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sourdough pretzels with pretzel bites next to them
Kyrie | Healthfully Rooted Home

Long-Fermented Sourdough Pretzel Recipe

Nice crust on the outside, fluffy on the inside, healthy and delicious! These healthy sourdough pretzels are a crowd pleaser and perfect for game days!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Fermenting time 12 hours
Servings: 14 pretzels
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 250
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

Pretzel Dough
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 2 tbs butter softened
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter active and bubbly
  • 2 1/2 tsp sea salt I use grey celtic
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour start with 3 cups, then add 1/4 cup until dough starts to pull away from the bowl and becomes workable.
Pretzel Boiling Ingredients
  • 12 cups filtered water
  • 1 tbs baking soda
  • 1 tbs coconut sugar
Pretzel Topping
  • 2 tbs topping of choice

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 Dough scraper
  • 1 large glass bowl
  • 1 baking sheet
  • 1 Parchment paper

Method
 

Pretzel Dough
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine water, butter, honey, and sourdough starter until just combined.
  2. Switch to the dough hook attachment, add 3 cups of flour and knead the dough on low speed for about 5 minutes.
  3. While kneading, lightly coat a large glass bowl with coconut oil.
  4. Stop kneading and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
  5. Next add sea salt, and more flour (only if the dough is still pretty sticky - I find that 3 1/4- 3 1/2 cups is best)
  6. Knead for another 10 minutes.
  7. Turn off the mixer and do the windowpane test, meaning, pull a piece of dough up and stretch it - you should see light coming through the dough before the dough rips).
  8. Scrape the dough into your greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or beeswax wrap and ferment at room temp for 8-24 hours while the dough rises. You can get away with the longer end of that spectrum during the cooler months.
  9. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide it into about 12-14 pieces.
  10. Roll the pieces of sourdough pretzel dough into long ropes (about 1 inch thick).
  11. Shape each rope into a pretzel and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover and let rest for about 30-60 minutes.
Pretzel Boiling Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F while the pretzels rest.
  2. Bring a large stockpot or dutch oven with water to a boil. Once boiling, add coconut sugar and baking soda.
  3. Place 3 pretzels at a time into the water. Remove with a slotted spatula after about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Pretzel Topping and Baking Instructions
  1. Immediately after removing the pretzels from the boiling water, place the sourdough pretzels back onto the lined baking sheet and sprinkle with your topping of choice.
  2. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Video

Notes

How to Store Soft Sourdough Pretzels

Soft pretzels are best-enjoyed day of. If you'd like to save them for later, it's best to freeze them while they're fresh. I recommend making your soft pretzels, setting aside the ones you'll eat right away then stashing the rest in the freezer.

Room Temperature

Store soft pretzels in a paper bag for up to 3 days. You can eat soft pretzels at room temperature or heat them up in the oven or microwave to the desired temperature.

Freezer

To freeze soft pretzels, let them cool to room temperature then individually wrap them in plastic wrap, then toss them in a freezer bag. Store your soft pretzels in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating From Frozen

To reheat a frozen soft pretzel, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw for about 30 minutes, then toss it in the oven or microwave and heat it until heated through.
You can skip thawing in a pinch and heat longer in the oven or microwave.

Sourdough Pretzel Recipe Tips

  • Delay adding salt to dough - my sourdough recipes always delay adding salt to your dough for about 15 minutes. This is for an important reason! This gives your sourdough starter time to activate in your dough - adding salt too soon will kill off too much yeast and you wont get optimal results.
  • Don't skip the boiling step - For one, the boiling step helps the outside of the pretzels to cook quickly enough to help the pretzels hold their shape during the baking step. Secondly, it helps the salt or seasoning to stick better. Lastly, it gives the pretzels a shiny and crisp coating.
  • Add sugar to water - Don't skip out on adding the sugar to the pot of boiling water - this is used to caramelize the outside of the pretzel.
  • Add baking soda - Don't skip the baking soda in the boiling water - this is used to increase surface gelatinization by breaking down some starch in the pretzel dough, and also gives the pretzels a "pretzely" taste.