To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add all of the ingredients and mix again on medium-low speed for 5-6 minutes. The dough should be smooth and tacky to the touch. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand.

Reminder: The temperature of the warm water was 110 degrees F. Any hotter can kill the sourdough starter.

150 grams active sourdough starter,250 grams water, warm,500 grams bread flour,40 grams sugar,11 grams salt

Remove the dough and knead until smooth. Do so by folding a portion of the dough towards the center and pressing down with the heel of your hand. Repeat about 20 times, then place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and wait until it doubles in size.

In my 70 degree F kitchen, this took 12 hours, but this greatly depends on the temperature of your dough and environment.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all of the air bubbles. Then, place the dough on a clean work surface. Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and lightly greasing the parchment paper (this prevents the pretzel dough from sticking). Set these aside.

Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 75 grams each).

Roll each piece of dough into 20-22 inch long ropes. Taking one rope at a time, place the rope in the shape of a large “U”. Taking both ends, cross them over each other twice, then taking the two ends, fold them down to the bottom of the "U" to create the traditional pretzel shape. Place the pretzel on the prepare baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ropes of dough.

Refer to the shaping photos above.

Once all of the sourdough pretzels are shaped, cover the baking sheets with this plastic cover and let the dough rest for its second rise, about 30-60 minutes. The final proof is complete when the pretzels have grown in size and look puffy.

Don't rush this step! Otherwise, the pretzels will bake up dense and gummy.

Just before the second rise is complete, prepare the boil bath. Bring the water to a boil, then add the brown sugar and baking soda. Stir until both are completely dissolved. Boil 2-3 pretzel at a time for 30 seconds.

The pretzels should float while boiling. If not, then the dough was most likely under or over proofed. Dunk the pretzel completely under water to ensure the water bath has reached all areas of the dough.

2400 grams water,200 grams baking soda,15 grams brown sugar

Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels from the water and place them on a wire rack. Immediately top the pretzels with coarse salt while they are still damp, if desired. Repeat with the remaining sourdough pretzels.

Skip the coarse salt if you plan to make cinnamon sugar pretzels.

coarse salt, if desired

Once all of the Sourdough Pretzel have been boiled, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake the pretzel for 12-15 minutes or until dark brown with an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees F.

While still warm, brush the pretzel bites with the melted butter and enjoy plain or with your favorite dipping sauces! Enjoy!

57 grams salted butter, melt

For a sweet cinnamon sugar version, skip the coarse salt before baking. Once baked, brush the pretzels with the melted butter. Then sprinkle each pretzel with a cinnamon sugar mixture and mix again until evenly coated.

100 grams sugar,4 grams ground cinnamon

Refer to the Sample Baking Schedule above in the blog post.

Sourdough Starter – This recipe uses bubbly and active sourdough starter to help the dough rise.

Bread Flour–You can use all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand, but I really recommend bread flour. The higher protein content helps the dough rise nicely and makes the pretzel bites extra chewy and delicious.

Sugar – I used white sugar for a touch of sweetness, but you can use other sugars like cane sugar or honey.

Baking Soda & Brown Sugar – Adding brown sugar and baking soda to the boil bath gives your Sourdough Pretzel the classic dark brown, chewy crust once they are baked. The brown sugar can be substituted with honey or maple syrup. Be careful not to boil the pretzels too long, otherwise the pretzels can taste metallic or be too chewy.

If you prefer to skip the shaping and instead make Sourdough Pretzel Bites, refer to my recipe here!

These pretzels are incredible plain, but they are also delicious with honey mustard, a warm cheese sauce, marinara and ranch!

Skip the coarse salt and top the pretzels with everything but the bagel seasonings, Parmesan cheese or even ranch seasoning!