Sourdough Discard Pretzels

eight baked soft pretzels on a cooling rack.

No ratings yet

Love this recipe?Mention @UglyDucklingBakery or tag #UglyDucklingBakery!

These Sourdough Discard Pretzels are deeply golden and chewy, flavored with the tang of sourdough discard, and sprinkled with salt. This is an easy sourdough discard recipe for those of you with sourdough starter, but I've got an easy substitution for you if you want to make soft pretzels and don't have sourdough discard.

Prep Time40

Cook Time12

Rising times2

Total Time2 52

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Unspecified

Servings: pretzels

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Joanne Stekler

Ingredients

3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (3 grams) instant yeast
⅔ cup (160 milliliters) milk whole or 2% works best
113 grams unfed sourdough discard 100% hydration (equal weights of flour and water)
2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter melted
2 tablespoons (42 grams) barley malt syrup
2 teaspoons (10 grams) Kosher salt
2 to 3 tablespoons Baking soda
1 egg lightly beaten for the egg wash
Coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt for topping

Instructions

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the flour and yeast. Then add the milk, sourdough discard, melted butter, and malt syrup and stir or use the paddle attachment until combined.
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon (3 grams) instant yeast, ⅔ cup (160 milliliters) milk, 113 grams unfed sourdough discard, 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter, 2 tablespoons (42 grams) barley malt syrup
Add the salt and knead the dough for about 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 5 to 7 minutes with your mixer's dough hook until it is smooth and elastic.
2 teaspoons (10 grams) Kosher salt
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the pretzel dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
To make the baking soda bath, combine two or three cups of boiling water with a tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water in a pyrex or baking pan big enough to hold the pretzels one at a time. Stir until the baking soda has dissolved.
2 to 3 tablespoons Baking soda
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Divide the pretzel dough into eight roughly equal-sized portions and roll each into a rope 18 to 24 inches in length. If the dough is very elastic and springy, set your rope aside to rest and move onto the next.
Shape the ropes and put the shaped pretzels onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. They can be spaced relatively closely, but don't let them touch.
Working one at a time, dip each pretzel into the baking soda bath, flip it over, and then transfer back to the prepared baking sheet. Cover the pretzels loosely with plastic wrap, and heat your oven to 450°F (230°C) while the pretzels are rising, about 30 minutes.
Right before baking, brush the pretzels once or twice with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse salt or flaky sea salt. Bake until deep golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.
1 egg, Coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

As written, this recipe will make 8 sourdough discard soft pretzels, but you can divide the dough into smaller or larger amounts to make more or fewer pretzels. You should have just about 720 grams of pretzel dough.

If you do not have sourdough discard, increase the flour by 57 grams (one-third cup) and the milk by 57 grams (one-quarter cup). If your sourdough starter is not 100% hydration, adjust the flour total to be 432 grams and the liquid to total 217 grams.

Barley malt syrup gives soft pretzels a classic flavor and color, but you can sub an equal amount of honey or brown sugar for the sweetness.

Aim to roll your ropes of pretzel dough to be 18 to 24 inches long. The shorter length will give you compact, puffy soft pretzels that you can use for sandwiches. Go longer if you want larger, thinner pretzels with large holes. You can see photos of both in the main post.

If you are comfortable working with food-grade lye, skip the baking soda bath and create a lye bath instead. Please be sure to use all precautions!

Nutrition