Sourdough Discard Pretzels

Soft, chewy, easy to make and eat, these Sourdough Discard Pretzels are such a fun way to use up sourdough discard. Make them into a traditional soft pretzel shape or turn them into fun twists or cute little pretzel bites!

Recipe Background and Details

On my quest to take over the world with my sourdough discard recipes, I have another really fun one for you! These soft sourdough discard pretzels are always a big hit in our home and they really need no special occasion. They are great to have on hand for snacking but also to serve alongside eggs for breakfast, as dippers for soups and stews, or as part of a charcuterie board. They are a variation of my Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe and can be made sweet or savory.

If you are new to sourdough be sure to check out my Sourdough Starter Guide for Beginners! If you are looking for more delicious ways to use up sourdough discard, be sure to check out my other popular recipes for Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls, Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust, Sourdough Discard Crackers, Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread, and Sourdough Discard Banana Bread.

Sourdough Discard Pretzel Ingredients

You'll need just a few simple ingredients to make these soft pretzels.

• milk: whole or 2% are best
• yeast: I use active dry yeast but instant yeast can be used
• brown sugar: light or dark can be used or another natural sweetener you prefer
• sourdough discard (unfed sourdough starter): you can use bubbly starter and omit the yeast but you will need to add several hours onto both rising times.
• all purpose flour: bread flour can be used for a chewier pretzel
• butter: I use salted but unsalted can be used
• salt: I test all of my recipes with Diamond Kosher Salt
• toppings: see suggestions below (a few paragraphs down)

See recipe card for quantities. Also see substitutions and variations section below.

How to make soft Sourdough Discard Pretzels

First, make the dough:

Bloom yeast for 5 minutes in warm milk and brown sugar before adding sourdough discard. Next add flour, butter, and salt and mix until a dough forms. Knead with dough hook for 5-7 minutes on speed 2 until a soft dough ball forms.

Rising and shaping:

Allow dough to rise until doubled. Dump dough onto an un-floured work surface and divide into 8 pieces.

Roll each piece into a long rope. Make a U shape, cross the rope over itself once or twice (I like twice) and bring the ends down to meet the bottom, pressing down firmly to secure them. Repeat with remaining dough.

Here is a useful video on shaping pretzels (I don't flip them over like in the video but you feel free to do so!)

To make twists, create the same long rope but cut it in 4 even pieces. Twist two of the pieces together to form a pretzel twist and pinch the ends so they don't unravel. Repeat with remaining dough.

To make pretzel bites, simply cut the rope into small one-inch or so pieces.

Boiling (or not) and baking:

When your dough is shaped, you can either boil in baking soda and brown sugar solution for about 1 minute, return to parchment lined pan, sprinkle with coarse salt, and bake in preheated oven. Or if you don't want to bother with boiling you can let the shaped pretzels rise for about 20 minutes before applying an egg wash, salt or seasonings of choice, and baking. You will have a chewier pretzel and a thicker crust if you boil but I very often skip that step.

I don't egg wash mine if I boil them or if I am planning to coat them in butter and cinnamon sugar after baking. Right after boiling they are sticky, so make sure to add pretzel salt or other dry seasonings quickly so they stick.

You can also skip the boiling, egg washing, and topping and just brush them with melted salted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Yum!

Hint: Do NOT flour your work surface. You'll want some friction for shaping these and I find keeping a bowl of water nearby to keep my hands a bit moist really helps with the rolling and shaping.

Substitutions and Variations

Flour: I have not tested these with any other flours but if you want to replace a portion of the AP flour with a whole wheat or whole grain flour, rye, etc, I think it would work well. Also feel free to use bread flour for a chewier pretzel. I have not tried making these with gluten free flour - if that is what you want I suggest finding a recipe written specifically for gluten free baking.

Milk: You can use an unsweetened alternative milk in place of the milk in this recipe or use water for a leaner dough.

Brown Sugar: Instead of brown sugar you can use honey, regular granulated sugar, sucanat, maple syrup/sugar, etc. Barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup would be really good too and add more of a depth of flavor.

mix-in, topping, dipping ideas

Try adding these to the sourdough discard pretzel dough:

• chocolate chips
• citrus zest
• poppy seeds
• vanilla bean paste
• sprinkles
• roasted garlic
• dried fruit
• chopped olives
• chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• diced pepperoni, cheese, and herbs (pizza pretzels!)

and for topping/coating the soft pretzels:

• pretzel salt
• pearled or coarse sugar
• everything bagel seasoning
• za'atar seasoning
• dried herbs
• sesame seeds
• poppy seeds
• sprinkles
• shredded cheese
• grated parmesan
• cinnamon sugar (after baking)
• powdered sugar (after baking)
• cocoa powder (after baking)

and for dipping!

• mustard
• cheese sauce
• chocolate sauce
• caramel
• any veggie dip you love
• marinara
• hummus
• cream cheese
• frosting/glaze

Storage and reheating

These sourdough discard soft pretzels are best eaten hot and fresh, but store any leftovers at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 2 days.

To reheat, either wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds or sprinkle lightly with water, wrap in aluminum foil, and warm in a preheated 325 oven for about 5 minutes. I imagine an airfryer would work well for reheating too. However you reheat them, the moisture is key so don't skip it.

Baked and cooled pretzels can be frozen in an airtight container for 3 months - do not top them with salt or seasonings if you plan to freeze them. Once thawed you can warm them, brush them with butter or a bit of water, and top them/coat them at that point.

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Sourdough Discard Pretzels

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Soft, chewy, easy to make and eat, these Sourdough Discard Pretzels are such a fun way to use up sourdough discard. Make them into a traditional soft pretzel shape or turn them into fun twists or cute little pretzel bites!

• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 8 large soft pretzels

Ingredients

• 240 grams (1 cup) milk, warmed to 100-110 degrees F
• 26 grams (2 tablespoons) brown sugar
• 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 200 grams (¾ cup) sourdough discard
• 57 grams (4 tablespoons or ½ stick) butter, salted room temp
• 500 grams (4 cups) all purpose flour
• 3 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt

If boiling:

• 10 cups water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• ¼ cup baking soda

If egg-washing:

• 1 egg mixed with a splash of water

See blog post for topping, add-in, and dipping suggestions

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 5 minutes
3. Add sourdough discard, flour, butter, and salt and mix until dough comes together. Continue kneading on low speed for 5 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides and you have a firm, smooth, not sticky dough.
4. Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled.
5. Dump dough onto your un-floured work surface (I do this straight on my counter) and divide into 8 equal pieces.
6. Roll each piece into a long rope - about 24 inches. It helps to keep a bowl of water nearby for this. I have found working with slightly damp hands will help you roll the dough into a rope much easier than using flour like many recipes suggest.
7. Cross the two ends over each other to form a U shape. Cross the ends, twist once or twice (twice is my signature move) and bring the two points down to make a pretzel shape. Here is a useful video on shaping pretzels (I don't flip them over like in the video but you feel free to do so!) and make sure to reference the step-by-step photos above. Once you do a couple you'll get the hang of it and you can always unravel the rope and re-try.
8. Place the shaped pretzels onto a parchment or silpat lined baking tray. I usually do 4 per baking tray - they do puff up. 
9. If boiling: allow the pretzels to rise a bit while you get a large, shallow pot of water boiling with 2 tablespoons of either brown sugar or honey and ¼ cup of baking soda. When the water is boiling carefully place pretzels in and boil for about 30 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess water to drip off before placing back on tray and topping with seasonings. 
10. If not boiling: Allow pretzels to rise for about 20 minutes. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with desired topping (see list of suggestions in blog post) - if you are going to brush with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar or something similar, do not egg wash before baking.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes.
12. If you are going the cinnamon sugar route, you will brush the warm, baked pretzels with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar after baking. 

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 20 minutes plus rising
• Cook Time: 9 minutes per tray
• Category: baking, sourdough, breads, yeast breads
• Method: baking, sourdough
• Cuisine: American