Sourdough Discard Pretzels

DO NOT use diastatic malt for the wash. It made them taste like brewing malt. But the texture was good, the pretzels for very soft/chewy inside, but the outside wasn't dark and didn't have the pretzel flavor. Try sugar or baking soda bath. When making buns, push them down as they rise up and form a ball.

12 Pretzels - [ ] is 1/3rd of recipe. This made 5 pretty small pretzels/pretzel buns; use normal amount

  • [66 g] - 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (198g) water

  • ]75.6 g] - 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, unfed/discard

  • [120 g] - 3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

  • [9 g] 1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk

  • [6 g] - 2 tablespoons (18g) non-diastatic malt powder or 1 tablespoon (14g) granulated sugar

  • [⅓ tsp] - 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil

  • [3 g] - 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt

  • [⅔ tsp] - 2 teaspoons instant yeast

  • Topping - Try sugar or baking soda bath.

  • [3 g] - 1 tsp - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or non-diastatic malt powder

  • [9 g] - 2 tablespoons (28g) water

  • pretzel salt

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter, optional

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray cooking spray.

  2. Mix and knead the 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. (Kneading by hand for about 5 mins worked okay; try mixer next time).

  3. Cover the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes. It will rise minimally.

  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  5. 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 1/4 to 2 1/2 ounces.

  6. Roll each piece of dough into an 18" rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel.

  7. Dissolve the malt in the water. Brush the pretzels with the solution, and sprinkle lightly with coarse pretzel salt.

  8. 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.

  9. Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush with melted butter.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-pretzels-recipe