you for making this video and potentially drawing the ire of Brez'n fanatics. And I must say, they look pretty solid. We usually use square-ish salt kernels instead of flakes, but otherwise very good 👍🏻

[@layzy24]

What is a Bavarian? Small town in Germany I'm presuming. 🤔

[@danofthehour4822]

​@@layzy24 Bavaria is an area of Germany

[@lunited1410]

@@danofthehour4822 Bavaria is the biggest state in germany, it's kinda like the texas of germany in that way, southern, big and conservative haha

[@Hybridsixtynine]

@@lunited1410 The conservatives are growing old though. Soon they will be gone and we can modernise this shithole of a country.

[@dougdrummonds7406]

@@layzy24 as others said, Bavaria is a state in Southern Germany (where Munich is located). When you think of a stereotypical German with lederhosen, it’s actually Bavarian culture!

[@tdl487]

Those pretzels look awesome! I've made some before but with regular baking soda because I was too afraid to use lye. Yours looks 1000% times better than mine did. Glad the burn wasn't too bad. It made me nervous on your last podcast when you said you were going to give yourself a burn to show the effects. Very educational and I'm thankful for the demonstration. Would be cool if you could do a traditional mustard recipe to go along with it. I find that it's kinda funny that the pair(pretzels and mustard) traditional have very chemical reactive processes to make them.

[@olenickel6013]

Mustard on pretzels is a bit of an American thing though, not traditional.

[@schwarzermoritz]

You've definitely reached the advanced level of pretzel making here Adam. Respect. The finer distinctions between Bavarian vs Swabian already made here are on point, just wanted to add two things. One obvious: these are way too large. Much closer to the giant Oktoberfest Brezn, which are absolutely a thing. Think county fair novelty food. Your typical everyday Brezn is half the size of yours, if that. It easily fits into one hand. Which also makes them much easier to dip! The second is dough and consistency. You're right, brezn go in the oven underproof compared to a roll or bread. Along with that traditional brezn are not soft and fluffy. They have a very fine crumb, small bubbles, lots of snap and bite. I think I'm repeating myself, but I've settled on a slightly simplified version of the Kruste and Krumme Recipe. The technique is flawless and the result is authentic to the bone, even though they're Austrian. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PMk4ebeNSqn9U they achieve the texture with a mix of very fine and "white" wheat and rye flower, among other things.

[@layzy24]

Why are most comments saying brezn? What is that?

[@layzy24]

Also, what are the key main points, tldr, the guy said in the video? I tried turning on the subtitles but no English and I don't speak his language. 🙏🏼

[@dstarfire42]

@@layzy24 That's the original german word. pronounced "bretzen". when they originally came over to America the pronunciation gradually changed to the "pretzel" we're all familiar with. At least, that's what I learned from watching a german bakers youtube video about these (and he noted how silly he felt saying "pretzels")

[@layzy24]

@@dstarfire42 do share the video. I'm in the mood for a chuckle.

[@Lukas-bg4yn]

@@dstarfire42 The Standard German term is Brezel, but they say Brezn in Bavaria.

[@Jesus-42]

Fun fact: In Bavaria we have a similar tradition as the Italians with their Cappuccino It is customary to eat white sausage with Pretzels, sweet mustard and Weizen (Wheat Beer) *before* 12PM Getting drunk before midday is why I am a Bavarian 👌

[@gerriebell2128]

My brother lives in Germany near Nuremberg. My favorite breakfast when I visit is weisswurst and pretzel. Hefeweizen beer too.

[@Jesus-42]

@@gerriebell2128 lovely, that's exactly what the tradition says! I love it as well, but heartbreakingly I have to admit, I often have it as lunch What Weizen do you normally have? Maisels, Mönchshof,...?

[@Carol-Bell]

@@Jesus-42 I don’t know, my brother just says it’s “Weißwurst.” Many years ago on my first visit, they took me to Munich, to a restaurant across the street from the Opera Haus- that was my first Weißwurst and Pretzel breakfast. I don’t know which kind of Pretzel it was, either. I grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and when I would take the bus to visit my grandmother in the city, we used to buy soft pretzels from a cart on the street. That is when I first fell in love with them.

[@oskarileikos]

What about obazda? The cream cheese type of thing? I've eaten pretzels with obazda and slices of red onion whilst staying in München with my German friends

[@Jesus-42]

@@Carol-Bell that's really cool, nice to hear German culture appreciated! I was actually wondering if you remember the brand of the beer, not the type of sausage, I think even the most Bavarian People couldn't tell you the Brand of the sausage ;D

[@DasNichts79]

Theres a good bit of germans in the comments that try to amend this recipe, but I have to say: these look just like the ones always sold at traditional markets in Germany! I really love these, and I think you did a great job! No real point in trying to correct a recipe that has a million different ways to make it traditionally imo. Also, if you simply dipped the unrolled dough into the acid without folding them (and still scoring them of course) you would get 'Laugenstangen'! Might be a more practical version of this dish to make those instead if you don't feel like trying to knot dough.

[@glowickidillon1686]

I must say, I’ve seen a lot of videos from many content creators. Adam Ragusea has by far, the best ad lead ins of anyone on KZbin.

[@AlkonKomm]

tip for making pretzels from a bavarian guy who bakes a lot: freeze or cool them before putting them in the lye bath, it makes the whole process SO much easier.

[@ramonafrombarcelona]

As another chemist, glass does react with strong bases such as sodium hydroxide but slowly, which means dont't let the solution sit, and I'd advice against storing it just to be safe (avoid someone coming in contact with it). Also, when disposing you can add some vinegar to dilute it as you drain it. Happy cooking! Thanks Adam for sharing this recipe and how to do it safely

[@phelanii4444]

A really good Brezel, still warm from the oven with a bit of butter is just perfect! I've never had em till I moved to Germany, south-west to be specific (BaWü) and they are definitely one of my favourite baked wares now!

[@Darklor_WCF]

Props for the super slick transition to the sponsor. Lol. That was nice

[@Sugarzomb]

I rather prefer the bavarian style Brezel, but something I really love, is when bakeries use caraway seeds in their dough. I can't say if this is a very local thing (it wasn't a white Brezel, as some websites suggest) So my most favourite Brezel version is the one with caraway seeds inside. But pretzel sticks (Laugenstangerl) which are plain (salt only) are really really great. especially when being able to eat it with butter and slices of some hard sausage!

[@thecashier930]

I mostly see carroway seeds in/on Austrian pretzels. That being said, I really don't get peoples enthusiasm for carroway. Not really my taste.

[@benjaminburt4285]

I love how you shot the "safety section" of the video! Interrupting the normal KZbin narration flow and changing the camera angles to a "behind the scenes" real look was a cool decision

[@Michael-uo8yv]

Why I chemical burn my arm instead of my pretzel

[@boennna]

Really interesting video 😊 I’m a chemist, and one thing I think you might need to clarify more is that your skin is important to protect. I wouldn’t use a T-shirt when doing this so you have a barrier. I would also recommend eye protection. Lye reacts with fat to make soap, and your eyes have a lot of fat in them. I remember the lab technicians an uni always begged us to be careful around lye solution. It apparently happens very fast if you get it in your eyes…

[@MrPotatoPro]

If any of you have latex allergies, nitrile gloves are the better alternative. You should also use safety goggles when handling crystalline NaOH beads, as caustic dust is common. Furthermore, with the 70g of NaOH to 1.2L of water, the solution has a molarity of approximately 1.458, and it is advisable to wear splash proof goggles when handling. I'd also suggest doing the dissolution step outside, or in the sink with a cold water bath surrounding it. The heat generated can form small amounts of caustic vapour that will irritate your airways.

[@toottoot3410]

Im a chemist that wotk daily with cuastic vinegar, it svares me every day. Im afraid i wont get to se my vhildren evetlry u ho go work. I warj of you vinrvar - svary stuff!!!❤❤❤

[@toottoot3410]

Woe 4his guy is wo cool

[@keshavwagle3530]

I actually really loved the segment of the video that was a little more unscripted about how to properly treat the Lye solution. Probably because I also enjoy your podcast a great deal, but I would definitely be excited to see more of those types of segments in the future!

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

Safety tip when working with lye. Have a bottle of vinegar on hand to treat any splashes of lye on the skin. The vinegar will neutralize the lye solution and stop the burning. I'm a soapmaker, I work with lye all day long.

[@greentjmtl]

I'm very happy to hear the final hydration ratio in your recent videos, makes it much easier for us lazy people who just throw everything in the stand mixer

[@layzy24]

He did eye ball the flour you know.

[@greentjmtl]

@@layzy24 Ballpark is fine, these things aren't an exact science for home cooking anyway.

[@layzy24]

@@greentjmtl but you worded it in a way that sounded like your word was bond. Factual one would say, alas.

[@antiheld7323]

I'm German and they look soooooo good and authentic!!! Like my grandmas brezen! Better than the ones u can get from the bakery

[@simonipiponi]

As a Bavarian I’m happy to report you did really well Adam!

[@Ottersauce]

I got so got by the ad. Love the way you switch from ad to content. Its quite smooth.

[@fomocorox1989]

That shot of you in bed snacking on an enormous pretzel is how you ensure that people watch your ads. That is a pro level move

[@KrazeeHouse]

I just watched your video on soft pretzels, then got curious on the salt you used, found your podcast episode about salt, and just paused your outlook to watch yet another pretzel video. ... I think I'm hooked. ... still gonna salt everything I eat

[@gaboversta2.423]

my dad makes pretzels every weekend (in Lower Saxony, the complete opposite side of Germany) and having fresh Pretzels, even if not so photogenic is really great. As I don't live with my parents anymore I rarely have Pretzels, I'll need to learn this…

[@FlorianBased]

I'm impressed how good they turned out. In the bakery I work at they make them thicker and smaller than yours and the bakers pick up the U shape and through what can only described as sorcery put a perfect Prezel back down on the table split seconds later. They the freeze them, and deliver them to our freezer. We lye them while they're still frozen in a specialized metal drawer that's sprinkling them all around and let them rest for 1-30 mins, depending on the oven occupancy, before putting them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 18(i think) minutes. (The oven will also sprinkle water on them, about 600ml in the first 3 mins for 48 prezels) . We use wheat flour, wheat sourdough, salt and plant margerine. But do follow Adam's instructions, because I'm pretty sure you don't have all that equipment at home.

[@mummer7337]

Thanks Ragussy, I've been looking for a good pretzel recipe.

[@General12th]

RAGUSSY

[@iamethan2153]

Never say Ragussy again I can’t handle it

[@dr.kraemer]

the process with the baking dish and gloves feels more approachable than previous methods I've seen. thanks!

[@xTobsecretx]

I see yeast, I’m happy. The reason NYC pretzels suck is bc they all use only baking soda. I’m from Bavaria where we eat lots of pretzels so this recipe is much appreciated! Surfnerd is right, traditional Bavarian pretzels have uniform thickness and aren’t cut but these look delicious either way! Can’t wait to try it myself!

[@blackmber]

Do you mean they use baking soda instead of yeast, or instead of lye? Or both?

[@xTobsecretx]

@@blackmber instead of yeast!

[@sputnik7243]

echt, aus welcher gegend kommst du?

[@xTobsecretx]

@@sputnik7243 glei um'd Eckn vo Hinterdupfing

[@sputnik7243]

@@xTobsecretx wos bedietet des?

[@charlesalexg]

I close my eyes and I hear Alton Brown, take it as a compliment!

[@Eclyptical]

I didn't think i'd be able to taste it at first, but using beer instead of water for the dough actually really adds a lot to the flavor of pretzels in my experience.

[@Arian.Kourangi]

For anyone wanting to try this, please use glasses, any kind will do but preferably safety glasses. If you get strong lye in your eyes you only have about a minute to wash it out before it can cause permanent damage and leave your partially or completely blind. Also, if you do get it in your eyes make sure to wash your eyes under running water for at least 5 minutes. I work with the stuff daily and can’t tell you how many nonchalant factory workers have damaged their eyesight due to lye Adam is right, a weak lye solution won’t harm your skin very much, but the concentration needed to harm your eyes is much much lower.

[@bnh7274]

Adam: Don't deep fry at home - it is not safe Also Adam: Pretzels with caustic soda? Why not!

[@walterw2]

to be fair, i think that one was more "don't deep fry at home, it ain't worth the cleanup and the smell"

[@herpderp4078]

to be fair if you spill a full quart of hot oil on yourself you'll wind up looking like Anakin Skywalker, but if you spill diluted lye water on you you'll probably just look sunburned

[@kiryowtk2869]

​@@herpderp4078This, chemical burns aren't really scarier than normal burns and usually we work with bigger volumes of super hot shit rather than super corrosive shit

[@unit--ns8jh]

@@kiryowtk2869 Corrosive Shit is a great name for old school death metal band 🤔

[@tasmanmillen]

@@herpderp4078the issue isn’t with the diluted lye, but with the sodium hydroxide crystals. If that gets on your skin, or even worse in your eyes, then it can be much worse than hot oil.

[@alexanderfo3886]

Looks good. Definite approval from a German here. And don't mind going crazy and put grated cheese, pumpkin seeds or whatever you want on it. You won't regret it, and hundreds of German bakeries don't, either.

[@TvMaNightmareHD]

Perfect timing, I was just getting bored

[@autumnj6246]

And craving pretzels all week!

[@MyLifeIsGood33]

I don't know how I missed this one a year ago.. just now found it and I've been watching you for a much longer time than a year or two or three,, I just been watching you a long time!! Thank you!! Was the exact video I was looking for, including the Helix info!

[@captcan78]

As mentioned by others... The Pretzels with the thick (cut) belly and crisp arms are not Bavarian style, but Swabian style. Traditionally eaten with lot's of butter

[@anthropomorphisis]

Your ad reads are straight up the best in the game.

[@NearFromHome]

Incredible! I’ve been waiting on a Bavarian video from you for ages! I knew it wouldn’t be long once you started making videos about beer :) Perhaps an interesting topic would be their 1000 year old beer purity law, that feels like a topic right up your alley and it would pair well with your now great looking Brezn. Greetings from a Bavarian Travel Channel :)

[@zhiracs]

He has made a few videos on beer. Pretty sure he mentions those laws at least in passing.

[@NearFromHome]

@@zhiracs Yeah, I’d just love a full deep dive though. Even as someone living in Munich they come off a bit strange, though I can’t argue with the results. Every other beer is just a little disappointing to me now, lol :)

[@sentjojo]

Dude is the GOAT of cooking youtube. I'm not even really interested in pretzels, but he teaches me something new about kneading dough that I can use in other recipes I do.

[@viclarson2968]

Dude I lowkey LOVED the angles on this episode! Especially at 5:30. It felt like Adam was a really cool science teacher 😄

[@coryman125]

Agreed! The way he broke the usual flow of his videos made the point about safety that much more memorable, and then he subtly switched to more of a science presenter style of video rather than a food show style. Really adds a lot

[@KalebPeters99]

​@@coryman125 Yeah that part stuck out to me as well. Really tasteful, Adam 👌

[@RPSchonherr]

I'm glad you mentioned the baking soda method as that is the way I've heard to do it. Baking soda is alkali but not as strong.

[@SkywalkerAni]

Adam, thank you for pointing out to be safe with the caustic soda. I just want to reiterate that the stuff, even though it is food safe, you should still be careful with it. There's a reason why the EPA considers substances with a pH of 2 or lower, or 12.5 or higher, to be hazardous and needs to be disposed of properly. Source: I work in the hazardous waste industry. Editing to also say that if you are super concerned with disposal, if you live in the USA, look for a Household Hazardous Waste event in your area. They'll take your Household chemicals for safe disposal

[@mad_incognito]

For my reef aquarium I have to make some Calcium solution and disolving the powder into water is (100g on 1L) is bringing it up over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. BTW to dispose the lime I would put the container into the sink and then add water to dilute from low height instead of pouring it and then dip it over to empty it to avoid splater which could ruin metals and marble. I also would be more concerned about my eyes than my skin when working with lye.

[@LanzFamily]

It should be noted that small caustic burns on skin aren´t that much of an issue since the skin can heal itself pretty well, as you've shown in the video. The real danger is getting it into your eyes, as eyes are way damaged easier and damage is usually permament. I´d say that (safety) glasses are more important than latex gloves.

[@PhosphorAlchemist]

Additional safety notes from a chemist: 1. It's worthwhile to go over the counter top where you made/used the lye solution with a weak baking soda solution and wipe it up to make sure any stray drips are fully cleaned up. The last thing anyone needs is a burn from leaning on the kitchen counter where you thought it was clean. You can also reduce damage on a skin splash with baking soda solution if you can't rinse it thoroughly right away for some reason. You DO need to wash off bicarb, but it damages your skin much more slowly than lye. 2. If you need latex-free gloves (like I do), nitrile is a chemically resistant alternative. Some grocery stores sell these in the cleaning section next to the latex gloves. If they're not available at your local grocer, they will be available at the pharmacy with wound care supplies. Nitrile gloves are also available at most hardware stores in the protective equipment section.

[@iamethan2153]

I’ve been working with NaOH for the past 2 weeks in the lab in my Gen Chem class. Strange seeing it show up again on this channel of all places haha.

[@M0nkeyK1ng]

Quick tipp: Use less yeast for the dough. After resting and shaping, lay them on a linen cloth (covered) and place them in the fridge overnight. They have ti dry out and get a skin. Also they firm up, which helps to dip them in the lye bath.

[@ericvaninwegen6384]

That's definitely a solution to be cautious of; it's got a pH of ~14.16. (70g / 40g/mol / 1.2L = 1.46M for NaOH and the OH ions . pH = 14 - -Log[OH] = 14.16) Skin is reasonably good at dealing with that, but eyes are not. Be very careful of splashing; rinse any splashed eye under running water for a good while.

[@erikbukovac5944]

how can the pH be 14.16 if the scale only goes to 14

[@ericvaninwegen6384]

@@erikbukovac5944 pH goes above 14 and below 0. It drives me nuts that some science teachers teach the scale as it has hard ends at 0 & 14. Below -1, or above 15, pH starts to be less accurate, and other scales would be used for super acids or superbases.

[@Smartway455]

Lol i just searched for the pretzels recipe. And your video released almost instantly. The magic of universe.

[@bsjohnson9794]

Great recipe! As far as I know both the slashing and the thin bits that get crispy are actually features of Swabian pretzels, while in Bavaria (or at least around where I live) they are typically not slashed and the knotted bits are shorter and thicker. Not that that matters, just some extra info :)

[@darthplagueis13]

I remember hearing a story on the origin of the lye crust when I was a kid, though I have no idea if it's historically accurate. Essentially, as the story goes, they had an apprentice baker in the kitchen making Pretzels which were meant to be splashed in sugar water before baking as a sweet treat. However, the apprentice was distracted or in a hurry and confused the sugar water with a bit of lye solution that had been intended for cleaning. When the Pretzels came out of the oven they had turned a dark red-ish brown instead of the very light blonde tone they would have had with the sugar and it turned out that the resulting crust really was pretty tasty.

[@l29z]

Some side notes as a south german make a longer insicion on the belly and dont make the ends of the brezel too thin if you make these big as they‘ll tend to burn. The ideal texture would be a crunchy mid to bottom part and da soft pillowy belly. Also try them with butter and jam or honey or just butter (occasionally i love some hazelnut spread on them like nutella). If you cant get the shape you can bassically make them like hot dog buns and you have laugenstangen (lye-sticks ) though you wont have the crunchy part. Other than that its a pretty accurate recipe except you dont often see brezels with salt on each part (usually just on the belly).

[@TheAmazingKoki]

I just love how it's possible to have something in your cupboard that's labeled as food-grade poison.

[@bellenesatan]

i mean, 4 heaping tablespoons of salt is what it takes to kill an adult man 🤣

[@naftalibendavid]

That trick you taught me about boiling the baking soda makes a great pretzel. With wheat flour, the final product is a tasty dark brown.

[@noahwilliams1264]

Even If I get serious chemical burns, the excellent browning and flavor will be worth it…

[@danlawler670]

This guy has gotten more beds and other furniture than any other KZbinr I watch.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Pretzels! Yay! so delicious!

[@scottbitz5222]

I don't know why anyone hasn't said this (including Adam who tends to be pretty quick on his kitchen science knowledge), but if you're seriously worried about using (and disposing of) caustic soda, keep some vinegar by you and you can use it to neutralize the base if you get any spashes on your skin and it then likely wouldn't even cause a basic solution burn. Not only that, you could pour vinegar into the unused caustic soda solution and that'd essentially turn it into (essentially) water that'd go down the drain without issue!

[@wylanvallotton4462]

I have made pretzels many, many times for my kids, guests, friends etc. I have never actually used lye to make them however. I have always used a hot sodium bicarbonate bath and they have almost always been the best fresh pretzels I've ever had and friends ask for them. I don't know if the pretzel stands at malls and theme parks use real lye or not, but I prefer this method. I would love to try lye bath, but if it's not better then I see no reason to do it.

[@godminnette2]

Auntie Anne's doesn't; representatives of the company confirmed as such to a food blog that was also curious about it.

[@WaddleQwacker]

In Alsace (French region on the German border) they use the same dough to make miniature baguettes called Mauricette or Malicette. AFAIK it used to be made when there was not enough dough to make another pretzel and it got popular around the 70s - 80s so people made them intentionally from then on. It is about as long as your hand and as thick as your pretzel's thick part, delicious alone but also works very well as a sandwich bread. Where I did my studies there was a bakery making three to four different kinds of cheap sandwiches with these Mauricettes and i LOVED it.

[@MissDatherinePierce]

They sound a lot like Laugenstangen which are also very popular in basically all of Germany.

[@NithinJawali]

Adam is a rock star. I love how he melds cooking with sciency stuff.

[@fredbrenno]

They do rise them a second time before the lye sollution. the actually form them and put them in the fridge for a couple of hours, they become stiff and are more easyly put in the lye, and keeps the form. And one thing . . German/Bavarians dont eat Brezn with mustard. That is an american misunderstood thing. . They often eat it with "obazda" a kind of cheese dip made from mature camambert and creamcheese with paprika caraway and beer, mixed together . . .it taste awsome !! Thank you by the way for a great recipe. .

[@tjpld]

That's actually a Swabian pretzel. Bavarian pretzels don't have such a big belly and thin arms.

[@JoWe2012]

As a German baker I recommend making the dough, proofing and then freezing the dough. When you want pretzels it's very easy to dunk them in the lye and then straight into the oven. Enjoy.

[@MagicTurtle643]

That mustard globbed pretzel chunk at the end made me insanely hungry.

[@Stonebrick]

Very well done! The Bavarians are pleased!

[@declanwinship24]

Could you comment on how you cleaned the spoon afterwards? I'm a little worried personally that you used a nonreactive vessel and a porous mixing spoon, but as you say, grandma's have been doing this for centuries. Did you soak the spoon afterwards?

[@iamethan2153]

Soaking in water and rinsing it after should be fine, the hydroxide would dilute to the point that even if it remained, it wouldn’t be a danger. But yeah using a metal mixing spoon avoids this altogether.

[@daxtonfleming]

*Chef's kiss* to that segue to the ad!

[@abaaaaba8646]

RIP Adam Ragusea. Died March 2023 from severe chemical burn to the forearm.

[@glant5876]

This video, more than any other that I can remember, really felt like an episode of Good Eats. Love the nostalgia.

[@Xeiphyer]

This made me really want a science series with Adam doing experiments. Lets see the exothermic gummy bear experiment!

[@captainotto]

I see lots of folks have made safety comments below which are all critical to avoid injury and very good to know for all. I would add that using wood utensils with any caustic but especially sodium caustic, is a one-way street. Once you use a wooden utensil, the lye breaks down and strips any finishing oils/polymers and normally imparts some flavor onto the utensil. If you want to avoid dedicating a utensil for caustics, chose something made from plastic or stainless steel. Never let aluminium tools come in contact with lye water as it will rapidly dissolve the patina and ultimately the utensil given enough time. I've made plenty of homemade soaps in my time and as tools used for this are normally kitchen gear, I've ruined my fair share of wooden spatulas.

[@kaischneider5032]

Small correction: Bavarian pretzels traditionally have thicker and therefore softer arms. Your's rather resemble Swabian pretzels, those are known for more crispy arms.

[@reyster000]

Agreed. As a bavarian, was quite shocked at how thin the arms were. Also, cutting the pretzel's belly is more of a swabian thing, bavarian pretzels must tear open in the oven.

[@Ginkoman2]

Yeah, good thing he didnt make the abomination called "bavarian Brezn" but alesat tried to make the original ^^ although the arms are still way to thick.

[@FlorianBased]

If you're concerned about pooling or the lye, try freezing the pretzels stiff before lying them. It won't hurt the taste as long as they're freshly lyed. Also you can keep the in your freezer for weeks and even stack them, as long as they're frozen solid.

[@paperbackwriter1111]

Why I chemically pregelatinze my skin instead of the dough

[@jotighe2]

great video. love this kind of stuff. just a side note: when you say, "and now my favorite product, that I always use- not an ad". that most definitely is an ad. just because you don't get paid does not mean it is not an ad. it's a free promotion, but definitely an ad. just semantics. free semantics. I do love your videos that share some esoteric technique or knowledge, especially for things we commonly eat. yum yum.

[@inf0phreak]

I do love that it says "Food grade" as well as "poison". Yeah, I'm just gonna use my food grade poison here... :)

[@tomwood5896]

Everything is poisonous in sufficient quantity...

[@hughanderson7827]

A proper bagel is also parboiled in a lye solution. Been making bagels using the Peter Reinhart recipe for almost 20 years now. It's insane how fast they go stale, ~12 hours. I'd be willing to bet the same holds true for these.

[@kirmityou]

I was expecting a quick sidebit about how my forefathers and/or -mothers had the strange idea to dip their dough into a caustic alkaloid before baking^^

[@General12th]

It is kinda strange, but so is almost everything in cooking.

[@lizhansis7066]

So in Stuttgart, where I grew up, we would have Laugenstange, which are basically the dough before you make that classic Brezel shape. Then like sliced after the lye bath, and baked like normal. We would get them at Sehne, and I would, as one does with German baked goods prefer to have them hot, would put a cheese stick in there as a breakfast. Would recommend for kids, especially those that like the more chewy textures.

[@bobby_greene]

A little lye like that on skin should be fine; lye in the eye might cause issues. Goggles would not be a bad idea.

[@General12th]

eye lye?

[@bobby_greene]

@@General12th lye eye, captain!

[@Cryptonat]

One thing to mention is that you are doing this in soda-lime glass. While traditionally this is considered non-reactive, but over a period of time and reuse the lye will slowly eat away at the glass. A more chemically resistant glass to use is actual PYREX (not pyrex) glass, which is typically borosilicate glass. Soap making runs into the same issues and which is where I get my experience.

[@willbouchard5340]

I love seeing the comments when the video hasn’t been up for long enough for anyone to have finished it

[@noahwilliams1264]

Samme dude

[@bernard832]

Having taken a lot of chemistry classes and worked professionally using sodium hydroxide, I've been interested in making real lye pretzels and I'm not worried about using sodium hydroxide, it's just an extra expense to order food grade NaOH. Stainless steel and HDPE (#2 plastic) don't react with it, just make sure not to use any aluminum tools.

[@tommihommi1]

I'm convinced you only called these bavarian instead of swabian to increase engagement.

[@barneylaurance1865]

Maybe because lots of us outside of Germany know nothing about Swabia. Bavaria is very famous in the UK, I think especially for their beer and Octoberfest.

[@Garrettcubed]

If you want to use baking soda instead of lye I recommend brushing an egg wash on the pretzels just before they go in the oven. It’s not as good as lye but is still gives a bit of a “crust” and helps them brown.