Description
Soft and chewy sourdough pretzels recipe made with starter, flour, and baking soda bath for a homemade snack everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup sourdough starter (active or discard)
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ cup milk (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter, melted (or oil)
- 2 tsp salt (plus coarse salt for topping)
- 1 tbsp sugar, honey, or maple
- 10 cups water + 2/3 cup baking soda (for bath)
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, combine sourdough starter, flour, water, milk, sweetener, and salt. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. Cover and let rise 2–3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Shape the Pretzels: Divide dough into 8–10 pieces. Roll each into a rope and form into pretzels. For variations, cut into nuggets, make buns, or wrap around cheese for stuffed pretzels.
- Prepare the Baking Soda Bath: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Boil each pretzel in the baking soda bath for 20–30 seconds, then place on parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake: Sprinkle with coarse salt or toppings. Bake 12–15 minutes until golden. For soft pretzels, use shorter bake time; for hard pretzels, extend to 18–20 minutes.
Notes
- Use sourdough discard for a no-yeast version.
- Swap in gluten-free flour for dietary needs.
- Try flavored toppings like garlic butter, ranch, or cinnamon sugar.
- Freeze shaped, unbaked pretzels for quick baking later.
- Nutritional values are estimated.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pretzel
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
Keywords: sourdough pretzels recipe