Sourdough Pretzels

Posted On 6 February 2020

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 tablespoons butter (or 1.5 tablespoons olive oil) (see notes)
• ~2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 cup (230g) warm water
• 300g (~1.5c) sourdough starter (fed or discard)
• 4-5 cups (480-600 grams) unbleached, all-purpose flour

Poaching

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda

Topping

• Egg or egg white, beaten
• Kosher salt or spicy salt (see notes)

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix sugar, water, and butter or oil until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add sourdough starter and mix.
3. Gradually mix in 4 cups (17 ounces) (480 grams) of the flour.
4. Turn out onto a well floured surface and continue adding flour until you have a firm, slightly sticky ball.
5. Place dough into a well-greased bowl.
6. Cover bowl, put into a warm place, and let rest for 2-3 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
8. Punch the dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Weigh and divide by 16 to figure out how much each pretzel should weigh.
9. Using a dough cutter, cut off each piece and roll out each piece, snake-like, form into a pretzel, and put onto a floured surface. Continue with all of them. (Making them not look like dog turds is sometimes a challenge.)
10. Bring a wide pan of water about 3″ deep to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon baking soda.
11. Poach each pretzel for 1-2 minutes, flipping halfway through. Depending on the size of your pan/pot you should be able to do 3 – 5 of them at a time. Remove to wire rack to drain.
12. Put on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with salt.
13. Bake for 15-18 minutes until desired brownness.

Notes

• I use a flavored olive oil instead of the butter. Garlic or hot pepper add a touch of flavor.
• For the topping, kosher salt works well. So does Trader Joe’s “Everything But The Bagel” seasoning. I also use Farmer Freed’s Spicy Salt. But I guess you could use anything you want. Pepper. Chili flakes.