Ingredients:

Pretzel:

Water - 3/4 cup &  2 tbsp (198g)    

Sourdough Starter - 1 cup (Unfed)

Unbleached Bread Flour - 3 cups

Nonfat Dry Milk - 1/4 cup

Granulated Sugar - 1 tbsp OR
Non-diastatic Malt Powder -  2 tbsp

Butter OR Vegetable Oil - 1 tbsp

Table Salt - 1 1/2 tbsp

Instant Yeast - 2 tbsp

Topping:

Granulated Sugar OR

Non-Diastatic Malt Powder - 1 tbsp

Water - 2 tbsp

Pretzel Salt

Melted Butter - 2 tbsp; optional

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Starting Instructions:

1. Prepare Your Starter:

• Ensure your sourdough starter is not bubbly or active. Feed it a day or so prior to beginning this recipe to make sure it's ready.

2. Mixing:

• Measure your flour precisely, you should do this be scraping off any excess.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, flour, salt, and nonfat dry milk.

• Mix until you get a slightly sticky and smooth dough. If the dough feels dry, add an additional tablespoon of water and knead it in.

3. Autolyse:

• Cover the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes. During this period, it won't rise much.

Kneading and Folding:

1. Stretch and Fold:

• 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 2.25 to 2.5 ounces.

Shaping and Proofing:

1. Shaping:

• Roll each piece of dough into an 18" rope. For longer pretzels, roll the pieces longer, but this will yield fewer pretzels overall.

• Shape each rope into a pretzel with a "U" shape, crossing the ends over each other once, twisting the ends at the meeting point, and then folding the twister portion down to the bottom of the "U" shape. Press the ends gently but firmly into the bottom of the pretzel.

2. Proofing:

• This recipe doesn't require proofing the dough.

Baking:

1. Preheat and Prepare:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)

• Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil spray or lining it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment with vegetable oil spray to ensure the pretzels don't stick.

2. Brushing and Sprinkling:

• Dissolve the malt powder or sugar in water. Brush the pretzels with this solution and sprinkle lightly with coarse pretzel salt.

3. Bake:

• Bake the pretzels for 25-30 minutes until they are light golden brown.

4. Cooling:

• Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them with melted butter while they are still warm.

• Let them cool before enjoying your freshly baked sourdough pretzels.