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Sourdough Pretzels

Pretzels from starter discard. Easy, quick, can be flavored in a variety of ways.
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baking, bread, pretzels, salt, sourdough
Servings: 20

Ingredients

  • 175 grams lukewarm water (¾ cup)
  • 7 grams instant yeast (2 tsp - halve if using active starter)
  • 230 grams fed or discard sourdough starter (1 cup)
  • 360 grams bread flour (3 cups)
  • 25 grams nonfat dry milk powder (¼ cup)
  • 9 grams brown sugar (1 tablespoon)
  • 13 grams butter or olive oil (1 tablespoon) (I use garlic olive oil)
  • 6 grams salt 1½ teaspoons

For Brushing Before Baking

  • 0.5 cups water
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking soda

Instructions

  • Put the water in the bowl of your stand mixer (or plain bowl). Add the yeast and starter and mix to combine.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until you've got a smooth, slightly sticky dough.
  • Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rest for 45 minutes to an hour. It won’t double, but it will grow.
  • Turn oven on, set to 350°F Convection
  • Divide into 20 pieces roughly equal in size. I weigh it and do math -- usually around 42 grams each -- some just roll it out and cut it into roughly equal pieces. Let your level of OCD be your guide.
  • Cover with oiled plastic wrap so they don’t dry out while you’re working with each piece.
  • Roll into a snake. And here I’m going to recommend you do a YouTube search to find pretzel forming videos. Will be way better than what I come up with. Mine are…creative. More knots than anything.
  • Place each pretzel on a parchment lined baking sheet. You’ll probably need two of them.
  • In a small pot add water and brown sugar and heat until dissolved. Add baking soda just before you're going to brush on the knots.
  • Brush the pretzels with the water/sugar/soda solution.
  • Sprinkle with your favorite topping. I recommend kosher salt, Trader Joe’s “Everything But The Bagel” seasoning, cracked pepper, Italian seasoning, etc.
  • Turn the oven down to 325°F Convection. If you can, add a pan of water or ice cubes beneath the racks to create steam.
  • Bake ~20 minutes, turning and changing levels half way through.
  • Remove from oven and brush with melted butter if so desired.

Notes

Get creative.  Add Italian seasoning to the dough.  Sprinkle with seasoned salt before baking. Or spicy salt.  Add cheese. Add garlic to the water before brushing.