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    Home » Breads

    Sourdough Soft Pretzels (discard recipe)

    5 from 1 vote
    2 Comments

    May 11, 2019

    (updated Apr 6, 2025)

    by Kimberlee Ho

    Jump to Recipe

    These Sourdough Soft Pretzels are so reminiscent of those ballpark pretzels. Not quite as big, but certainly big on flavor, texture, and salt! Use up your sourdough discard to make delish pretzels. Yields 12.

    Don't have sourdough starter? No problem! These soft pretzels can still be made with a simple substitution.

    Soft pretzels on a tray with salt and mustard

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    What Makes These Soft Pretzels so Good

    Many soft pretzel recipes involve boiling the pretzels and/or multiple proofs of the dough. This recipe has one proof only and no boiling! Less mess and less time.

    You gotta love that! This soft pretzel recipe also uses some sourdough discard. This is part of a sourdough starter that usually gets thrown away when the starter is fed or refreshed.

    It's so sad throwing away starter, so I'm always on the lookout for great recipes in which to use it. In this case, the sourdough discard helps elevate the flavor of the pretzel.

    It does not make the pretzels taste sour by any means. If you don't have starter and aren't interested in establishing one for this recipe, I have a tip below for substituting.

    Homemade soft pretzel close up too the camera, being held to show detail and salt

    To Salt or Not to Salt Soft Pretzels

    There's inevitably a big debate that ensues when soft pretzels are made and consumed. Salt or no salt. Now, lemme tell ya, I am a big lover of pretzel salt.

    There is such a thing as too much of it, however, my threshold for the quantity of this stuff is pretty darn high.

    I'm not exactly sure why this is either because growing up, my mom was ultra reserved when it came to using salt in her cooking.

    We never had salt on the table and it was never something that was asked for when we ate out at restaurants either. My mom's cooking was, and still is, excellent - this is in no way a criticism, she's the best - love you mom!

    But, my parents both don't like salt in their food. Which makes me wonder where I developed my love for salt.

    Oh well, I suppose some things will forever remain a mystery! All I know is, I am definitely on #teamsalt. If you are on #teamnosalt, you can of course choose not to use salt. Or, you can just use salt sparingly.

    Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.

    Homemade sourdough soft pretzels ready to be baked

    Tips for Making This Recipe

    • If you don't have a sourdough starter, you can buy one and start your own from somewhere like King Arthur Flour. Or, you can borrow some of a friend's starter. Or, you can omit the sourdough starter all together and substitute it with 4 ounces of additional bread flour plus 4 ounces of water.
    • Shaping a pretzel for the first time can be a bit intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty straightforward. Here's a great quick video on how to do it. There are many methods, so feel free to try any of them to shape your pretzels.
    • This recipe calls for pretzel salt. Yes, there is such a thing. You can find it easily online, however, if you did not order in time, you can substitute for any coarse salt or even Maldon. I wouldn't use table salt, as it's too fine and will dissolve into the pretzels.
    • The recipe calls for brushing the pretzels at the end with butter as an option. It's not optional in my opinion. You should always brush them with melted butter. The butter makes for a perfect finish to these pretzels and enhances the flavor.

    FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!

    Soft pretzels on a tray being dipped in mustard

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    Soft pretzels on a tray with salt and mustard

    Sourdough Soft Pretzels (discard recipe)

    These Sourdough Soft Pretzels are so reminiscent of ballpark pretzels. Not quite as big, but certainly big on flavor, texture, and salt! Use up your discard to make delish pretzels. Yields 12.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Resting Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
    Course: All Recipes, Sides, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: soft pretzels recipe, sourdough discard recipe, sourdough soft pretzels
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 196kcal
    Author: Kimberlee Ho
    US Customary - Metric

    Equipment

    • parchment paper
    • baking sheet

    Ingredients

    Pretzel Dough

    • ¾ cup lukewarm water
    • 1 cup sourdough starter unfed/discard * (see substitution below)
    • 3 cups bread flour
    • ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons instant yeast

    Topping

    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • coarse pretzel salt
    • 2 tablespoons melted butter optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Prepare the Pretzel Dough: Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment with vegetable oil spray to make double-sure the pretzels won't stick. 
    • Mix and knead together all the pretzel dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a cohesive, fairly smooth dough. It should be slightly sticky; if it seems dry, knead in an additional tablespoon or two of water. 
      Cover the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes. It will rise minimally.
      ¾ cup lukewarm water, 1 cup sourdough starter, 3 cups bread flour, ¼ cup nonfat dry milk, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons instant yeast
    • Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. 
    • Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface, fold it over a few times to gently deflate it, then divide it into 12 pieces, each weighing about 2 ¼ to 2 ½ ounces. 
      Roll each piece of dough into an 18" rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel.
    • Dissolve the sugar in the water for the topping.
      Brush the pretzels with the solution and sprinkle lightly with coarse pretzel salt.
      1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, coarse pretzel salt
    • Bake the pretzels for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. (Note: This is correct; there's no need to let the shaped pretzels rise before baking).
      Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush with melted butter, if desired.
      2 tablespoons melted butter

    Notes

    • If you do not have sourdough starter, you can omit it all together and substitute it with 4 ounces of additional bread flour plus 4 ounces of water.
    • Store pretzels loosely covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
    • Recipe from King Arthur Flour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 pretzel | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.6g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 5.2mg | Sodium: 401mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 2.2g
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @kickassbaker on Instagram so I can see!
    Sourdough soft pretzels on a sheet tray with salt and mustard off the side, showing the texture and size of the pretzels

    Filed Under

    BreadsSmall BatchIntermediateBread Flour
    « Fluffy Challah Bread
    Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies »

    Reader Interactions

      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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      Comments

    1. Cindy

      February 02, 2023 at 9:01 pm

      Your recipes look amazing. I would love to make them but I recently found out that I’m allergic to wheat. This wheat free is all new to me. Can your recipes be altered to use wheat free flours?

      Reply
      • Kimberlee Ho

        February 04, 2023 at 4:24 pm

        Hi Cindy! I'm sorry to hear that.. Some of my recipes can be adapted using gluten-free flour. You'll see in the 'Ingredients & Substitutions' section notes on this. For some recipes like bread and these sourdough pretzels, using gluten-free flour may not be a one-for-one substitution. You can certainly try it out, however, I have not tested it so therefore I cannot make recommendations on this. Good luck!

        Reply

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