Sourdough German-Style Soft Pretzels
ID: 37818700...
Soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful sourdough pretzels made in the traditional German style. These pretzels use a stiff, butter-enriched dough and are dipped in a lye bath to achieve a deeply browned, shiny, and authentic crust.
Waiting for video to load...
AI-generated recipe. Copyright belongs to original creator. Subscribe to support them!
🍳 Cooking Flow
Mix and ferment the levain overnight for 12 to 14 hours. → Combine all dough ingredients, mix until smooth, and bulk ferment for 3.5 hours with one stretch and fold. → Divide the dough into 12 pieces, preshape into cylinders, rest, then shape into traditional pretzel knots. → Cold proof the shaped pretzels in the refrigerator uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. → Dip the firmed pretzels in a prepared lye bath for 15 seconds, score, sprinkle with salt, and bake until deeply golden brown.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Mix and ferment the levain overnight for 12 to 14 hours. → Combine all dough ingredients, mix until smooth, and bulk ferment for 3.5 hours with one stretch and fold. → Divide the dough into 12 pieces, preshape into cylinders, rest, then shape into traditional pretzel knots. → Cold proof the shaped pretzels in the refrigerator uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. → Dip the firmed pretzels in a prepared lye bath for 15 seconds, score, sprinkle with salt, and bake until deeply golden brown.
Introduction
Soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful sourdough pretzels made in the traditional German style. These pretzels use a stiff, butter-enriched dough and are dipped in a lye bath to achieve a deeply browned, shiny, and authentic crust.
Step 1
Step 1: Prepare the levain. Mix 10g of ripe sourdough starter, 51g of all-purpose white flour, 51g of whole wheat flour, and 102g of water in a jar. Cover and let ferment at room temperature overnight for 12 to 14 hours until bubbly.
Step 2
Step 2: Mix the dough. Add 471g of water, 635g of high-protein flour, 120g of all-purpose flour (remaining from the total), 3g of diastatic malt powder, 214g of ripe levain, 17g of fine sea salt, and 60g of room-temperature unsalted butter to the stand mixer. Mix on speed 1 for 2 to 3 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes, then mix on speed 2 for 4 to 6 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Step 3
Step 3: Bulk fermentation. Transfer the stiff dough to a container, cover, and let ferment at a target temperature of 76°F (24°C) for 3.5 hours total.
Step 4
Step 3a: Stretch and fold. After 1 hour of bulk fermentation, scrape the dough onto a clean work surface, stretch and fold it into thirds, then return it to the container to ferment for the remaining 2.5 hours.
Step 5
Step 4: Divide and preshape. Scrape the fermented dough onto a work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces, each weighing approximately 115g. Preshape each piece into a 5-inch cylinder (cigar shape), cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Always wear protective gloves when handling the lye solution as it can cause chemical burns on skin contact.
Never pour water into lye pellets; always add lye pellets slowly to the water to prevent splashing.
Use only stainless steel, glass, or plastic bowls for the lye bath, as lye reacts destructively with aluminum.
Cold proofing the pretzels uncovered in the refrigerator dries the surface slightly to form a skin, creating a shinier, more authentic crust.
Community Comments
Please log in to join the conversation and earn XP!
Loading comments...