For those who have made lye pretzels

**AnthonyC** · 02-01-2011, 08:07 PM

I've made numerous batches of pretzels in my quest to make the perfect pretzel. I'm convinced lye is the only way to go. But my question is, how does everyone else deal with the stickiness of the pretzels after they get out of the lye bath? In particular, I haven't found a surface on which to cook them that doesn't result in the bottom of the pretzel nearly permanently fused to the cooking surface. Stainless steel cookie sheet is probably the worst. I've had the best luck with a really hot baking stone, but even then they stick. I've tried oiling a cookie sheet first, corn meal, salt, ... I've tried cooking temps anywhere from 400 to 525.

Has anyone else experienced sticky pretzels, and if so, how do you get around it?

**azscoob** · 02-01-2011, 08:21 PM

I deal with sticky pretzels by using a stainless cookie sheet, a stainless scraper to pop them off. I bake mine at 350° per Kaisers recipe, I loosen them off the pan after they are half done baking.

**remilard** · 02-01-2011, 08:42 PM

parchment paper

**Shooter** · 02-01-2011, 08:46 PM

Doesn't a Silpat work?

**AnthonyC** · 02-01-2011, 08:47 PM

I tried parchment paper and it was almost impossible trying to get the paper off of the bottom of the pretzels once cooked. I think I ended up serving pretzel tops.

Perhaps it's just something in my process. I'll have to try dislodging them a bit halfway through the baking cycle. That's something I haven't tried yet.

**dataz722** · 02-01-2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyC

I tried parchment paper and it was almost impossible trying to get the paper off of the bottom of the pretzels once cooked. I think I ended up serving pretzel tops.

Perhaps it's just something in my process. I'll have to try dislodging them a bit halfway through the baking cycle. That's something I haven't tried yet.

Parchment paper stuck? I have never found anything that even came close to sticking to parchment. Only thing left would be a silpat. I love mine. Molten sugar won't even stick to it.

**remilard** · 02-01-2011, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyC

I tried parchment paper and it was almost impossible trying to get the paper off of the bottom of the pretzels once cooked. I think I ended up serving pretzel tops.

Perhaps it's just something in my process. I'll have to try dislodging them a bit halfway through the baking cycle. That's something I haven't tried yet.

Always works for me. They stick pretty well right out of the oven but if you let them cool a bit they come right off, but that is removing baked things 101. How carefully are you timing the time in the lye bath? Are you allowing excess to drip off before you lay them on the parchment?

Silicone is pretty inert so the silpat might be something to try.

**AnthonyC** · 02-02-2011, 02:36 PM

I picked up a silpat but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I love the crust on bottom that a hot baking stone provides (assuming I can get the freaking things dislodged cleanly).

Quote:

How carefully are you timing the time in the lye bath? Are you allowing excess to drip off before you lay them on the parchment?

Not carefully at all. I have been doing the lye bath for about 30 seconds to a minute. Perhaps that's overkill and the source of my troubles. And letting the excess drip off just causes the pretzels to stick to the stainless spatula. After reading Kaiser's recipe it sounds like he just dunks them for a second or two. I've been going with the more is better approach. Looks like I've got some experimenting to do.

**weirdboy** · 02-02-2011, 02:41 PM

I use a silpat.

Although, you could probably just throw a handful of salt underneath to keep them from sticking too much.

**pjj2ba** · 02-02-2011, 09:24 PM

I usually end up making a large batch of pretzels so I like to process them in a batch mode. After the lye treatment they go onto a mesh drying rack and stay there until all have been treated. Then I bake them. I don't have any problems with sticking.