These pretzels are delicious served with honey mustard, or for a sweeter treat, honey butter. My my family’s favorite way to have them is with a side of homemade cheese sauce. It’s best served warm, so make sure you don’t whip it until you’re ready to dive in. 😉
Slow Rise Sourdough Pretzels1 c. bubbly starter (fed within the last 12 hours)
1 1/2 c. filtered water
2 eggs (preferably organic, or from free-range hens)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. sea or kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
5 to 5 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground flour works best!)
Baking Soda Wash
1 c. boiling water
2 T. baking soda
kosher/sea salt for sprinkling
In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, oil, and eggs until combined. Sprinkle with the salt and add in the flour. Stir until a ball forms, adding enough flour to make the dough soft, but not overly sticky. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set on the counter, away from drafts, to rise 7+ hours.
After the slow-rise period, preheat the oven to 425 and grease two cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into quarters. Divide each quarter into three pieces, then gently roll and stretch each piece into a 12” rope. Twist the rope into a pretzel shape and place on prepared cookie sheets.
Prepare the baking soda wash and brush onto pretzels. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 8-12 minutes.
1 T. butter
1 T. flour (I used brown rice four to keep it gluten-free, but whole wheat is fine, too)
1 c. raw or whole milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 t. salt
2 pinches of chili powder
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour until bubbly, then slowly add milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until it begins to thicken between each addition. When all the milk is added, and the sauce is thickened, stir in cheese, salt, and chili powder.
- 1 c. bubbly starter (fed within the last 12 hours)
- 1½ c. filtered water
- 2 eggs (preferably organic, or from free-range hens)
- ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 t. sea or kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- 5 to 5½ c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground flour works best!)
- Baking Soda Wash: 1 c. boiling water
- 2 T. baking soda
- Sea Salt for Sprinkling
- In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, oil, and eggs until combined. Sprinkle with the salt and add in the flour. Stir until a ball forms, adding enough flour to make the dough soft, but not overly sticky. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set on the counter, away from drafts, to rise 7+ hours.
- After the slow-rise period, preheat the oven to 425 and grease two cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into quarters. Divide each quarter into three pieces, then gently roll and stretch each piece into a 12” rope. Twist the rope into a pretzel shape and place on prepared cookie sheets.
- Prepare the baking soda wash and brush onto pretzels. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 8-12 minutes.
- 1 T. butter
- 1 T. flour (I used brown rice four to keep it gluten-free, but whole wheat is fine, too)
- 1 c. raw or whole milk
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ t. salt
- 2 pinches of chili powder
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour until bubbly, then slowly add milk ¼ cup at a time, stirring until it begins to thicken between each addition. When all the milk is added, and the sauce is thickened, stir in cheese, salt, and chili powder.
Raia is a homeschooling, stay-at-home-mom of four crazy kids (with another one on the way!). She started her blog, Raia’s Recipes to share her love of simple, allergy-friendly baking (and chocolate) with others. When she’s not whipping up something new in the kitchen, Raia enjoys trying to keep the plants in her backyard garden alive, hanging out with her church family, eating (allergy-friendly) pizza, and dreaming about all the things she’d do if she had an acre of land to homestead.
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Cool! I’m really intrigued by the power of sourdough and have read some really interesting research on celiacs’ ability to tolerate sourdough leavened wheat products too. I have a practical question: as a person with celiac, how do you introduce wheat flour into your kitchen with creating a cross-contamination issue? Flour is practically an airborne allergen and any flour that “escaped” would still have gluten intact. Super curious how you manage this.
Hi Elle! That’s a great question. 🙂 I have one of those big rubbermaid storage bins where I keep the wheat berries. My husband grinds them into flour, and I make sure I’m nowhere near the dining room while he’s grinding, then he cleans up afterward. There have been as few times that I’ve mistakenly wandered into the room while he’s working, and I quickly realize my mistake! While breathing the flour particles does affect me, it’s not the same as ingesting it.
When I mix the dough I’m always careful to make sure the fan isn’t blowing, or I’m not under an a/c vent. I always use the same bowl, spoon, and measuring cups. I mix as quickly as I can, handling the dough as little as possible. If I have to knead, I do it in the mixing bowl so I don’t have to get flour all over the table. When I’m done, I scrub my hands, the table, etc., with hot water.
If I’m feeling extra-sensitive I’ll wear a dust mask, or have my husband mix the dough.
Hope that helps!
Absolutely, the longer the dough sours the more digestible it becomes. Additionally, the use of heritage wheat rather than modern wheat is key in digestibility.
I agree on the wheat, Marty. My husband likes to buy fresh, organic wheat berries and grind them himself.
Wow! That’s so simple, didn’t realize pretzels were easy to make! Thanks so much for the recipe. Pinned 🙂
Thanks for pinning, Rami!
Could you share the recipe for you sour dough starter? Would love to have it. Thanks
Sure, Diane! Here’s the one I use.
In a glass jar, combine one heaping 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup filtered water. Mix it well, making sure to scrape the sides down, cover it with a thin tea towel, and set it in a warm area of your house.
For the next 3 days, every 12 hours, feed the starter the same ratio fresh ground flour:water. It will get bubbly and start to smell sour. After the first 3 days of feeding every 12 hours, you can just feed it 1x a day, if you want. After a week it will be ready to use.
Feed it 1x a day to keep it growing, and make sure you use it at least 1x a week.
Oh, I look forward to trying this!! We’ve been gluten free for a couple of months and my daughter has been greatly helped. I can’t wait to try my hand at a sourdough starter and using it. Now I just have to figure out how to plan ahead to work with it…
I hope you and your family enjoy it, Micah! The planning ahead takes a little getting used to, but after you get the hang of it, it’s really simple. I like to meal plan, so then I can see exactly when I need to start the sourdough. 🙂
woooow. I’m Hungry haha.
But That’s so Simple
Thanks Raia
Haha. Thanks. 🙂
I’m just starting to experiment with sourdough, and I’m hesitant to make new recipes because I never know when they’re going to be too sour for our taste. I’ve researched extensively on ways to make it less sour, but it always seems to come down to deciding if I’m more interested in a less sour flavor using a shorter soak time, or a soak time that’s long enough to neutralize the nasties. These pretzels look so easy and yummy. Can you tell me if they’re sour?
I definitely don’t feel like they’re very sour, Laurie, but taste is a rather personal thing, I suppose. 😉 If you’re nervous about the taste, this recipe can be cut in half. And, if you make them and they’re too sour for your taste, just dip them in honey butter, or cover them with chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better. 😉
I always thought that making pretzels it’s so complicated, but you prove me wrong. Definitely going to making them over the weekend.