RECIPE: German-style pretzels and pretzel rolls

If you think it's the salt or the shape that makes a pretzel a pretzel, you're wrong.

When it comes to food, I try to avoid telling people what's right and what's wrong. But the simple fact is you can't twist a rope of yeast dough into a loop, sprinkle it with salt and deem it a pretzel.

Egg wash won't do it either.

True pretzels get their characteristic color, texture, shine and flavor from an alkaline bath. In Germany, the dough is dipped in a lye solution, however here in the U.S., baking soda often stands in for the lye, as food grade lye can be difficult to obtain.

The boiling water bath is what gives a pretzel its signature chew — the same process minus the alkali is what makes a real bagel so delightfully chewy and shiny.