I’m always looking for unique ways to use my sourdough starter and this has to be my new favorite! Whether you’re at the mall or a sporting event, a big, chewy, soft pretzel dipped in ooey gooey cheese is definitely a highlight. And, as I write this now, we are all in Covid induced lockdown with the possibility of attending any sports or mall shopping looking pretty far in the distance so why don’t we get some of that soft pretzel joy at home now?!

First, a disclaimer. To get that genuine German pretzel (or Brezel) taste and brown, rubbery outside texture you need to use a lye solution. Yes, I know lye aka sodium hydroxide sounds very scary and technical but I promise it is not. Just handle it with care as you would boiling hot water or hot grease. And if it’s the chemical compound you’re worried about, I assure you it is safe for consumption when used this way and chances are you’ve had A LOT of lye treated food before like canned tomato and mandarin slices, bagels and olives. Read this to learn more. You can get it online easily too, just make sure it’s food grade.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way. Let’s get rollin! I’ve also included a video demonstration of the shaping and then lye solution dipping processes for the pretzels below.

My friend Janice made my pretzels for this gorgeous spread! I want to dive in!

Makes 9 large soft pretzels, Prep 5 hrs-24hrs, Cook 15 mins

Ingredients

5 1/3 c. (680g) plain flour

2 tsp (10g) salt

2 tsp (7g) instant yeast

200g recently fed, active sourdough starter

2 1/2 Tbsp (35g) unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp (12g) malt syrup (or honey if not available)

3/4 c. + 1 1/2 Tbsp (195ml) milk

3/4 c.+ 1 Tbsp water

2Tbsp + 2 tsp (30g) food grade lye

Pretzel salt, sea salt, poppy seeds or any other dry pretzel topping (I like Trader Joe’s everything bagel seasoning)

1/ In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix the flour, salt and yeast. Hand stir in the starter, butter, malt syrup, milk and water. With a dough hook attached, knead on slow for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally till well incorporated. You will see the dough form a smooth mass and your mixer will start to work harder to knead it. Stop the machine and push dough down to the bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes then knead on slow for 1 minute. Repeat this resting and kneading process 3 more times (a little over an hour total). *you can do all this kneading by hand if you don’t have a mixer or would like a nice arm workout.

2/ Place the dough in a covered bowl to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes. Divide into 9 equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover dough balls with a tea towel and allow to rest 15 minutes. You can wrap and freeze some of the dough balls to use at a later date if 9 large pretzels is too much. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball out into a strand with the middle being a bit fatter than the ends (see video). Pull each end up and twist them together before laying them down on the fat center to create a pretzel shape. Press the “arms” down gently to stick. Lay pretzel on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with others, cover with a tea towel and let rise 30 minutes. Place risen pretzels in the fridge for at least 2 hours but can stay there overnight if making ahead.

3/ Preheat oven to 450f/230c. Fill a large bowl or dish with 1 quart (1 litre) warm water. Do not use aluminium as it reacts badly to lye. Using rubber gloves for protection, stir in the lye carefully with a spoon avoiding splash up. Have parchment lined baking sheets prepared. Remove pretzels from fridge. Using gloved hands, dip each pretzel in the lye solution for 5-10 seconds then gentle drip the solution off before placing the pretzel on lined baking sheet. Leave 1/2 inch space between pretzels. Sprinkle pretzels with salt or other toppings while wet and bake for 15 minutes or till dark brown. Let cool and enjoy! I don’t recommend saving leftovers but you probably won’t have any anyway!

* While pretzels bake you can make the cheese dip! I used this delicious beer cheese sauce recipe. Alternatively you can serve with good dijon or grainy mustard.

* You can safely pour the lye solution down your drain followed by a good rinse of plain water.

My mixer starting to work hard to knead the thick pretzel dough.

The pretzel dough is quite easy to handle. It should be firm, not sticky and smooth.

9 separate dough balls. They don’t need to be absolutely equal.

Always cover resting dough with a dry tea towel to prevent it drying out too much.

The small amount of lye about to be carefully stirred into warm water. Rubber gloves are a must!

Don’t worry if your shaped pretzels look wonky. The last rise and baking will smooth things out.

Two traditional lye dipped and one brown sugar and baking soda dipped. You. Can see the slight difference in color.

Bavarian Sourdough Soft Pretzels