On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1036

extensivesurfaceofflatbreads.
Flatbreadsoftenpufftoanimpressiveif
temporaryvolume,andthecentralcavityof
pitaandsimilarbreadsisusedasapocketfor
fillingwithotherfoods.Puffingoccurswhen
thetwobreadsurfaceshavesetintheheatand
becometougherthantheinnerlayer,where
steamaccumulatesandeventuallytearsthe
tenderinterior,forcingthetwosurfacesapart.
Whenpuffingisundesirable—incrackers,
forexample,whichwouldbecometoofragile
—thesheeteddoughis“docked,”orpricked
inaregularpatternwithapointedutensil—a
fork,oraspecialstamp—toformdense
glutennodesthatresistpuffing.
Pretzels Pretzels are unusual for their woven
shape, dark brown crust, and unusual flavor.
Likecrackers,they’remadefromastiffyeast
dough of soft wheat flour. In manufacturing,
the formed dough is sprayed for 10–15
seconds with a hot 1% solution of alkaline


sodium hydroxide (lye) or sodium carbonate.
The heat and moisture combine to gelate the
surface starch. The dough is then salted and
baked for about five minutes in a very hot
oven.Thestarchgelhardenstoashinyfinish
and thanks to the alkaline conditions created
by the lye, browning-reaction pigments and
flavor compounds rapidly accumulate. (The

lye reacts with carbon dioxide in the oven to
form a harmless edible carbonate.) The final
step is a long, slow bake to dry the whole
pretzel out. The pretzel is crisp but fragile
thanks to tiny airy bubbles and ungelated
starch granules throughout, and it has a
distinctive flavor from its alkaline-browned
surface.
Softandhomemadepretzelsmaybe
allowedtorisebeforebeingboiledbrieflyina
solutionofbakingsodaandthenbakedfor10
or15minutesinahotoven.
Bagels The bagel is a relatively small, ring-