July 27, 2013 - 1:45pm
Baked Baking Soda
After my big disappointment with lye...I want to try baked baking soda.
My question is...with the lye, so long as it is sealed you can use it indefinitely (even in its solution form)...will a baked baking soda solution keep for re-use as well??
Also, sometimes I go wild and make dozens and dozens of pretzels at one time...and I'm always curious to know who long a baking soda solution is "good" for when making multiple batches? It seems to get cloudy and icky as I go...but that may not mean anything...
Thanks!
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but I do know that some sources say that it can be used instead of lye. Try it out - sodium carbonate (washing soda) is more alkaline than sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), after all.
Is it practical to store the solution itself, however? Washing soda is dirt cheap to buy, so maybe mix a solution up each time you make bagels/pretzels?
For Old-Fashioned Flavor, Bake the Baking Soda
http://community.kingarthurflour.com/content/baking-soda-solution-pretzels
As for keeping it (and by "it" I assume we are talking about the baked baking soda itself, and not the solution after you've mixed it into water), over time it will reabsorb water from the air, no matter how tightly sealed the jar you keep it in. The closer to capacity that the (tightly sealed) jar is filled, the better it will keep. Also the less frequently you open it.
However baking soda is really cheap and making it up fresh every once in awhile will only cost you a bit of time.