I made some pretzel buns using bicarbonate of soda, rather than lye. The colour was good. The taste was a little off, which was expected as I didn't use lye. However, the outer part was over the top chewy. I dipped them in the boiling solution for around 20 seconds each. Before I go again, does that need to be reduced or did I do something else incorrectly?

Reposted with image.