Lye Roll
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lye rolls are a baked specialty in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
(especially in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
and Swabia),
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
(
Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
),
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. They are made by immersing bread rolls in a lye solution before baking. The German name, ''Laugengebäck'', is used for any baked good dipped in lye. The perhaps best known shape is the pretzel, 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 Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
they are also known as ''laugen rolls''. In France, the lye roll is known as a mauricette, it was invented by Paul Poulaillon in the Alsace region when he opened the first Poulaillon bakery in 1973. It was later registered as a
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
with an alternate name, Moricette, in 1985. The lard was then replaced by
rapeseed oil Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historica ...
.


Lye

In order to cause a Maillard reaction during baking for the characteristic browning effect, a lye roll needs to be coated with a high pH (
alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...
) solution. The higher the pH, the stronger the reaction. Lye (
sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive base (chemistry), ...
(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 utili ...
(KOH)) is a highly alkaline agent most commonly used for the purpose. However, lye is not the only way to produce the needed 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, and 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 In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
, preferably pretzel salt, a large-grained salt made from compressed smaller salt particles, which reduces the moisture absorption, and hardness of the salt grain. As a snack, lye rolls may also be sold as sandwiches or covered with baked
cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
, although this is a more recent development and less common. Typically they are cut in half and
butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
ed, as large soft pretzels often are in Germany and Switzerland as well. Other toppings for lye rolls nowadays also include
poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...
, sesame, and other seeds as an alternative to the usual salt. In
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, they are sold in many shapes and forms, with many having unique names. For example, ''Laugenstange'' (“lye bar”) are long
oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...
rolls, while ''Laugenbrötchen'' (“lye rolls”) are small and round rolls.


See also

* Other foods prepared with lye are lutefisk, hominy, and Chinese noodles


References

Breads German breads French breads Bavarian cuisine Swabian cuisine Swiss breads Swiss cuisine Austrian cuisine French cuisine {{Bread-stub