Purple Corn Sourdough Pretzel Rolls with Beer
I have not made pretzel rolls in a while and wanted to try a new version. I added some fresh milled purple corn flour, and rye flour along with some maple syrup to add a little sweetness. Beer certainly goes well with pretzels so adding it to the dough was a no-brainer.
They came out very nice and you can really taste the beer flavor. They are a little more dense than ones made with only white flour but certainly are tasty!
Download BreadStorm Files here.
Caution: When using the Lye make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves and protective eye gear. Also, never add Lye to hot water or it will bubble over and probably burn you.
For Lye Bath (3.5% Solution
2 Liters (1836 grams) of Cold water
70 grams Sodium Hydroxide Crystals
Make the Levain
Add your seed starter to the indicated amount of flour and water and mix until incorporated. Cover and let sit out at room temperature of in your proofer until nice and bubbly around 6-10 hours depending on your temperature. Use immediately or refrigerate for a few days until ready to mix the main dough.
Procedure
Add the diastatic malt powder to the beer and stir. Add the flours in your mixing bowl and slowly add the beer mixture. Mix for about 1 minute until combined. Cut your starter in pieces and lay on top of the flour mixture and cover and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the flour can absorb the liquid.
Next add the salt and maple syrup and mix for 6 minutes on low. Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl and do a couple of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Do another stretch and fold in the bowl and let it rest another 10-15 minutes. Do another stretch and fold and let the dough sit out in the covered bowl for another 1.5 hours. Place the dough in the refrigerator until ready to bake the next day.
When ready to bake take the dough out and leave it covered in your bowl for 1 - 1.5 hours. Next divide the dough into pieces that are 110 grams each or 155 grams for larger rolls . Shape as rolls and place on a baking sheet and cover with either a moist towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let it rest for around 60 minutes to about 1/2 proof.
While the rolls are proofing, fill a large stock pot with 2 liters of cold water. Measure out the Lye and slowly add it to the cold water. (DO NOT EVER ADD LYE TO HOT WATER). Cover the pot and bring it to a rolling boil and then shut off the heat.
Pre-heat your oven to 435 degrees. When the rolls are proofed sufficiently, prepare to dip them for about 15 seconds in the lye bath upside down. Let them drain on a bakers rack over a cookie tray covered with a towel or parchment paper. After draining for a minute you can transfer them to a cookie/baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You want to use a stainless steel cooking sheet as aluminum may react with the lye and peel. Note: do not ever use parchment paper as the rolls will get stuck to the bottom. I know this from experience and I had to cut off the bottoms of half the rolls I made. I actually use my Silpat non-stick sheets which work like a charm.
When ready to bake, score each roll with an "X" on the middle and sprinkle with pretzel salt and your topping of choice (I used sesame seeds and cheese and some poppy seeds). Make sure you use pretzel salt if you want authentic rolls.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown and register about 200 F in the middle. Let them cool on a bakers rack until you can't wait any longer!
Note: you cannot store these in a plastic bag or covered really otherwise the salt will react with the moisture in the air and you will end up with soggy tops. I place them in a paper bag and leave it open so the air circulates.
Enjoy!
Some more photos from the gardens this week.
Comments
And those rolls aren’t bad either! ?
Appreciate your kind words.
if you want to see some more garden photos check out my previous post.
Regards,
Ian
and your flowers ...wow ! The purple corn doesn't color the bread ? I haven't had my lye out in ages. Haven't made bagels in ages either. We just can't eat all this anymore and so many folks are on weird diets. I will enjoy your photos ! Hope you are having a great Summer. c
Great to hear from you Caroline. Glad you like the flowers and the bake. I'm sure a few pretzel rolls wouldn't kill you :). You just have to bike a few extra miles! I've been trying to lose the 25 pounds I gained over the last year or so which is certainly not fun. I don't go for any of these crazy diets; just eat less and healthier and cut out fried foods. Lot's of exercise walking the dogs and doing the gardening especially in the heat and humidity.
Hope you are having a great summer as well.
Regards,
Ian
Forgot to answer you about the Purple Corn. If you use a higher % of the purple corn it will start to color it slightly, but in this case it wasn't enough to show up at all.
any better pretzel rolls in Germany! They look fantastic. Hydrangeas are my favourites and your garden looks stunning... Kat
I doubt they would add purple corn flour in Germany, but I will say these are very tasty. The beer is very noticeable since I used a lot of it so if you don't care for the flavor it can be cut back.
Glad you like the gardens as well. This is my favorite part of the year, other than the crazy humidity.
Happy Baking!
Ian
It is worth all the work when it turns out so well. These rolls don't play 2nd fiddle to the garden though. They are just as terrific! Perfect inside and out but they need some smoked brisket to really set them off!
Lucy is feeling better since we took protein out of her diet and her renal failure is under control. She is spunky again but just hungry all the time now which is way better than not eating at all. She sends her best to the black ones and 4 furry friends.
Happy baking Ian.
So happy to hear about Lucy bug that she is doing so much better. Max and Lexi send their love to her and it's back to 5 furry kitty friends again. We adopted my wife's Fathers' kitten about a month ago since he couldn't take care of her anymore. She's slowly adapting and we're gaining her trust.
Please do send over some of your smoked brisket! I made one about a month ago and you're right it would be perfect on these rolls for sure!
Some of the flowers are getting attacked by bugs but overall doing very well. The humid heat we have had the last few weeks has caused the veggies to double in size. Hopefully I should have bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and squash and peas.
Looking forward to your next bake soon I hope!
Happy Baking!
Ian
And gorgeous flowers, Ian! Thanks for sharing! Am I correct that most of the liquid was beer? If so, I'm surprised that the alcohol in the beer did not "kill" your dough!
Happy Baking!
Yippee
Yes, the beer was all of the liquid except in the levain. I usually don't use this high of a % of beer in my formulas, and you can definitely taste the extra beer in the finished product. It's not the alcohol that usually causes the "brick" effect when using in dough, but if you use wine I believe the tannins are what caused the yeast to die off. Beer doesn't seem to have the same effect. I have made wine bread many times and figured out the right % to use.
Glad you like the bake and the flowers.
Happy Baking!
Ian
rolls & garden, Ian! We're working on a little landscaping, which will likely include oak leaf (and another) hydrangeas that have done well at a neighbor's house. Our area is chaparral with lots of oak trees, which often aren't kind to other plants.
I'm a newbie at beer in bread. Did you use a light, amber or dark beer in these rolls, and would it matter in terms of taste? I have a Utah porter (full alcohol, state liquor store) brought home from our recent trip and don't love the flavor. Weird "dusty"? finish; thinking it was just me I looked up reviews and many people said the same. Plan to cook/bake with it instead.
Since beer & pretzels go together, add dessert and make beer-pretzel caramels. I've played with all levels of hops; some of the stouts (espec. chocolate or coffee) add an interesting dimension. Sprinkle with Maldon flaked salt. I make them in silicone ice-cube molds with a Snyder's pretzel bite pushed into the top. You can also mix broken thin pretzels into the caramel just before pouring into a pan and cut squares.
Glad you like the gardens and the rolls. I'm not sure, but hostas may work well for you and there are over 2000 varieties to try and counting!
In regards to the beer, you are correct that a darker beer will certainly give you a more pronounced flavor. I used a lighter style beer in this bake but since I used so much of it, the flavor really came through. I would be careful with the porter and maybe only use 40-50% substitute for the liquid or you may not like the end result. I have used Guinness many times which I really like in bread.
Love your idea of the beer-pretzel caramels. They sound fantastic, so please share some photos when you get a chance.
Let me know how your beer-bread goes.
Regards,
Ian
They only get better when you add corn and beer! I'm also planning a pretzel bake this week but the pretzels will be shaped into traditional knots. Still thinking if I should make a spinach dough with cheddar and sun-dried tomatoes filling or black sesame dough with blue cheese and walnut filling... Maybe both: one this week and the other next week :)
Lily is beautiful in any color yet my favorite has to be white. It looks so pure and elegant that way. Is that piggy a new member of your collection? With the cool blue tone, it stands out from the surrounding green plants really nicely. I'm so jealous that you'll soon be harvesting fresh veggies from your own garden! I'd be having a huge plate of salad every day if I did. To me, all you have to do to lose that extra 25 pounds is having proper meals. This is the most old-school approach but it's also the most effective one from my experience. A dish that includes all veggies, carbs, proteins and fats is just more satisfying and delicious too! Cutting out any food group, unless for a medical condition, is a bad idea... Especially if that food group is carbs!
Good luck with your weight loss journey. Hopefully the rolls can act as a source of motivation for exercise :)
I figured you would like this one. I actually did make 2 traditional pretzels and the rest into rolls. I like the sound of your options and can't wait to see which one(s) you try.
Glad you like the flowers as well. My wife loves Lillies so we have a lot of them. I just planted this season around 50 new ones but we planted them late so many of them won't flower until next year.
The veggie garden is really doing well and hopefully will have some cucumbers and tomatoes to pick by the end of this week or next week. You are right there is nothing like eating fresh garden picked vegetables. When I diet, I just try to eat healthy with fresh fruits and veggies as much as I can and eat other foods in moderation. It's hard to resist ice-cream in the summer months but I've managed to keep it under control for the most part :). So far I've lost around 12 pounds, but at my age it takes a while to lose the rest, but I know I will get there sooner than later.
Thanks for the comments and encouragement!
BTW...Mr. Piggy was there for a few years now....we had to redo his home since my dog Max keeps making a resting spot in the fall and winter and destroyed the plantings :).
Happy Baking!
Ian