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
- In the bowl of a stand mixer mix sugar, water, and butter or oil until sugar is dissolved.
- Add sourdough starter and mix.
- Gradually mix in 4 cups (17 ounces) (480 grams) of the flour.
- Turn out onto a well floured surface and continue adding flour until you have a firm, slightly sticky ball.
- Place dough into a well-greased bowl.
- Cover bowl, put into a warm place, and let rest for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Punch the dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Weigh and divide by 16 to figure out how much each pretzel should weigh.
- 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.)
- Bring a wide pan of water about 3″ deep to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon baking soda.
- 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.
- Put on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with salt.
- 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.