Pretzels: A medieval food during Lent The Hortus delicarium, a monastic manuscript from the 12th century, is the oldest evidence of the thousand-year history and significance of the pretzel. Pretzels were originally a product for the Christian Lent period and were only made on important festivals in the church year. They were regarded as consecrated food to which special blessings and healing power were attributed. The symmetrically twisted strands of dough were meant to symbolize the crossed arms of a person at prayer. It was this image that gave the product its name: the word "Pretzel" or "Breze" originates from the Latin word brachiatellium, meaning "thin little arm." The story goes that the unusual coating of the pretzel owes its origin to a mishap. The products fell into the caustic soda solution, or lye, waiting to be used for cleaning when the baker's cat jumped onto the tray. Problem: Blistering of the crust. Solution: Prevent condensation; allow the dough pieces to stiffen properly. Problem: Spots and streaks on the crust. Solution: Possibly increase the temperature of the lye slightly to wet the surface of the dough evenly with NaOH solution. Problem: Low volume Solution:8VHVWURQJHUÀRXULQFUHDVHWKHDPRXQWRIEDNing improver (e.g. EMCEbest Cold Gold); increase oven rise; SURORQJ LQGLYLGXDO SURR¿QJ$OORZ IUR]HQ GRXJK SLHFHV WR thaw completely. Problem: Dull crust. Solution: Bake without steam. Problem: Too much salt in the dough; NaCl reduction is desirable. Solution: Reduce the amount of cooking salt in the dough; instead, improve the stability of the dough with WKHHQ]\PHV\VWHP6DOWDVH Problem: Rubbery consistency. Solution: Reduce the fat content; do not use oil; proORQJWKHVKHOIOLIHHJZLWK$OSKDPDOW)UHVK Problem: Weak, narrow shred. Solution:8VHVWURQJÀRXUVKRUWHQWKHLQGLYLGXDOSURRIing time; reduce the added water. Problem: &RORURIWKHSUHW]HOVLVWRROLJKWRUWRRGDUN Solution: Increase or reduce the oven temperature. Increase or reduce the concentration of the lye. Problem: Insipid taste Solution: $GGPDOWÀRXUXVHDVSRQJHGRXJK Martina Mollenhauer is a product manager with Mühlenchemie. She may be contacted at mmollenhauer@muehlenchemie.com We want to hear from you - Send comments and inquiries to worldgrain@sosland.com. For reprints of WG articles,e-mail reprints@sosland.com. 26 May 2019 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.comhttp://www.cimbria.com http://www.World-Grain.com http://www.seasort.com