My sourdough soft pretzels are made with active, bubbly sourdough starter and dunked in a lye bath for a classic, oldfashioned flavor. They are so soft and chewy!
My sourdough soft pretzels are made with active, bubbly sourdough starter and dunked in a lye bath for a classic, oldfashioned flavor. They are so soft and chewy!
Note that this dough requires 5-7 hours of resting at room temperature followed by a 12+ hour overnight fermentation in the refrigerator. I recommend preparing the dough in the morning or early afternoon and then baking the pretzels the next day
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sourdough starter, water, honey, butter, salt, and approximately half of the flour and stir until well-combined.
Attach the dough hook attachment to the mixer and begin to stir on low-speed. Add remaining flour as needed until the dough begins to cling to itself and pull away from the sides of the bowl (dough will still be quite sticky, but shouldn’t stick to your finger if you touch it).
Continue to knead dough with dough hook (medium/low speed) until smooth and elastic (usually 5-10 minutes longer).
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size (usually 5-7 hours).
Transfer to refrigerator and allow to rest for 12-18 hours (I let mine sit overnight) before proceeding.
The next day, preheat oven to 400F (205C) and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside and prepare the lye bath.
It is important to handle lye safely. Work in a well ventilated area and wear rubber gloves and eye goggles. Do not touch the lye or the lye/water solution and beware that if it splashes it may ruin surfaces.
Place a wide, deep glass dish on one of your parchment paper lined baking sheets. Pour water into the dish and then carefully add lye and use a stainless steel spoon to stir until lye is dissolved.
Remove pretzel dough from the fridge and divide into 10 equal pieces. Roll each into a long thin rope, about 20-24” long, and twist into a pretzel shape.
Use a slotted spatula to lower each pretzel, one at a time, into the lye bath for 30 seconds, then carefully remove. Drain as much water as you can from each pretzel and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing pretzels at least 2” apart.
Sprinkle with pretzel salt.
Transfer to center rack of 400F (205C) oven and bake pans 1 at a time for 12 minutes per pan, rotating the pan halfway through and baking until deep golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.
Servings 1
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Stand mixer
A stand mixer is highly recommended. This dough is and should be very soft and somewhat sticky. Using a stand mixer allows us to keep the dough soft while still kneading it sufficiently. If you were to knead the dough by hand, you would
have to add quite a bit more flour than is ideal in order to even be able to manage it, which would result in tougher pretzels.
Instead of a lye bath, you can do a baking soda bath instead, but your pretzels will not be as brown or taste quite as traditional (they’re still delicious though!). To do this, bring 8 cups water and ¼ cup (66g) baking soda in a large pot. Gently
lower pretzels (only 1 or 2 at a time) into the boiling mixture and boil for 30 seconds per side then use a frying spider to remove and drain and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Prepare an egg wash (optional, but helps darken the pretzels) by whisking an egg with a Tablespoon of water, gently brush each pretzel with the mixture, sprinkle with pretzel salt, then bake as indicated.
Cinnamon sugar variation Skip the pretzel salt and bake the pretzels plain. While pretzels are still warm, brush each one with melted salted butter (you’ll need about ¼ cup/57g), then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or dip in cinnamon sugar.
Storing Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (the salt may dissolve as they sit) or tightly wrap and freeze for several months. To reheat from frozen, preheat your oven to 325F (165C) place on a parchment lined baking
sheet, brush lightly with water or melted butter, and heat until warmed through (this will just take a few minutes).
