Wheat flour and spelt flour
For the production of lye baked goods, commercial wheat flour type 550 is mostly used. If the wet gluten content is higher, the doughs can be made more processing-friendly by using sponges; if the flours are too strong, up to 5 % rye flour can be used to achieve better processing properties.
Recommended values for wheat flour:
| Wet gluten content: | 27 – 32 % |
| Sedimentation value: | > 35 ml |
| Falling number: | > 280 s |
Recommended values for spelt flour:
| Wet gluten content: | 32 – 36 % |
| Sedimentation value: | > 25 ml |
| Falling number: | > 280 s |
Sponges
By using sponges, the doughs become more plastic and the strands contract less. The taste and chewing impression (moistness) of the crumb are also positively influenced. With a poolish, an optimal swelling of the flour components is achieved. In addition, malts can be used individually to further refine the flavour profile.
Improvers
For the production of lye baked goods, usually no special improvers are required. Often, normal bread improvers can be used, such as MALZPERLE CLASSIC or EISZEIT. If you want to further improve the machinability and plasticity of the dough pieces, special improvers for lye baked goods are recommended.
Fat
By the use of fat, plastic and processing-friendly doughs are achieved. In addition, dough stability, fermentation tolerance and a delay in dehydration during cold dough methods are positively supported. Furthermore, the fat ensures finer pores and a short bite. The crumb texture becomes soft and fluffy and at the same time the aroma and flavour of the pretzels improve. The amount of fat added varies depending on the region. The usual amount is 3 % in Bavaria and up to 10 % in Baden-Württemberg.
Vegetable oil
The vegetable oil remains liquid at room temperature, thus favouring a particularly soft crumb.
Margarine
Margarine is the most commonly used fat and is of vegetable origin. The emulsifiers contained and the proportion of solid fats have a positive effect on the dough properties. Furthermore, they ensure more stable doughs compared to vegetable oil or butter.
Butter
Butter or clarified butter are used to improve the smell and taste and are mostly used in high-quality lye baked goods.
Lards
Animal fats, such as lard, have an emulsifying effect due to a natural proportion of monoglycerides and diglycerides. This has a positive effect on dough properties and freshness. The addition of lard is often rejected from the consumer’s point of view.
Dough yield
Depending on the amount of fat added, the usual dough yields for lye pretzels range from 148 to 152. Water is the main liquid added, part of which is in the form of flake ice. The amount of ice depends on the mixing time and the desired dough temperature. If too much ice is added, the dough and gluten formation will be delayed. For better mouldability, the doughs should not be kept too soft.