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How to make soft sourdough pretzels.

Soft sourdough pretzels are a delicious salty snack and fun to make.  These are just like the ones you get at the mall, but with a sourdough twist. You get the classic shiny crust, soft and chewy center, and great flavor.

What you need to make Soft Sourdough Pretzels:

Milk – You want to warm the milk slightly.  I microwave the milk for 30 seconds in a glass measuring cup.  For this recipe, I use whole milk.

Granulated Sugar – Dissolve the sugar into the warm milk.  This will help jumpstart the yeast.

Active Dry Yeast – To help the dough rise quickly, I add active dry yeast.  Proof the yeast in the warm milk with the granulated sugar for best results.

Sourdough discard – This recipe is a great way to use your discard.  The pretzels end up with a subtle sourdough tang that is really good with the salty crunch.

Butter – For this recipe I use unsalted, room temperature butter

All Purpose Flour – AP flour is perfect here.

Salt – This recipe uses two kinds of salt, Morton’s Kosher salt in the dough and pretzel salt for topping.

Baking Soda Solution (Baking soda + water) – To help achieve the deep golden color, the pretzels are dipped into a baking soda solution just before baking.  The baking soda raises the pH of the water, which helps give the dough it’s deep color and smooth texture.

How to make Soft Sourdough Pretzels:

To begin, warm the milk in a microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir in the granulated sugar and active dry yeast.  Set it aside for five minutes to allow the yeast to proof.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the sourdough discard, butter, AP flour, and salt.  Once you start to see bubbles on the surface of the yeast mixture and it begins to smells bread-like, pour it into the bowl.

Turn the mixer on low for 6 minutes.  It will go from a shaggy to soft and smooth dough.  Transfer the ball into a greased bowl, cover, and set in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (1-2 hours).

Divide the dough into 12 equally sized pieces, each about 93 grams.  To shape the pretzels, roll out into a 24” long rope.

Pull the ends down to form an arc.

Twist the ends around each other, lift up and press onto the sides of the arc.

Transfer to a parchment lined sheet tray and repeat with the other pieces of dough. Once the pretzels are on the tray, you can rearrange the dough to get the right shape.  I fit six pretzels on each tray.   Place the trays in a warm spot and allow the dough to puff up and rise slightly.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Meanwhile, bring one quart of water to a boil.  Stir in a tablespoon of baking soda and simmer for several minutes.  Pour this mixture into a 9 x 13” baking sheet.

Dip the pretzels into the water for 30 seconds.  A fish spatula is the prefect tool to use for this task.  Place each one back onto the baking sheet and sprinkle over a little pretzel salt.  The salt sticks best while the dough is still wet, so be sure to do this quickly!  You may need to gently reshape the pretzels after this step.

Bake both trays at 450º F for 20 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through the bake.

As soon as the pretzels come out of the oven, brush the tops with a little butter.  This adds a nice shine and great flavor.

These pretzels are best right out of the oven or rewarmed.  Pair with your favorite mustard or queso for a delicious savory snack or spread on a little Nutella for a sweet treat!  Enjoy!