Lye rolls are a baked specialty in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
(especially in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
),
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
),
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. They are made by immersing
bread rolls in a
lye solution before baking. The
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
name is ''Laugengebäck'' for any baked good dipped in lye. The perhaps best known shape is the
pretzel
A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical f ...
, while rolls or buns are specifically called ''Laugensemmel'' or ''Kastanie'' (Bavarian), ''Laugeweckle'' or ''Laugestängle'' (Swabian), and ''Laugenwecken'', ''Laugenbrötchen'' or ''Laugenstange'' (everywhere else in Germany); ''Laugenweckerl'' in Austria; ''Silserli'' or ''Laugenbrötli'' in Switzerland. In some parts of Asia they are known as ''laugen rolls''.
In France, the lye roll is known as mauricette and was invented by Paul Poulaillon in Alsace region when he opened the first Poulaillon bakery in 1973. It was later registered as a trademark with an alternate name Moricette in 1985 and the
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the ...
was replaced by
canola oil.
Lye
In order to cause a
Maillard reaction
The Maillard reaction ( ; ) is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, fried dumplings, cookies and other kinds of biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows, and m ...
during baking for the characteristic browning effect, a lye roll needs to be coated with a high
pH (alkaline) solution. The higher the pH, the stronger the reaction.
Lye (
sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or
potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash.
Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which exp ...
(KOH)) is a highly alkaline agent most commonly used for the purpose. However, lye is not the only way to produce this result: a
baking soda or
washing soda solution, which is easier to handle and safer to use, will provide a similar product but will not provide as strong a reaction, so the effect will be less pronounced. Lye is the strongest agent, followed by washing soda, then baking soda.
The same solution is also used for preparing pretzels; outside of German-speaking countries they are often the only baked food commonly glazed with a lye solution.
Presentation
Both lye rolls and pretzels are typically covered with salt, preferably pretzel salt, a large-grained salt made from compressed smaller salt particles, which reduces moisture absorption and the hardness of the salt grain. As a snack, lye rolls may also be sold as sandwiches or covered with baked cheese, although this is more recent and less common. Typically they are cut in half and buttered, as large soft pretzels often are in Germany and Switzerland as well. Other toppings for lye rolls nowadays also include poppyseed, sesame, and other seeds as an alternative to salt.
In Germany, they are sold in many shapes and forms, many with unique names. For example, ''Laugenstange'' (“Lye bar”) are long oval rolls, while ''Laugenbrötchen'' (“Lye rolls”) are small round rolls.
See also
* Other foods prepared with lye, such as
Lutefisk,
Hominy, and
Chinese noodles
References
Breads
German breads
Bavarian cuisine
Swabian cuisine
Swiss breads
Austrian cuisine
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