This recipe for pretzels was Adapted from a recipe on Good Eats. However, I used sourdough in mine. I made these on my last day of high school for my math teacher who missed Pennsylvania and often complained that there were no good pretzels and no good sandwiches where she lived now. I shaped mine into trefoil knots and attempted a pentagram (which came out ugly). I ended up regarding these in the fridge overnight after the second rise, but that's optional.
Yield | |
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Source | Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown |
Prep time | 30 minutes |
Cooking time | 20 minutes |
Total time | 50 minutes |
In addition to these ingredients, you'll also want some pretzel salt or course sea salt, an egg white mixed with a tablespoon of water and 2/3 a cup of baking soda dissolved in 10 cups of water.
The Starter
For this recipe, you'll need a ripe, 100% hydration starter. 105 grams of the flour and 105 grams of the water will be in the starter. So, you'll need a total of 210 grams of starter.
The First Rise
Add the rest of the flour and water, as well as the salt, butter and sugar. Knead for 10ish minutes. Proof until doubled in size (the time is always a bit different, especially with sourdough).
The Second Rise
Shape the dough into 8 pretzel shapes. I made mine into trefoil knots. You could also try shaping them into rolls for pretzel rolls. Again, proof until doubled in size.
Baking
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil. Then, transfer each pretzel into the boiling mixture for 30 seconds on each side. Once all the pretzls have been boiled, brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle them with salt and place them into the oven on a baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, turning the sheet pans mid-bake to ensure even browning.
This recipe was Adapted from Alton Brown's from an episode of Good Eats.