My sourdough soft pretzels are made with active, bubbly sourdough starter and dunked in a lye bath for a classic, old-fashioned flavor (with notes on how to use baking soda instead if you’re not comfortable with lye!). They are soft, chewy, and surprisingly simple to make! Recipe includes a how-to video tutorial!
Absolutely Incredible Sourdough Pretzels
At first glance, these sourdough soft pretzels may look like an intimidating endeavor, but can I take a second to assure you that they’re actually quite simple and hands-off?
As is the case with most sourdough recipes, the dough does take its sweet time rising and fermenting. Be prepared to make the dough one day, and then roll, dip, and bake the next. You definitely need patience, but the actual effort required is relatively low and the wait is worth it.
Sourdough soft pretzels taste miles better than anything you’ll find at the mall. They have a gorgeous golden brown coloring and subtle, sourdough-y depth of flavor. This recipe and my sourdough pizza crust are two of my all-time favorite ways to use my sourdough starter, if you have a jar sitting around all active and bubbly, this is a great way to put it to work!
Things to know about this recipe
- Authentic, traditional pretzel flavor and appearance, thanks to old-fashioned technique and a lye bath. Note that lye must be handled properly. It’s safe if you take the proper precautions, but it’s not something to let the kids handle. If you’re not comfortable with it, I do offer an alternative in the recipe card.
- These are true sourdough pretzels, not sourdough discard pretzels. I prefer using the natural yeast from sourdough (just like when making sourdough bread or my sourdough dinner rolls) rather than using discard and supplementing with yeast.
- It takes a bit of advance planning. The dough will rise at room temperature for at least 5 hours, and then will need to ferment in the refrigerator overnight. I recommend starting the dough in the morning or early afternoon.
- It’s versatile. Make soft pretzel bites instead by cutting the dough ropes into bite-sized pieces instead of twisting. Season them classically with pretzel salt, or make a sweet cinnamon sugar version by brushing the baked pretzels with melted butter and sprinkling with cinnamon sugar.
What You Need
- Bread flour. Using bread flour gives our sourdough soft pretzels a softer, chewier texture than all-purpose flour would yield. It’s a key ingredient here and in my artisan bread recipe. You can substitute all-purpose flour if it’s all you have, the pretzels just won’t be as chewy.
- Sourdough starter. You must use active sourdough starter for this recipe–do not use sourdough discard. If you have sourdough discard you want to use, try my sourdough chocolate chip cookies or sourdough crackers.
- Honey. A touch of honey feeds the yeast in the sourdough starter and adds flavor without making the pretzels too sweet. Alternatively use light brown sugar.
- Butter. This helps to enrich the dough and give the pretzels the proper flavor.
- Lye. While often used to make soaps and when cleaning, lye also has a traditional place in pretzel-making; it provides that golden brown color and classic pretzel taste. We’ll carefully dunk our sourdough soft pretzels in a lye bath before baking them to golden perfection. A note of caution: you must be VERY careful when working with lye. Please read this post and the recipe thoroughly before beginning! If you’re not comfortable using lye, I also include instructions to dip the pretzels in a baking soda bath instead.
- Pretzel salt. This is a coarse salt that is a classic soft pretzel topping. I link to the one I use below, but you could also use a coarse kosher or even sea salt. Or, switch things up and use everything bagel seasoning!
SAM’S TIP: If eating lye-coated pretzels scares you, don’t worry; baking the lye neutralizes it and makes it safe to consume. Or you can always use baking soda in its place–keep reading for instructions on this.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sourdough Soft Pretzels
Make the pretzel dough
- Mix together the wet ingredients, salt, and half of the flour until combined.
- Add more flour as needed: use dough hook and mix on low speed while gradually adding more flour. You may not need all of the flour, or you may need more. Look for visual/tactile cues to know that your dough is ready; it will begin to stick to itself and pull away from the bowl, and if you poke it with the pad of your finger it should not stick to your finger.
- Knead the dough with the dough hook until it is smooth and elastic. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes for me. I don’t really recommend kneading this dough by hand; it is just way too soft by design and you would have to add too much flour to practically be able to handle it.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled in size. How long this takes will vary, but for me it’s usually between 5 and 7 hours.
Shape the pretzels
- Once the dough has risen, place it in the fridge and let sit overnight.
- Divide the chilled dough into 10 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope.
- Form into a “U” shape and cross the ends over each other once.
- Twist the ends over each other again.
- Flip the ends down and press into the bottom of the “U”.
Don’t feel bad if your pretzels aren’t the prettiest shape, it took me a long time to even get this far with mine and no matter how they look, they’ll taste amazing!
SAM’S TIP: This dough is soft and it must be cold to be manageable, so you’ll use it right out of the fridge. If it gets too warm, simply pop it back in the fridge until you can handle it again.
Lye Bath & Bake
- Carefully prepare the lye bath and line your baking sheets with parchment. I talk about how to safely do this in the section below, please read through that before beginning.
- Dip the pretzels in the lye bath for 30 seconds.
- Drain off any excess lye/water and place on your prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle with salt and bake until deep golden brown, turning halfway through. The heat of the oven will neutralize the water from the lye bath, making the pretzels safe to consume.
How to Safely Use Lye
While lye is safe to use as directed in this recipe, it is still a chemical that needs to be handled properly. Lye can be harmful if it touches your skin, if you consume it straight from the bottle, or if you breathe it in. As a result, when working with lye, you must do the following:
- Wear safety gear. This includes gloves and eye goggles, and long sleeves aren’t a bad idea either. You don’t want the lye to touch your skin or really anything except your pretzels!
- Use adequate ventilation. I like to keep my kitchen vent fan on and open my windows if I can.
- Always add the lye to your water, and not the water to the lye. This can cause splashes, which we want to avoid since lye can ruin surfaces in your kitchen (wood, metal, granite, etc.).
- Dispose of the lye properly. You will want to neutralize the lye water with some vinegar first, then carefully and slowly pour it down your sink drain with some cold water. I describe this in detail in the recipe notes below.
For more detailed safety information, King Arthur flour has a detailed guide on working with lye safely.
If working with lye seems like too much of a hassle to you or you’re simply not comfortable with it, you can always use a baking soda bath instead. The pretzels won’t be quite as pretty (see below), but I do this with my homemade soft pretzels and soft pretzel bites, and they still taste amazing! I provide instructions on how to do this in the recipe card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lye is a traditional ingredient when making soft pretzels, as it gives the pretzels that classic golden brown color and pretzel flavor. When handled properly, it is safe to use and well worth the extra precautions! However, don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with! I include instructions for using baking soda instead in the recipe card.
Yes! These sourdough soft pretzels can be tightly wrapped and frozen in an airtight container. To thaw, you can simply microwave them until soft and warm or reheat them in the oven.
You can also make these into any shape you’d like: just cut them into small pieces to make sourdough soft pretzel bites instead (see above!).
Enjoy!
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Sourdough Soft Pretzels
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Servings: 10 pretzels
Calories: 203kcal
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Instructions
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BEFORE BEGINNING: Note that this dough requires 5-7 hours of resting at room temperature followed by a 12+ hour overnight fermentation in the refrigerator. I recommend preparing the dough in the morning or early afternoon and then baking the pretzels the next day.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note), combine sourdough starter, water, honey, butter, salt, and approximately half of the flour and stir until well-combined.
⅔ cup (150 g) active, bubbly sourdough starter, ⅔ cup (160 ml) warm water, 3 Tablespoons (63 g) honey, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon table salt, 2 ½ cups (312 g) bread flour
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Attach the dough hook attachment to the mixer and begin to stir on low-speed. Add remaining flour as needed until the dough begins to cling to itself and pull away from the sides of the bowl (dough will still be quite sticky, but shouldn’t stick to your finger if you touch it).
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Continue to knead dough with dough hook (medium/low speed) until smooth and elastic (usually 5-10 minutes longer).
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Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size (usually 5-7 hours).
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Transfer to refrigerator and allow to rest for 12-18 hours (I let mine sit overnight) before proceeding.
The next day
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Preheat oven to 400F (205C) and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside and prepare the lye bath (alternatively, see note for using a baking soda bath instead).
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It is important to handle lye safely. Work in a well ventilated area and wear rubber gloves and eye goggles. Do not touch the lye or the lye/water solution and beware that if it splashes it may ruin surfaces. See notes for more information including instructions for disposing of the lye.
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Set up your lye bath (see note if using baking soda instead of lye): Place a wide, deep glass dish (I use a 2.75qt glass casserole dish or similar) on one of your parchment paper lined baking sheets. Pour water into the dish and then carefully add lye and use a stainless steel spoon to stir until lye is dissolved. Set aside while you prepare your pretzels.
8 cups (1.9 L) water, ¼ cup (55 g) lye
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Remove pretzel dough from the fridge and divide into 10 equal pieces (handle the dough immediately, don’t let it sit or it will get too soft to use). Roll each into a long thin rope, about 20-24” (50-60cm) long, and twist into a pretzel shape (for assistance with shaping properly, see the how-to section in the post or watch the video tutorial).
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Use a slotted spatula to lower each pretzel, one at a time, into the lye bath for 30 seconds, then carefully remove. Drain as much water as you can from each pretzel (the wetter they are the more likely they are to stick to the parchment paper and you’ll have to peel them off) then place on prepared baking sheet, spacing pretzels at least 2” apart (I do 5 pretzels per baking sheet).
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Sprinkle with pretzel salt.
Pretzel salt
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Transfer to center rack of 400F (205C) oven and bake pans 1 at a time for 12 minutes per pan, rotating the pan halfway through and baking until deep golden brown.
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Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving. If they’ve stuck to the parchment, simply peel them off.
Notes
Stand mixer
A stand mixer is highly recommended. This dough is and should be very soft and somewhat sticky. Using a stand mixer allows us to keep the dough soft while still kneading it sufficiently. If you were to knead the dough by hand, you would have to add quite a bit more flour than is ideal in order to even be able to manage it, which would result in tougher pretzels.
Lye
This is the lye that I use. Handle lye with care. Work in a well-ventilated space. Rubber gloves and safety glasses are recommended, as well as long sleeves and long pants to minimize risk of splashes. This is the lye that I use. Note that if you are uncomfortable with handling lye you can use a baking soda bath and egg wash instead and the results are still excellent, the pretzels just aren’t as golden brown and pretty.
Disposing of lye
To dispose of the lye water, you can neutralize the solution by adding 2 ½ cups of vinegar to the mixture and then (carefully, to avoid splashing) pour it down the sink drain while running cool water at the same time.
Baking soda bath
Instead of a lye bath, you can do a baking soda bath instead, but your pretzels will not be as brown or taste quite as traditional (they’re still delicious though!). To do this, bring 8 cups water and ¼ cup (66g) baking soda in a large pot. Gently lower pretzels (only 1 or 2 at a time) into the boiling mixture and boil for 30 seconds per side then use a frying spider to remove and drain and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Prepare an egg wash (optional, but helps darken the pretzels) by whisking an egg with a Tablespoon of water, gently brush each pretzel with the mixture, sprinkle with pretzel salt, then bake as indicated.
Cinnamon sugar variation
Skip the pretzel salt and bake the pretzels plain. While pretzels are still warm, brush each one with melted salted butter (you’ll need about ¼ cup/57g), then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or dip in cinnamon sugar.
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (the salt may dissolve as they sit) or tightly wrap and freeze for several months. To reheat from frozen, preheat your oven to 325F (165C) place on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush lightly with water or melted butter, and heat until warmed through (this will just take a few minutes).
Nutrition
Serving: 1pretzel | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1073mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.