Mhachen--we're happy to hear you are busy making pretzels! The Hot Buttered Pretzel recipe in The Baker's Companion calls for a sugar-water topping, which gives the pretzel a subtle sweetness to compliment the tender, buttery dough. We've found that most pretzel-eaters are in the salty rather than sweet camp, so on our blog and website we have adjusted the topping to use baking soda instead. This gives the pretzels a deep golden brown color and a sheen without any added sweetness. So to answer your question, no, no error--just two methods to please all the pretzel-eaters and makers out there. Happy baking! --Kye@KAF

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