Ingredients

The following ingredients have 12 Servings
  • 1 cup sourdough starter ((unfed starter or "discard"))
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup almond milk ((lukewarm))
  • 3 cups bread flour ((or all purpose flour))
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • Sea salt or pink salt for sprinkling

Instruction

  • Mix the yeast and almond milk in a bowl and set aside to "bloom"
  • Add the remaining pretzel ingredients to the bowl and, using your hand or a stand mixer, mix well. Knead the dough until it has a smooth consistency and can be formed into a round ball. It should not be too stiff--  if that's the case, add a little water, a tiny bit at a time.
  • Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning over once to coat, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes. The dough will rise a little.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place the dough on a lightly greased surface and fold a few times to deflate the air. Divide into 12 equal parts.
  • Take one part and cover the rest with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying. Roll the dough into a ball and then into a rope, tapering the ends. You want a rope around 18 inches in length.
  • Take the ends of the rope and criss-cross them to make a loop. Twist one more time, then bring the ends back over the top of the pretzel and tuck them in.
  • Place the pretzels, about 2 inches apart, on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
  • Make the glaze by dissolving the sugar in water. Brush the tops of the pretzels with this mixture and then sprinkle on some salt. I used fine-grained Himalayan sea salt because I didn't want big particles of salt on my pretzels, but use coarse salt if you wish.
  • Bake the pretzels for 27 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden-brown.