Sourdough Bread Recipe: Sourdough Pretzels

Step 1 – Feed your sourdough starter

• Feed your sourdough starter and use when it’s at peak (when it can no longer rise and starter to crater a little)
• You can use your normal sourdough starter or
• You can use a sweet stiff sourdough starter to make sure the sandwich bread isn’t sour

Step 2 – Mixing your ingredients together

• To a stand mixer, mix all of the ingredients in the order you see me listing it above
• Mix until the sourdough dough is stretchy and smooth
• Takes around 10 minutes on level 4 (mixer might be dancing)
• Continue mixing until dough comes together and you have a windowpane

Step 3 –  Bulk Fermentation/Room temp proof/1st Rise

• Take the dough out with your plastic bench scraper
• Shape the dough into a taut ball
• Put it in a bowl, cover
• Room temp proof for 4 hrs

Step 4 – Shaping

Preparing tools

• Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats
• If using parchment paper, just grease it first

Pretzel shaping

• Twist and roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope
• Form a circle with the dough by bringing the 2 ends together at the top of the circle.
• Twist the ends together.
• Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and
• press them down to form a pretzel shape
• Cover the sheets with a plastic bag and put into the fridge

Step 5 – Cold proof/2nd Rise

• Cold proof in your fridge overnight (roughly 8-12hrs at 36F)

Step 6 – Water Bath

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Take out the pretzels from the fridge before starting the water bath so they have time to thaw
• Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot
• Drop 1–2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds
• Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste
• Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water
• Get as much of the excess water to drip off
• Place pretzel back onto the baking sheet
• Sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt
• Repeat with remaining pretzels

Step 7 – Baking

• Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden brown
• Best served warm with butter or cheese sauce