Sourdough Soft Pretzels

May 22, 2020 by Madeline Horszt 4,205 Comments

A large ceramic bowl filled with a mix of sourdough pretzel bites and large soft pretzels. A cup of dipping mustard sits atop the pretzels.

What’s not to love about a sourdough soft pretzel? You know that glossy brown exterior with the distinct chewy flavor? Then you tear it open and the soft layers inside are just begging to be dipped into the vinegary tang of a spicy mustard! So good! So delicious! Even better, so easy to make! Here at South Shore Kitchen we have come up with an amazing recipe for sourdough soft pretzels. No need to buy any harsh chemicals or safety glasses to whip up your newest favorite snack. Our recipe uses ingredients you will find in a well-stocked pantry.

Flour Power

Have you ever attempted to make soft pretzels in the past only to taste them and realize you spent a whole lot of time baking some really fancy looking bread sticks? We have, more than we care to admit, but luckily for everyone we have really stumbled upon greatness here. Sourdough soft pretzels that actually taste like pretzels. So much so, we actually surprised ourselves.

A lot of factors come into play on creating the perfect flavor but starting with a sturdy foundation is where all-purpose flour comes into play. It must be all-purpose flour. Can I use bread flour instead? Nope, it does not work. The dough will be way too soft to handle. It won’t hold its shape when poaching. Nor, will it have that distinct pretzel goodness flavor when they are done baking. Trust us, we have already made all of the mistakes, so you don’t have to.

We Wouldn’t Lye To You

Traditionally, pretzels are dipped in a food grade lye bath to produce the signature brown and chewy exterior pretzels are known for. While it creates a tasty result, sodium hydroxide isn’t something everyone keeps on hand. Our objective was to come up with a recipe that came as close to a traditional exterior as possible. After a few tries the best combination we came up with was using a small of barley malt syrup in the dough and baking soda in the poaching bath to achieve a golden chewy exterior.

If you are asking, “what the heck is barley malt syrup?”. It is an unrefined sweetener made from the sprouted barley grains. It gives the pretzels a little extra depth of flavor and helps with the browning. You can find it easily at your local home brewing supply store or on Amazon.

Twists

Twisting your pretzels into shape is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. For a traditional twist roll out your dough to a long piece approx. 16” in length and 1 ½” thick, make a U shape. Twist the ends of the U twice and then attach the two ends to the bottom of the U. Check out this Canadian Living video if you are struggling with shaping the pretzels. Have some fun and make them any shape you would like. Our favorite is the pretzel bites!

Give them a try today, even your pickiest eater will be asking for you to make them again. For real, that actually happened to us! Comment down below and tell us your favorite pretzel dipping sauces. If you tried our recipe give @thesouthshorekitchen a tag on Instagram. We would love to see what you made.