Sourdough Soft Pretzels

Soft, buttery hand-rolled and twisted soft pretzels made with the tang of sourdough. For more tried and true recipes, please visit my blog: Jennifer Cooks.

Step: 1

Combine flour, sourdough starter, water, powdered milk, butter, brown sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix until dough comes together. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough is dry.

Step: 2

Remove dough from the bowl and shape into a ball. Clean and dry bowl; grease lightly. Return dough to the bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Step: 3

Turn dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Fold and shape into a rectangle. Divide equally into 12 pieces. Keep pieces covered with plastic wrap while working. Roll out 1 piece at a time into a rope about 18 inches long.

Step: 4

Loop and twist 1 rope into a pretzel shape. Place on a baking sheet while you finish rolling out and shaping the remaining pretzels.

Step: 5

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step: 6

Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in baking soda until dissolved. Lower 1 pretzel into the boiling water bath for 30 seconds, flipping halfway through. Remove using a large flat spatula and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Step: 7

Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water to make egg wash. Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Step: 8

Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each pretzel with melted butter. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 225 calories; protein 6.3g; carbohydrates 33.3g; fat 7.4g; cholesterol 33.5mg; sodium 1715.7mg.

The quality of the flour can make a real deal to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard dough flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal bread , which not always getting bigger as well as clear bread.

To make this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.