Soft Sourdough Pretzels

4.50 from 215 votes

Is there a more comforting snack than warm homemade pretzels topped with coarse salt? Well, yes, these long fermented sourdough soft pretzels.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Additional Time12

Total Time12 35

Course: Sourdough

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sourdough pretzels, sourdough soft pretzels

Servings:

Add active sourdough starter, water, honey, salt and all-purpose flour to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix the dough on the lowest speed for 5-10 minutes with the dough hook. The dough should pass the window-pane test.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours. Or until doubled.
Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a 18” rope and then create a U-shape.
Take the two ends of the rope and create a twist with the dough.
Twist it twice and then press the ends of the dough into the bottom of the U-shape.
Cover the dough and allow them to rise for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bring water in a large stockpot to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Boil the pretzels for 30 seconds on each side, being careful not to overcrowd.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush each pretzel with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

You want to use active sourdough starter to make this light and fluffy.
This is the perfect master recipe that is delicious with just a little salt, or you can customize with additional delicious toppings.
Sourdough discard can be used instead of active sourdough starter, but you may have to let the dough ferment longer.
You don’t need to be confined to just creating the pretzel shape. Try shaping them into pretzel buns, knots, twists, or rolls!
Some people are sensitive to baking soda, so if you know this is the case, skip the baking soda and just use sugar in the boiling water.
Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
If you are looking for gram measurements, toggle to the “metric” version in the recipe card.