Sourdough Soft Pretzels
Make classic large, soft and chewy pretzels, great for dipping into mustard or other gooey delicious things!
Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Fermentation Time 4 hours hours
Baking Time 50 minutes minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
- 375 grams warmed (80°F/27°C) water
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 500 grams flour total:
- - 400 grams all-purpose flour
- - 100 grams: whole wheat, spelt, or bread flour
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) baking soda
- 1 egg or almond milk if vegan
- 10 grams salt
- kosher or other finishing salt to taste
- dried herbs to taste caraway, oregano, fennel, poppy seeds, e.g.
Activate Starter (6 to 8 hours)
Discard all but 3 tablespoons (50g) of starter. You can use discarded starter for other purposes.
Mix in 50 grams of 78°F/26°C water and 50 grams all-purpose flour.
Mix thoroughly until there aren’t any dry bits of flour.
Cover mixture with a towel or paper towel and let it rise overnight or about 6 to 8 hours. Ideally, you are ready to start mixing dough when the starter has doubled (or more) in volume.
Mix Dough (1 hour)
In a large heavy bowl, mix 375 ml (12.7 oz) warmed water, salt and 100 grams (2/3 cup) of active starter. (Leave enough starter to keep it going.)
Add the flour(s) and mix thoroughly with spatula or dough whisk, making a "shaggy" dough. Ensure there aren’t any dry bits of flour.
Cover bowl with dish towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
At the end of the resting period, dough should look less shaggy and smoother.
Make two turns on the dough, then cover bowl with a dish towel or tea towel.
To do one turn, take the side of the dough furthest away ("12:00" of the bowl), and gently lift it out of the bowl until it stretches, then fold it back on itself towards you ("6:00" of the bowl). Wait 10 seconds. Turn the bowl one-third (about 120 degrees) and repeat the lift and fold. Wait 10 seconds, turn bowl one-third and repeat lifting and folding. This is one turn.
Bulk Fermentation (4 hours)
This is the first rise for your bread, and it will take 3 to 4 hours if your kitchen is relatively warm (78-82°F / 25-28°C). In a cooler kitchen, it will take at least 4 hours, maybe longer.
Every 30 minutes, do one gentle turn of the dough (see above).
The dough will increase in volume noticeably and appear smoother after a few hours.
Shape & Parboil Pretzels (30 minutes)
In a pot, bring a gallon (4 liters) of water with 1 Tbsp. of baking soda mixed in to a boil.
Flour your work surface well. A tea ball/steeper works well for dusting flour evenly.
Pour the dough out onto floured surface. With a sharp-edged bench/dough scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Each piece should weigh about 85 grams.
Roll each piece into an even rod, about 24 inches (100cm) long and 1/2" (1 cm) in diameter, about the thickness of your pinky finger.
Prepare two cookie sheet pans covered with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Shape each dough rod into a pretzel by placing the curved end down first, then looping around and crossing each end to make a pretzel shape. Carefully move to the sheet pan.
Preheat oven to 450°F/232°C.
Four at a time, carefully place each dough into the boiling water. Remove pretzel when it floats, after about 1 minute. Drain well on a cooling rack, and place them onto the cookie sheets.
Bake Pretzels (50 minutes)
Beat egg (or add 1/3 cup or 80 ml almond milk) and 1/4 cup (60 ml) water together in a small bowl. Brush mixture on evenly on each pretzel.
Sprinkle finishing salt and/or dried herbs evenly onto each pretzel.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the pretzels are evenly brown. Rotate and switch the pans halfway through to ensure even baking.
Remove and place on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve with honey mustard or your favorite dipping sauce. If any remain, store in airtight bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Keyword mustard, pretzel, Sourdough