In the case of the pretzel, the Maillard reaction is responsible for the deep brown crust, crunchy arms and distinctive taste.Īt its most basic, the Maillard process is a heat-activated reaction between small sugars and amino acids. The Maillard process is integral to all bread baking - it shapes the way the crust forms and tastes. That's because the alkaline lye bath affects the way the Maillard reaction plays out when the pretzel bakes, says Bread Science author Emily Buehler. 'If you let it go into the oven white, it'll come out of the oven white.' 'If you don't put a browning agent on the product, the pretzel is white,' says Tony Tonelli, owner of Center City Soft Pretzel Co. The shop is named after his German hometown. It can even dissolve glass.īut it's also what makes a good pretzel, says Wolfgang Büchler, owner of the Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe in Arlington, Va. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is essentially the same stuff that's used to make soap and clean drains. Traditional Bavarian pretzels are dipped in a lye solution before they are baked. That's because that bath was actually a caustic alkaline solution. I helped dip the pretzels into something bubbling in the pot on the stove, careful not to touch the rolls after they were out of the bath. I liked to put my hand on the risen dough and pat it like a warm, soft belly. aren't like what she was used to in Germany, and if she's going to be hosting a backyard Oktoberfest, her food should be authentic.Īs a kid I watched the flour, yeast and salt whirl together in a food processor until suddenly congealing into a sticky ball. Place pan in the fridge for about 15 minutes or until chocolate is cool.Bavarian pretzels baked at the Goetz bakery in Taufkirchen, Germany, for the Oktoberfest beer festival.Īs Oktoberfest starts in Munich every September, my mom starts making pretzels in Michigan. Place 6 M&Ms of another color around the center M&M. Take pan out of the oven and place an M&M in the center of the melted chocolate on each pretzel.ħ. Place pan in the oven for three minutes or until candy has melted.Ħ. Place one white melting candy onto each pretzel.ĥ. Note: You can use as many pretzels as you want, as long as they are in a single layer, because they will not expand like cookies.Ĥ. Tip: While this pretzel snack recipe calls for pastel M&Ms, there’s absolutely no reason you couldn’t use any variety of M&Ms. They’re super cute, easy, and will hold together pretty well so make a batch of this spring snack for your little one to take to school and share or for your next office carry in. This pretzel snack recipe is also great for parties. What I mean is I can make as few or as many flower bites as I’d like without too much fuss.īeing able to easily control how many I make allows me to stick to my healthy eating goals because there aren’t just tons of pretzel flower bites calling my name! I like this pretzel snack recipe because it’s quick and controllable. Plus, they look like little flowers, so they’re the perfect spring snack, right? This pretzel snack recipe combines salty, crunchy pretzels with sugar and sweet chocolate for an irresistible combination. My latest find? This pretzel snack recipe for “flower bites”.

With that in mind, I like to keep a stock pile of indulgent bite-sized snacks where you can eat one or two and feel like you got a special treat.

He’s not going to (willingly) make healthy choices 24/7.

While I’d prefer my little one to stick to fruits and veggies at snack time, I’m not completely delusional. Unfortunately, this temptation is not unique to the corporate world.Īs a stay at home mom, I face snack time every day. If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’re probably familiar with the siren’s song of the vending machine. Jump to Recipe Pretzel Snack Recipe: Flower Pretzel Bites

Pretzel snap art