Bread Pretzels or Sticks

A chewy soft pretzel: the kind that still - praise be! - can occasionally be bought from a street-vendor.

Ingredients

Instructions

Yield:

12 Pretzels or 36 Sticks

Prep time:

6 hours

Cook time:

1 hour

Ready in:

7 hours

Recipe Type:

Bread

Snack

1. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of the flour to liquid starter and let proof for several hours, to activate the starter.
2. Place starter and remaining ingredients in mixer bowl and knead until the dough loses its stickiness. Let rest in a covered greased bowl until doubled in bulk.
3. Punch down and divide into 12 pieces for pretzels or 36 pieces for sticks.
4. With your palms, roll the 12 pretzel pieces into 18-inch lengths, about pencil thickness, tapering the ends slightly. Loop into a twisted oval.
5. Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 475°
6. Combine the water and baking soda in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Do not use an aluminum pan.
7. With a slotted spoon, carefully lowr the pretzels into the water about 1 miinute, or until they float to the top. Return them to the greased sheet. Sprinkle with coarse/kosher salt.
8. Bake until crispy and browned, about 12 minutes for the pretzels, less for the sticks.

Tips for Success

Cooking Tips

They are best served at once, but will keep about one week in an airtight container. Cool before storing.

Ingredient Tips

Reviews

Source Information

Classic Sourdoughs, A Home Baker's Handbook, Irma Rombauer,

• Recipe modified from the original to replace commercial yeast with sourdough starter. If using commercial yeast: 1 cup water + 1 package active dry yeast in place of the starter. All else is the same.