Soft Sourdough Pretzels Recipe

Let's face it: Most people who enjoy soft pretzels while out and about probably haven't made them at home. Though this project may seem intimidating, it's not actually that complicated, especially if you've worked with dough before. And if you were one of those people who got into making sourdough bread, that's even better — this recipe, developed by Jessica Morone, utilizes sourdough starter and bread flour for a soft pretzel that's got great texture and a hint of tang.

"Using bread flour in this recipe makes the pretzels softer and chewier than if you just use all-purpose flour because it has a higher gluten content," Morone explains. "It really makes a difference in pretzel recipes." Of course, any kind of soft pretzel isn't complete without something to dip it in. "My favorite thing to serve these pretzels with is beer cheese, which I make myself," Morone says. "Other than that a really good mustard is always a good option." Hungry yet? Here's how to make them.

As we mentioned, you'll need bread flour and sourdough starter for this recipe. You'll also need one egg, brown sugar, salt (and pretzel salt, if you want it), baking soda, warm milk, and melted butter.

Start by adding the dough hook attachment to your stand mixer and filling the bowl with the warm milk, melted butter, sourdough starter, and some of the brown sugar. Start gently mixing it while you gradually incorporate the flour, then keep mixing on low until you get a ball of dough. "You can make this recipe without a stand mixer, you just have to knead the dough by hand until it is smooth, which takes about 10 minutes," Morone notes. Once you form your dough, take it out and knead it until smooth. Take a big bowl and coat it in a small amount of oil, then place your dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Now, we wait — about 2 hours, to be precise.

Once your dough is roughly twice the size it was before, scatter some flour on your rolling surface and start rolling out your dough into a rectangle. Cut that rectangle into 12 pieces, then roll those pieces out so they look like long strips or little snakes. Create that signature pretzel shape by first forming the dough strand into a circle, then twist the ends either once or twice. Bring the twisted ends towards yourself (and the round part of the circle) then optionally use a bit of water to make the ends stick. Voila, a pretzel!

If you're already exhausted from the dough-making process, you can actually take a break before creating your pretzel shapes. "Once the pretzel dough has risen you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or even freeze it for a few months," says Morone. "But you will want to thaw it to room temperature before you form the dough into pretzel shapes."

You're almost ready to enjoy homemade pretzels! Boil some water in a big pot, then mix in some brown sugar and baking soda. Once that dissolves, pop a few pretzels in (don't overcrowd the pot!) and boil them briefly on each side, placing them on a sheet pan when you're done. While you're at it, preheat your oven to 450 F.

Brush your sheet pan of boiled pretzels with egg that you've beaten with a little water (this egg wash will help them turn out nice and golden brown on top), add salt if you'd like, then bake them to perfection. Congrats: You've made your very own sourdough pretzels. Pair them with your favorite dipping sauce, like cheese or mustard, and enjoy.

This recipe makes 12 pretzels, but don't worry if you can't finish them all at once. "You can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days," Morone says. "I recommend heating them up in the microwave or toaster oven before eating leftovers because they taste best when they are a little warm."