When one has sourdough starter, one is obligated to use it regularly. I am one of those people who can’t stand to throw out the discard when I feed it, and, happily, with this recipe, I don’t have to.
For those of you without sourdough starter on hand, I suggest you try either Baking God Peter Reinhart’s recipe or Alton Brown’s. I’ve had success with both. For shaping technique, definitely check out Peter’s video.
However, I, immodestly, like my recipe better.
Tips:
1. Some recipes will tell you that you do not need to do an alkali bath. They are wrong. It is crucial to getting the outside texture and color right. DO NOT SKIP IT.
Usually, I use a simple homemade concentrated baking soda (which I also use when making bagels), but this time I didn’t realize I was out until time to add to the pot of water. Oops. So, regular baking soda will definitely do in a pinch. You’ll lose some of the deep mahogany color, but that’s OK! I can assure you that the pretzels will still be pretty and taste fabulous.
2. Many bakers, including Peter Reinhart, will tell you that you don’t need to do a boiling water bath for the alkali dip. When I was first learning to bake, I was taught to do the boiling water thing, so I still do. YMMV. Experiment! Whether doing boiling water or room temp, using a “spider” skimmer when removing the pretzels will minimize the amount of residual water you add to the baking sheet.
3. I like to weigh all my ingredients for baking, instead of using a volume measure. (I use this scale.) However, since many people lack a kitchen scale, I’ve written the recipe out in volume approximates. You may need to adjust as you go.
4. You are going to want to dive into these immediately upon removing them from the oven, but you really need to wait 3-5 minutes so as to not scorch the roof of your mouth. Use the time to portion out some mustards or other dipping sauces, and take photos for your social media or to share here.
5. You can certainly serve these with cheese sauce. I use my regular queso recipe, but any would work.
6. These are obviously great with beer, if you’re into that kind of thing (I’m not). I prefer to pair with a margarita if serving with my queso, which is quite spicy.
SP's Sourdough Soft Pretzels
Super simple, super scrumptious.
For pretzels
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup sourdough starter (either unfed or fed will work)
- 3-1/4 cups unbleached bread flour ((approximate))
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- whole wheat flour, as needed (optional)
- coarse salt for sprinkling on pretzels before baking
For alkali bath
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 4 cups water
For the dough
-
Mix water, sourdough starter, flour, sugar, olive oil, salt and instant yeast in a medium bowl until well combined. If the dough is too wet to knead, mix in whole wheat flour until a kneadable dough is formed. This will vary based on how liquid your sourdough starter is. I usually add about 1/3 cup whole wheat flour at this point.
-
Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth, slightly tacky ball.
-
Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rest until puffy, about an hour. It doesn’t need to double, but it’s fine if it does.
Shape the pretzels
-
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
-
Deflate dough and divide into 8 uniform balls.
-
On a floured surface, shape each dough ball into a long rope, at least 18 inches long. The final shape and size of your pretzels will depend on this step. Make the rope longer and thinner for a more open pretzel form.
-
Form a large U shape with one dough rope, with the open part of the U facing away from you. Cross one end of the rope over the other, forming an X at the top center of the open space with about 3 inches of extra rope at the ends. Twist the ends around each other once more, and bring the ends toward you to rest on the curved section of dough that is closest to your body. Press the ends onto the dough. (See linked video above for shaping help if needed.)
-
Gently lift your formed pretzel and place on the lined baking sheet.
-
Repeat until all pretzels have been formed.
Bake and serve
-
Place 4 cups water in a sauce pan and add the baking soda. Mix until thoroughly dissolved. Bring the water to a boil.
-
Working one at a time, gently lift a formed pretzel and place in the boiling water. Boil the pretzel for 15 seconds. Turn over and continue boiling for another 15 seconds. Lift the pretzel out of the water using a skimmer and place it back on the baking sheet.
-
Repeat until all pretzels have been boiled.
-
Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt to taste.
-
Bake pretzels until deep brown, approximately 16 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
-
Serve with a variety of mustards and dipping sauces, or cheese sauce.
Comments
195 responses to “Sourdough Soft Pretzels”
*Drool*
Might have to see if I can get some famous San Francisco sourdough starter so I can give this a whirl…
Easy to make your own starter, but you can also buy it dehydrated from King Arthur Flour or vendors on Etsy.
Often, too, one can get some from a local baker, if you know any.
Local brewers, as well, will often give you some of their yeast. If they make sour beers then you can use their starters for sourdough. I haven’t tried making pretzels yet, I’ll give these a go.
Cool idea! No shortage of microbreweries in San Diego.
You know how good you think they are?
They’re better.
/totally objective opinion
You can have vegan queso?
Well, I’m only trying to be 90% vegan….
“ovolactovegetarian”
It’s like you’re not even trying to not-shitlord. shitlord.
There is a veggie/vegan Mexican chain in Austin called “Juan in a Million.” I don’t remember if they had “queso” there.
There’s a Kosher Mexican place I ate at in Riverdale that had some sort of non-dairy queso and cheeses. No idea what was in it.
That was fromunda cheese… You know, from unda da ballz..
I’d rather go without queso than try that monstrosity.
I actually don’t remember it being that bad. Especially the guac, because they can’t cut it with milk.
http://www.carlosandgabbysriverdale.com/menu.html
How I wish I had the resources, Looking Tasty SP!
Thanks, Yusef. Super easy and cheap, two of my favorite things. 😉
Nice, thanks SP. *printed to pdf (thanks for that tab) Have you ever tried to make buns from the same recipe? I like me a pretzel bun from time to time.
Football food today was Hot Links and Mash. (not y’alls cup of tea I know) Fried up some sliced hotlinks and made instant mashed potatoes. Added mashed potatoes to pan and browned them getting crispy bits. The crispy mash goes great with hot links. Total white trash food. Serve with cheap beer and meth.
Sounds Great WS! ‘cept for the Meth, will switch out for Weed 🙂
Might not be OMWC’s thing, but I’d eat that.
I’d encourage you to experiment with making rolls from this. I don’t think the hydration level is right, though.
This recipe looks good.
Nice. I made some oatmeal rye sandwich bread today.
That sounds great!
I like to weigh all my ingredients for baking, instead of using a volume measure.
Fellow weight baker has a sad. Do you have the weight measurements available to post? 🙂
“I like to weigh all my ingredients for baking. Here’s the volumes…”
Bait and Switch.
I’ll create an alternate .pdf when I get some time later and add a link to this post.
Thanks!!
These look great!
Thanks, Tulip!
Tonight I’m stuffing a couple of honeynut squashes with some non-vegan filling and roasting them.
I have never had a honeynut squash. I shall have to look for them.
On topic: my mother used to make pretzels when I was a kid, and they always had a bitter taste from the alkali bath. Can you rinse them after the boiling step, or does the alkali have to be on during the bake?
the higher pH is respsonsible for the browning. the question I guess is, does the boiling step incorporate enough base into the surface of the dough?
I never get that result with my concentrated baking soda or regular baking soda, but had that once with a lye bath. It’s one reason I don’t use it any longer.
Wow. I was thinking of getting a pizza. Now I feel like a dick,
Dicks eat pizza too.
squishy and limp?
I’d eat pizza…anytime, actually.
HM: Yuh, they do. trashy: not sure what f-ing pizza you eat. Don’t wanna know. SP: understood.
I like you SP. I am also a pizza fiend.
So have a dick. We won’t judge.
SP, these look great!
Huh hah! Minnesota boy, you suck as hard as your worthless football team! hahaha!
Yeah? Well at least we have a great hockey tea…. uh ….
Fuck.
*drinks*
There’s always the Lynx.
*drinks more*
At least you have a “team”. It is at this time of year my want is keenly felt. Rejoice in your abundance. I live in one of the sorriest professional sports metros in existence. We’re talking top ten TV audience market with no NHL. The nearest pro hockey is an hour away in light (ha ha) traffic, and it not even farm club level. At least Houston can pretend to like the South Stars. I guess, I’m gonna root for the Predators.
*drinks even more*
You can have the Rangers.
Fine. They can move here and call themselves the Shermans.
Hockey shouldn’t exist south of the Mason-Dixon line anyway.
Wrong. Hockey should exist everywhere.
Never trust a skinny chef.
I trust Peter Reinhart immensely.
Every recipe of his I’ve ever made has been terrific. I have several of his cookbooks. His Neo-Neapolitan Pizza Dough has been my go-to lately.
The perfect football food
No distance, the aerodynamics are all wrong.
*spits coffee*
Nice one.
Mmmmmmm.
Awesome:) Can’t wait to try!
Can’t believe I woke up to a close game between the panthers and giants
That Gano 63 yarder was nuts
Philly – Vikes?
Bleah.
Missed kick already!
/skol!
Not as bad as Crosby. 🙁
What happened to him? Despite the fact that he’s a Packer, I hold his skill in high regard. I hope he can figure out what’s going on.
Vinatieri had a slump in mid-career. He and Crosby should chat.
(Vinatieri is my absolute fave, and also the only guy playing in the NFL who is older than I am. When Vinny hangs it up, I’m officially old.)
Bing or Denise?
Chiefs.
That is all.
Jesus. I used to respect you.
I wanna cry….
Lol. Mrs. Tundra had the Jags defense in her weekly FF league.
I warned her!
And here I was thinking our defense wouldn’t show up. Oh look!
Could be worse at least she’s not a Pats fan 😉
Salty tears, so delicious.
Browns 2.0 beat Browns 1.0
Have another pretzel, OMWC.
Grummun: [ laughs ]
Mrs. Grummun: What?
Grummun: The Browns beat the Ravens.
Mrs. Grummun: I don’t know much about football, but I know you don’t want to be the team that got beat by the Browns.
Ha.
At least I didn’t have to watch the Broncos lose today. I fell asleep. Which, I am finding, is the most enjoyable way to watch a Bronco game.
Spit beer all over!
Took it up the Brown hole.
I didn’t see this posted in any 0f the threads here, but:
20 killed in limousine crash maybe an hour or so from me, UCS, and Adahn.
18 in the limo, and two more when the limo hit a parked car that hit two innocent bystanders.
And yesterday was the one evening I didn’t watch the local news….
That’s horrible. Driver must have had a heart attack or something.
That’s probably the best case scenario.
I don’t see how it’s possible to blow a stop sign at the dead end leg of a T junction going over 60 MPH.
Yeah, I know that intersection. (Ex has relatives in the area.) My first thought was medical emergency on the part of the driver, but OMWC puts his money on the driver texting.
Investigation and autopsy will probably show what happened.
I’m going to go with intentional.
I’m betting bad brakes as in lack there of.
Cuomo will be calling for new limousine regulations on Monday I have no doubt.
Also near where the bridge collapsed in ’87
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/10/06/brett-kavanaugh-confirmed-ugly-win-trump-and-republicans-column/1547362002/
Jesus. The Democrats once pushed through the confirmation of a member of the KKK.
We’ll survive.
Somebody got a thesaurus for his birthday.
That’s amazing. The author’s right about the sordidness of the confirmation process, but it’s like he studiously avoided any coverage of the proceedings. I don’t know how else you walk away from that sorry episode thinking that Trump single-handedly introduced tawdry political chicanery into the confirmation process.
This is just an exercise in casting suspicion on the court. It’s all they have left now. The actuals details behind the confirmation are irrelevant.
“Trump has managed to insert himself, and his signature brand of contempt and malice, into the most important institution in American government that he had not yet soiled.”
If we’re going with that analogy, Trump is the guy holding the blacklight, not the guy who pissed the mattress.
I think more accurately, Trump is the guy who hired two hookers to piss on an already soiled mattress while he masturbated in voyeuristic excitement.
Not an analogy, and I desperately want it to be true.
Hey ‘Splosives. You mentioned the Sky Map app on the last thread. Search for Satellite Tracker Apps as well. The night sky in Dugway should be wonderful and you don’t have to wait long to spot a satellite go by. The apps will tell you what they are.
That sounds like fun; I’ll give it a try. Only problem is at night we’ve been working to midnight or 1, so I tend to want to get the eff back to the hotel as soon as we turn off the floodlights.
But I’ll make an effort to take a break.
Fact: undercooked gluten can still carry Jesus eggs. And you don’t want Christworms in your colon, bros.
How about this?
I’ve said this before; I want the guy from BBQ Pit Boys to narrate my life.
We already knew that everything Trump touches becomes debased, putrescent. Now his poison touch has infected the Supreme Court
Yeah, okay. Thanks for that thoughtful, nuanced analysis.
I’m drunk, what about the rest of you mammals?…
So you’re admitting to being a mammal?
Well I do keep a skin suit for social occasions
At best he’s one of them degenerate thecodonts.
Just about to pour my first glass of wine.
?
It’s about time
It’s about time,
It’s about space,
It’s about time to slap your face!
/elementary school recess chant
I mean, the logic is not lost on me
Working on it
Yea Cobra!
Where’s Tres?
Probably cuing up his mother f’ckn theme music
Hey Yusef!
What’s the best HVAC filter to buy?
The one that automatically checks the thermostat.
3M. If you go too thick, it wears out the blower motor prematurely. My wife has asthma, so I did it anyway.
Having some special time with Jugsy.
Pix or it didn’t happen.
About to mix a cocktail to lessen the tedium of (continued) housecleaning.
Cognac, just for something different.
Just woke up from post drunk number one nap, I am now going to walk down to the bar to start drunk number two.
Have fun, amigo!
Sipping some chardonnay, about 1/3 of the way into a laundry operation. Thank god the laundromat is next to a bar. When I go back and put stuff in the dryers, I’ll go next door for a cocktail.
Are things coming to a head?
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/progressive-tribalism-beats-the-war-drums/
I saw that.
Bluster.
Even in the 60’s the best they could do was to get Patty Hearst to rob a bank. I’m not ready to head to my prepper bunker, yet.
I’ve got orbital bombardment cannons and/or a battalion of power-armored Enforcers to back me up so fuck them
1974 bro, what time zone are you in?
Generation X?
I’m shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you.
Unlike Senator Susan Collins, who took pages upon pages of text on national television to tell us something we already knew, I will cut right to the chase: I am out of the Republican Party.
——–
Small things sometimes matter, and Collins is among the smallest of things in the political world. And yet, she helped me finally to accept what I had been denying. Her speech on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh convinced me that the Republican Party now exists for one reason, and one reason only: for the exercise of raw political power, and not even for ends I would otherwise applaud or even support.
Oh, lordy, there’s politics going on in here. Another “moderate” heads for the fainting couch.
Considering that the planks of the GOP, as it exists now, are indistinguishable from an 80’s “hard hat” Democrat platform, can we blame Nichols? And should we blame Nichols? What is more “political”, compromising one’s principles to stick with a party that has undergone a massive ideological shift centered around a cult of personality or to retain allegiance to it in exchange for its support in your reelection?
Regardless if one supports the Nu-GOP or the old, this exodus is a welcome development.
Belay that.
Nichols runs a Twitter account for his cat.
Fuck that guy.
Massive ideological shift?
I realize that one could call it a return to founding principles. But, yes, compared to the GOP of the past 30 years, there has been a seismic shift – particularly in support of Atlanticism as the status quo foreign policy of both parties since the Cold War. It is often, yet inarticulately, described as “Globalism vs. Nationalism”.
However Republican governance of the warfare, welfare and surveillance states don’t really seem to have changed that much. US troops are still in Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan for example
I’ll grant you that. However, moving from a neo-con strategy requires political capital that Trump hasn’t been able to afford yet. It’s a matter of means and not will, imo.
And Republicans not being the limited government fiscal conservatives they claim to be is pretty much the biggest gripe that libertarians have had with Republicans since Eisenhower’s time at least.
Republicans have never really strayed too far from Hamiltonianism. I mean Coolidge was an immigration restrictionst, protectionist and prohibitionist after all.
The Democrats these days have pretty disowned Jefferson and Jackson and slobber over Hamilton.
The Republicans, however, have now eclipsed the Democrats as a threat to the rule of law and to the constitutional norms of American society. They have become all about winning. Winning means not losing, and so instead of acting like a co-equal branch of government responsible for advice and consent, congressional Republicans now act like a parliamentary party facing the constant threat of a vote of no-confidence.
That it is necessary to place limitations, including self-limitations, on the exercise of power is—or was—a core belief among conservatives.
I love how people just take some idiosyncratic, self-referential definition of “true” [insert political tribe] and accuse everybody else of failing to live up to it.
“constitutional norms”
Whatever the fuck that means
Reading the Constitution? that norm?
I don’t see how it’s possible to blow a stop sign at the dead end leg of a T junction going over 60 MPH.
Wet leaves.
Considering that the planks of the GOP, as it exists now, are indistinguishable from an 80’s “hard hat” Democrat platform, can we blame Nichols? And should we blame Nichols?
I’m all in favor of principled scrutiny and ongoing assessment of performance. I just find it suspiciously sudden nd convenient.
He says he’ll vote for anybody with a good idea, elsewhere in the piece. Good for him. Was somebody holding him hostage before yesterday?
Fair enough.
Today, in ‘That’s Some White People Shit’.
Ah. Unrequited love. So sad.
Kinda racist. Love triangles know no color, dude.
But you cannot deny that those were the exact words running through the reporter’s head.
And mine. But I’m trying to be better.
The Hapsburgs have fallen on hard times looks like.
So habeas corpus. The famous 1679 act was passed by a scumbag who was busy executing innocent people, who had no defence attorneys by the way, and was fine with acts of attainder.
So, I sell a plane of mine, the guy doesn’t show up, he texts me just now and ask if it’s perfect, and do i take PayPal. My ad said, Perfect condition, never wrecked and Cash only, why is that so hard? why did it take a week to get an answer? Why Haggle over a smoking good deal? Perfect
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VCSk65gGsLUSSC2b8
I bid one crisp $10 bill.
I’ll give you a plane, if you have the balls to learn to fly, seriously how about this one,https://hobbyking.com/en_us/mercury-3d-flat-foam-depron-900mm-w-motor-kit.html?___store=en_us check the spec, you can walk next to it as you fly, it’s that light/have tons of lift
That is someone going to rip you off. Don’t continue the conversation.
IF, he shows up in an hour, OK otherwise, I’m selling to another guy, Cash only!
And I found 3 other offers that I should have received via Email, Damn RC Groups!
Listen to SP. If ever you should be saying “fuck off Tulpa”, it should be to this “buyer”.
Damn you logical Glibs! i already sent a VM to another Guy, the first one is shall we say, I know who lives in his Neighborhood and they love to haggle kind of people. i shall be patient, TY Mike and SP
He lives in a bazaar ?
You’re in Marrakesh ?
You know how he got there.
I know what that is w/o even looking….
Yep. Too easy.
It doesn’t look much like the NFL has to worry about the Eagles repeating as Super Bowl Champs.
No. But I really enjoyed that Linval Joseph TD.
And another thing- this new talking point about how the Republicans have abandoned principle for power neatly overlooks the Democrats’ scorched earth tactics. It would be one thing if the Democrats had presented some sort of principled opposition based on his publicly available rulings, but if the Republicans had not rammed Kavanaugh over the goal line in the face of the outrageous personal smears, they would have ceded the ability to nominate anybody at all.
Projection is a powerful thing. I’ve seen similar things at work and once it clicked with me, it made life somewhat easier.
Heroic Mulatto I find your concerns about “owning the libs” a wee bit off considering how you bemoan the decline of classical liberalism. I mean the classical liberals were a bunch of partisan hacks more concerned about winning than principle too.
Also things like judicial independence and civil rights were adopted for some very self-serving reasons. I mean Locke was fine with overthrowing the government with foreign backing and the expulsion of judges who disapproved of that act. And he was patronized by Shaftesbury who did some pretty shitty like supporting the Popish Plot which helped lead to Habeas Corpus Act and the Whig Party,
We are GLIB! not LIB, no one owns us!
Fuck off Tulpa!!!!
Fortunately when you value principles not principals ad hominem attacks on your philosophers is meaningless
Tu quoque is also a logical fallacy.
“All we like sheep have gone astray”
My ad said, Perfect condition, never wrecked and Cash only
How much
C4pizza will it carry?it’s a 3d Plane, it would lift an Xtra large Deep Dish Casserole with ease…..
point towards Enemy….. With a good pilot, shit could happen, and there are many 1000s of good RC pilots in the US alone, all this Drone shit is just that, SHIT
wait your plane comes with a claymore?
Because of you people I started baking bread. I need to make some sourdough now.
Fuck, why do carbs have to be so good?
Menopause?
That explains the heat waves…
“Because of you people I started baking bread” My problem as well, it’s all SP’s fault 🙂
Yusef- does anybody make an RC kit of the original Northrop Flying Wing? Those things are unbelievably cool.
maybe, but I have built a Dozen Flying wings, using plans from others, then modified them for my own tastes, they really are that easy to build/fly,
Go to Hobbyking.com and look around, cheap too!
the Flying Wing
Been there, done too many, FW are easy, and a Blast to fly!
Maybe not the ingredients, but the process looks very similar to the process for making (((bagels))).
Mr Lizard on October 7, 2018 at 3:57 pm
I’m drunk, what about the rest of you mammals?…
Just got home from an obligatory family function with Jugsy and her kin-folk in N. Ky. Consequently, I couldn’t wait to rip into 10/$10 Milwaukee’s Diet Beast 24-OUNCERS the moment I hit the door.
Im already on #3
And HEY YUFUS !
Sup Tres!
Sold a plane!
/Tall Cans!
Just the facts, Ma’am.
After a bitter confirmation process, Kavanaugh was officially sworn in as the 114th Supreme Court justice on Saturday. The conservative judge faced national backlash and two FBI investigations over allegations of sexual assault brought forward first by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, and then several other women.
Ford, a professor in California, accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while he was intoxicated at a high school party in the early 1980s. The respected academic testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that she was “100 percent” certain that the justice was her attacker.
But the body, which has a Republican majority that has tended to support the rights of men over women, decided to move forward with Kavanaugh’s nomination, leading to his confirmation by the Senate, which is also Republican controlled, this weekend.
Good grief.
Your mainstream media, folks.
And despite a very public offer by law enforcement in Maryland, she still didnt want to file an official complaint, and start an investigation.
Such brave.
that has tended to support the rights of men over women,
Citation needed.
Name these dissents Senator. Given your previous statements on the matter, I don’t believe one word you say so I must assume you are full of shit. See how that works? It is called credibility and you have none.
Due process favors men, see. We know that because a woman wasn’t allowed to wait four decades to tell a highly incomplete story that nobody she named was willing to corroborate, and drum her assailant out of public life on her say-so. Damn that due process!!
I treat all of Newsweek as opinion pieces because they are.
SOLD! Nice guy, works a lot, Cash is King and He wants to buy more, maybe….I only have 2 more I May sell
There’s a tiny theater on 4th Street in Albuquerque where I saw a so-so comedy about Jews and the afterlife. The main character was, get this, very neurotic and confused about his faith.
-1 Soon-Yi
+1 Long Pork YU!
Since I spent the afternoon trapped with an offensive brood of in-bred peckerwoods, and despite being 15 minutes from Paul Brown Stadium, I missed the Bengals win.
#WHO-DEY
And the brownies pulled one out in OT v. Baltimore. Well, good for them I say.
I almost wish I still watched Football, so I could give a shit,
/Go Pack?
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Green Bay packs fudge,
And cheeseheads do, too.
I like Cheese and i like Fudge,
the Browns at the Super Bowl?
HAHAHAHAHAAAA!
/Fajitas and Cobra!
LOL… New York’s commie-lite “Working Families Party” is running Cynthia Nixon for a position she never asked for so they can pencil in Cuomo for governor and keep their ballot access. Be funny if she wins.
Fellow-travelers gonna travel, yo
Janice Fiemengo`s take on poor little Chritine.
https://youtu.be/cFL6k5yOAFM