I love a good soft pretzel. Whenever I’m at a movie theater or food court that offers them, I tend to buy at least one to munch on. I can never seem to get enough of the texture or the flavor. And now I’ve discovered something even better that ordinary pretzels: sourdough discard soft pretzels.

Sourdough discard soft pretzels have all the same chewy delightful texture as regular pretzels, but they also have a tangier flavor that pairs beautifully with mustard. And now that I’ve created a good recipe, I can make these tasty treats anytime I want.

No need to go to the fair to get one.

Easy and Fun to Make

A great thing about sourdough discard soft pretzels is that they’re a breeze to make. You don’t have to wait hours for it to rise only to punch it down and let it rise more.

Rather, you just let it rest 45 minutes and you’re ready to shape. Once you’ve got that pretzel twist technique down, you can make a large batch in a little over an hour.

Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about a baking soda bath to give your pretzels their color. Instead, a simple egg wash will do the trick.

Although these pretzels taste best when warm out of the oven, you can bag them and keep them fresh on the counter for a few days thanks to the preserving nature of sourdough.

Print

Sourdough Discard Soft Pretzels

These soft pretzels are a breeze to make and have a delightful sourdough tang. It's a great way to use up sourdough discard, and it makes for a tasty snack any day.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Soft Pretzels, Sourdough, Sourdough Discard, Sourdough Discard Pretzels
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 12 Pretzels
Calories 238kcal

Ingredients

  • 360 Grams Warm Water (1 1/2 Cups)
  • 6.4 Grams Dry Active Yeast (2 1/2 Teaspoons)
  • 226 Grams Sourdough Starter Discard (1 Cup)
  • 690 Grams All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour (5 3/4 Cup)
  • 6 Grams Table Salt (1 Teaspoon)
  • 12.5 Grams White Granulated Sugar (1 Tablespoon)
  • 13.6 Grams Vegetable Oil (1 Tablespoon)
  • 1 Large Egg, Beaten
  • 12 Grams Sea Salt or Pretzel Salt To Taste

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the warm water and the dry active yeast and let side for 10 minutes to proof.
  • Add the sourdough starter discard and stir until it dissolves into the yeast mixture.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pour into the standing mixer bowl and start mixing on low.
  • Add the vegetable oil and continue to mix until the dough pulls away from and cleans the sides of the bowl.
  • Turn out dough onto a lightly greased surface and shape into a ball.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased container. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and divide into 12 pieces, about 107 grams per piece.
  • Shape each piece into an 18-inch long rope and then twist the rope into a pretzel shape.
  • Place each pretzel onto a lightly greased parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  • Brush beaten egg over the pretzels, and sprinkle with sea salt or pretzel salt according to taste.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Place pretzels on wire cooling rack to cool.

Notes

The parchment paper is optional with this recipe, and you can just grease the baking sheet and put the pretzels on it directly. However, it does help keep the pretzels from sticking. 
Also, consider brushing melted butter over the pretzels while they cool for extra flavor and color. 

Did You Try It?

I love making these pretzels, and I love how fast they come together. But what do you think of the recipe? Is the sourdough flavor too much? Would you prefer a cinnamon sugar variation?

Let me know how to improve the recipe in the comments section below. Your feedback helps me make a good recipe even better, and your positive words make my day. If you enjoyed the recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating so other people can see and enjoy my recipes, too.

When you have a moment, please stop by my sourdough discard recipes section to see more tasty treats and snacks like this one. Or visit BreadbytheHour.com for unique sourdough bread recipes.

Jennibee

View Comments

  • Made these yesterday the flavor is amazing!! Next time I’m going to try the baking soda bath (my kids like the brownish pretzel color ????) but the taste ????????!!! ???????? I did do a few cinnamon and sugar just brushed them with melted butter after they backed and sprinkled on cinnamon and sugar mix.

    • That's awesome! Cinnamon sugar pretzels are delightful. I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Thanks for sharing!

  • I just mixed these up and my dough was so crumbly. I’m a novice so idk what I did wrong. I tried to help it by adding more warm water until the consistency seemed better. I guess we will see how that goes. Any thoughts on where I went awry? I double checked the measurements of everything.

    • Hey Lacy, I'm sorry your dough was tough to work with! If I were to take a guess, is e say your starter could be stiffer than mine. I feed my starter 1:1 ratio of flour to water. I also measure by weight rather than volume. I hope that helps!

  • SOOOOO Yummy!! Love these. Family loved these. Will for sure make them again! I put salt on some and sugar and cinnamon on some. After they were cooked - I added the melted butter to all. But on the cinnamon ones, I added a little more sugar/cinnamon! Perfect amount!

    • Oh that makes me so happy to hear. You've made my day with your positive feedback. Thank you!

  • Tried making these for the first time ever baking with sourdough. Cut the recipe in half. They look awesome in the oven. I'm from Philly (#1 for soft pretzels). I'll let you know how they come out.

  • First time making these last night. Easy recipe. 1st batch- was way to much flour- they crumbled and were so dry. So I tried again. 2nd batch- less flour came out so amazing. But next day- they were super hard. So I'm not sure what happened. Any ideas? And how is the best way to store these? Thank you.

    • Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm sorry your first batch was too dry - it's always difficult to account for the different consistencies of sourdough starter. I'm glad you kept at it and met with success! As you noticed, these pretzels are best fresh from the oven on the same day they are baked. However, there are a few small tricks for keeping them fresher for longer. First: if you know exactly which pretzels you want to store, avoid adding the salt on top until after baking and store them plain (the salt often absorbs into the pretzel and leaves soft spots). Second, store in a plastic Ziploc bag with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture. Third, when you're ready to eat, freshen them up with a a bit of heat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. I hope these tips help - but keep in mind that soft pretzels just don't stay as fresh as a loaf of bread or similar baked goods so it's better to eat them quickly.

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Jennibee

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