Sourdough Pretzels

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🟡 Intermediate⏱ ~3 hrs🥨 8 pretzels

Soft sourdough pretzels with a deep mahogany skin, a chewy interior and a good scatter of flaky salt — properly moreish, and brilliant warm from the oven with mustard. The signature colour and flavour come from a quick dip in an alkaline bath before baking. I use a strong baking-soda bath at home, which is safe and gives a wonderful result.

Ingredients

  • 500g Shipton Mill strong white flour
  • 280g water
  • 100g active starter, at its peak
  • 10g fine salt
  • 20g soft butter
  • 1 tbsp soft brown sugar or barley malt

For the bath & topping

  • 1.5 litres water + 60g bicarbonate of soda
  • Flaky or pretzel salt, to top

Method

  1. Mix: Combine the starter, water, sugar and butter, then add the flour and salt. Knead to a firm, smooth dough — pretzel dough is on the stiff side. 8–10 minutes by hand or in a mixer.
  2. Bulk ferment: Cover and leave until risen by about half — roughly 3–4 hours.
  3. Shape: Divide into 8. Roll each into a long rope (~50cm), thicker in the middle and tapered at the ends, then twist into the classic pretzel knot: make a U, cross the ends over twice, and press them down onto the curve.
  4. Chill briefly: Rest the shaped pretzels on parchment in the fridge for 20–30 minutes — cold pretzels hold their shape and score in the bath.
  5. The soda bath: Bring the water and bicarbonate of soda to a gentle simmer. Lower in the pretzels one or two at a time for 30 seconds, then lift out and drain. (For an even deeper colour, bake the bicarb at 120°C for an hour first.)
  6. Salt, score & bake: Place on a lined tray, scatter with flaky salt, and slash the fat belly of each pretzel once. Bake at 220°C for 15–18 minutes until deep brown.
  7. Finish: Brush with melted butter as they come out of the oven, if you like, and eat warm.
Tip: Always add the bicarb to the water (not the other way round) and use a stainless or enamel pan, not aluminium. A stronger bath gives a darker, more authentic skin — the alkaline dip is what makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel.

That depth of flavour starts with a lively culture. Ours is live, organic and ready to bake in 2 hours.

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★ Tested in my kitchen

Recipe by Richard. I bake fresh sourdough every single day for the guests at the Airbnb we run, and I've baked and tweaked this one 50+ times before sharing it — so it's reliable enough to hand to someone making their first loaf.

My kitchen sits at around 22–23°C. I mix to a dough temperature of ~25°C (I check it with a probe thermometer), bulk ferment on the side, cold-proof overnight in the fridge, and bake in a cast-iron Dutch oven until the internal temperature hits ~98°C. The times in this recipe assume a similar setup — watch your dough, not the clock, and adjust to your own kitchen.

See how I bake — my kit, temperatures & hard-won tips →