Pretzel buns or lye rolls as you can call it, are a very common kind of bread here in Switzerland and one of my favorites to eat! Each year for my birthday instead of wishing for a cake I chose lye rolls with salami! My mom would always make a big pile of rolls for everyone to enjoy. What’s the best way to eat it? Definitely depends if you are the sweet or salty kind of person. For those with a sweet tooth I recommend the classic butter and honey combo. As the salty option I recommend some kind of cream cheese with herbs, garlic, and salami.

Baking with lye sound a bit intimidating at first. I was also very nervous when I first started but it turns out it actually isn’t as scary as it seems! In fact I recommend this recipe to start cooking with lye. When boiling the water, salt and baking soda in a pot, it will be bubbly and white little splashes will be on the stove. That is completely normal. Don’t drop the bread in the water but lay it down with the skimmer and if you should still get in touch with the lye, wash your hands thoroughly with water.

Recipe (from Betti Bossi) for about 16 buns

500g flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
10g fresh yeast, crumbled (you can also use dry yeast, which would be 3.5g)
50g butter, softened
3 dl milk-water (1/2 milk / 1/2 water), lukewarm

For the lye:

2 litres of water
4 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt

Also:

coarse salt for sprinkling on top
cream (half and half) to brush over the buns for a shiny crust

Instructions:

Mix flour and salt in a big bowl. Mix the fresh yeast and the sugar in a small cup until the yeast becomes liquid. Add the milk-water, butter, and yeast to the flour and mix it all together until you have a solid dough. The dough shouldn’t stick to your hands or the bowl. If it does, add more flour. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise for about 1.5 hours or until it doubles in size.
Form the buns and place them on a baking tray with a baking sheet. Let them raise for another 20 minutes. (Picture 1)
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Add the water, salt, and baking soda into a pot and bring to a boil. (Picture 2) Move the pot off the stove. Lay one bun on a skimmer and dip it into the lye so the bun is fully covered. Put the bun back onto the baking sheet. Do so with all the buns. (Picture 3)
Take a sharp knife and cut lines across the buns. (For a nice look only) (Picture 4) Sprinkle coarse salt over it and then bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 200° C (400°F).
Remove the buns from the oven and brush them with the cream for a shiny crust. Then let the buns cool down.

The Susslife-Tip:

Pretzel buns are great for freezing. Make twice as much and freeze half of it!
Lye can be used 3 - 4 times. Keep it in a glass bottle for a month max.
Lye is strongly acidic, be careful when using it.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Rolls, Easy to Make