How to make the best homemade soft pretzel

Soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful-sourdough German-style pretzel! This is the kind of soft pretzel you'd find in a beer hall and absolutely perfect for Fall Octoberfest. Get the butter (or cheese, or mustard) ready.
➡️ FULL RECIPE
www.theperfectloaf.com/seriou...
🍞 FULL INGREDIENTS:
** The following ingredients include what's needed for the levain, below **
635g High-protein white flour
171g White flour (all-purpose)
51g Whole wheat flour
60g Unsalted butter, room temp
471g water
3g Diastatic malt powder (optional)
17g fine sea salt
10g Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) for the levain* (see below)
*LEVAIN:
Use 51g of the white flour (AP), 51g whole wheat flour, 102g water, and 10g ripe starter. Mix in a small jar and let ferment at room temperature for 12-14 hours overnight.
🫙 EQUIPMENT
Food-grade lye (affiliate):
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Diastatic malt powder (affiliate):
amzn.to/3Rh1svC
My favorite parchment paper (affiliate):
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All my favorite baking tools:
www.theperfectloaf.com/my-bak...
🎥 CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:00 Equipment
02:19 Ingredients
03:36 Pretzel baking timeline
04:31 Step 1: Levain
05:07 Step 2: Mix
06:30 Step 3: Bulk fermentation
07:10 Step 3a: Stretch and fold
07:41 Step 4: Divide and preshape
08:31 Step 4a: Divide
08:56 Step 4b: Preshape
09:52 Step 5: Shape pretzel knots
10:41 Step 6: Proof in refrigerator
11:20 Step 7: Preheat oven
11:32 Step 8: Lye bath
13:11 Step 9: Score, Salt, and Bake
14:02 Outro
#baking #sourdough #theperfectloafcookbook

[@671donna]

YUMMO! ❤️ counting the days until I receive my cookbook!

[@theperfectloaf]

So close now 🙂

[@dheydeck56]

Me too...

[@theperfectloaf]

@@dheydeck56 🙌🏼

[@Consuldude]

Hi! I was born in Stuttgart Germany the capitol of the schwabian pretzel. That means a big body with thinner arms in comparision to the bavarian style pretzel which is uniformly thick! In a real good pretzel you use lard instead of butter! Every schwabian will insist on that and that a bavarian doesnt know a good bretzel when they see one ✌️😁!. Thanks for your videos and i just bought your book and baked your beginners sourdough recipe which i of course underproofed! Next time i will let it bulkferment at a warmer temperature. Thank you!

[@theperfectloaf]

Hoping to test my recipe soon using lard, indeed! Hope you love my cookbook and no worries about underproofing, happens to us all. Good luck on the next one, let me know how it goes!

[@ragnahoffmann3022]

can confirm that lard is the way to go! 😁 and crispy arms!! (swabian here 😊)

[@GrantBakes]

Looking forward to the book, Maurizio!

[@theperfectloaf]

Thanks so much, Grant! Excited to finally have it out there 🙂

[@nanitta83]

Grazie, Maurizio! I am so looking forward to trying your recipe! They look absolutely scrumptious!

[@theperfectloaf]

Thank you!

[@bakerbrewz]

Wow those look incredible! I love to make homemade pretzels but yours take my breath away! Great tips with the extra fermentation after you pre-roll the dough into cigars as well as the time to stiffen the dough in the fridge before you do the lye bath. I've never been brave enough to attempt a lye bath (mostly cause I have small kids, but maybe when they grow up I will) but it was super cool to see how to deal with the lye bath and what to watch out for. Thanks for putting together this fantastic german style pretzel tutorial.

[@theperfectloaf]

You're very welcome and thank you! These are so worth the effort, and the lye bath isn't trouble in my experience. I just be sure my kiddos are out of the kitchen for a few mins (plus, a little quiet time is nice, too ;)). Happy baking!

[@suestoddard4889]

Was gonna wait to make these when I got my cookbook cuz the family is begging for them but since this video is so perfectly put together to follow these are gonna get made as soon as I get my lye in the mail! 😋 thank you!

[@theperfectloaf]

Thank you, Sue! I hope you love the recipe (and the book, too) 🙂

[@davebillnitzer5824]

I've found that using a food processor (I have an old Cuisinart) mixes and kneads the dough quite well. I don't have a stand mixer. The food processor does it all in about 1 minute. I toss in the dry ingredients first, give them a quick pulse, then add the wet, pulse it a few times until it comes together, and then let it run non-stop for about a minute. Yours is a great and easy recipe, I've been trying to get sourdough pretzels right for the longest time, but your clear instructions did it. Thank you!

[@theperfectloaf]

So glad my recipe worked out well for you, Dave! Funny enough, I've never tried my food processor for this dough-will need to give it a shot!

[@jowind777]

Really hope my copy of your book gets here sooner 😃

[@theperfectloaf]

🙂

[@Reinolds_Recipes]

Oh wow! Love your channel 😍 that’s how I like them haha, keep sharing! I’m subscribed to your channel :)

[@theperfectloaf]

Thank you 🙂

[@jeffreyostermiller9875]

We're having some friends over for a Dungeons and Dragons game this Sunday. It will be October. I think it is time to combine several of my hobbies (cooking, baking and D&D) to make Octoberfest snacks. I happen to have some food grade lye from some bagel experiments, so this will be a perfect addition to our table. Thanks for another great and timely video, Maurizio!

[@theperfectloaf]

Fantastic, Jeffrey! Sounds like the perfect storm of events to make this one happen. Speaking of D&D, I'm a huge board game player, too, though I haven't played D&D in a long while. I brought a batch of these to one of our game nights and they were a huge hit. Anyway, enjoy and have fun!

[@champagnjethersiahdduvenag6078]

This would be next on my list of must bakes. Cannot wait to see how they wil look and taste like.

[@theperfectloaf]

They're so, so good. Let me know what you think once you make em!

[@jud8161]

Oh my goodness!!! Those pretzels look delicious! Thank you Maurizio! What model of mixer do you have?

[@theperfectloaf]

Thank you! In this video I used a Haussler Alpha mixer-it's a beast and handles this dough no problem 🙂

[@cynthiawilson8294]

Oh, yum!

[@theperfectloaf]

🙂

[@kiteflyer76]

Thank you for this amazing recipe and demo! I just started making soft pretzels and this is the best recipe I've come across, no contest. I made a batch that came out great. Liked and subscribed. I'm looking forward to getting your book and experimenting more. A few quick questions.... I'm wondering why this recipe requires so few folds, as compared to a loaf of sourdough bread that is folded multiple times during bulk fermentation? It works great, just wondering why that might be. Would this benefit from more folds? And if I'm using a malted bread flour, would I omit the diastatic malt? Thanks so much!

[@theperfectloaf]

Thank you! So happy you like my recipe and process for these. This dough doesn't require as many folds because it's a very, very strong and stiff dough and it's mixed very far (in terms of gluten development) in the spiral mixer. If you're mixing this dough by hand, it could benefit from a few stretches and folds. Yes, if using malted bread flour, I'd omit the malt. Happy baking!

[@kiteflyer76]

@@theperfectloaf Thank you so much, that makes sense. There are so many variables with sourdough that all rely on each other. It's fantastic. So much to learn.

[@jeraldtaylor]

Thanks for the video. I'm about ready to try this recipe. I do have one question that I couldn't find addressed - once you are done using the lye bath solution, how do you safely dispose of it? 🤔

[@theperfectloaf]

I (carefully) flush it down the toilet! Let me know how you like these, they're so, so good 🙂

[@ccarpo70]

Hi. I have been seeing your name on my sourdough Facebook group. Thank you for all the expertise you bring to the group and helping us troubleshoot. I was able to find LYE water in an Asian store. Unfortunately, I did not give me the percentage of lye? I would imagine because it's already dissolved and it can't be any more concentrated than the pellet form. Obviously I want to be able to utilize this product because obtaining the pellets is slightly challenging. Any recommendations? At the end it actually just burns off anyway?

[@theperfectloaf]

It should work just fine. I use it in he following ratio: 940g water to 38g lye. Yes, all of the lye bakes away in the oven!

[@solitarybea]

Here to report I've had great success with this recipe. I've made pretzels before, but never with sourdough, it worked beautifully! I like to top mine with everything seasoning and some asiago cheese, but i know that's not very traditional. Thanks for the recipe, I'm sure I'll be revisiting it many more times.

[@theperfectloaf]

So glad to hear these worked out well for you!

[@jeancortez7418]

Hi Mauricio, I want to buy a mill but, I’m confused as to which one is a better buy. Komo or Mock mill? They ate Both so similar. I respect your advice.

[@theperfectloaf]

Hey Jean! They are both good mills, honestly. I have both and use them interchangeably. I'd say the build quality is a little higher with the KoMo, but otherwise, they're both great. I talk about milling in my guide, here: www.theperfectloaf.com/how-to-freshly-mill-flour-at-home-for-baking/

[@ingekohl5097]

Since I am German, I've had to bake my own pretzel for years. I have used the lye bath from the beginning. No comparison to using baking soda. My one problem is that they just don't keep well. The salt makes the crust very funny the next day. There are only 2 of us eating them. Have you tried freezing the unbaked pretzel and then just baking maybe 4 at a time? Would you freeze the pretzel as soon as you shaped them or after you refrigerated them? I would think you would dip them in the lye bath after you remove them from the freezer, but would you do it while they are frozen or do you need to let them come to room temp for a while? How would you adjust the baking time? Will try your recipe soon.

[@theperfectloaf]

Yes, using lye is really next level, they're just so good. I agree, they do get a bit strange the third day after baking (it's dry here where I live so I think that helps keep them better). What I have done is frozen the baked pretzel immediately after they've cooled, and then reheat them under the broiler after they've thawed overnight in the fridge. They turned out okay! Not fresh baked, but still pretty great.

[@ingekohl5097]

@@theperfectloaf Thanks. I think I will experiment with freezing the shaped pretzel and let you know how it turns out.

[@davemurray9107]

The trick is to freeze the (unsalted) pretzel after it is baked and cooled. When you’re ready to warm them up again just spray with water so the salt sticks then put them in the oven for a few minutes. This is how food carts do it

[@ccubillo]

These look amazing! I am making them right now and wondering if I can refrigerate them overnight until I am ready to bake them tomorrow? It's getting a little bit late and I would rather pick up where I left off in the morning.

[@theperfectloaf]

I've never refrigerated them after the lye bath, I wouldn't do that if you can avoid it!

[@ccubillo]

Thanks! I shaped them but held off on the lye bath until today. They are in the oven now and look really good 😊

[@theperfectloaf]

@@ccubillo fantastic!! I hope they turned out amazing 🙂

[@ChristineCubillo]

They did! The pretzels themselves were great but they did stick to the parchment paper that I had proofed on overnight so next time I will use fresh parchment. Great recipe! Thank you!

[@theperfectloaf]

@@ChristineCubillo so glad to hear that. Also, I've noticed some brands are not as nonstick as others. Reynolds is a good one! Enjoy 🙂

[@superfoodlife3848]

Hi there, I just made this pretzel, they look amazing but not as crispy as yours, may I know what could went wrong? I use exactly same measurements except cutting the lye water in half ratio. Please advise and thank you for all your video and knowledge!

[@theperfectloaf]

You might need to bake them at a hotter temp, or if you want a slightly thicker crust, bake them for longer. For a thin, brittle crust, hotter + shorter is the way to go.

[@superfoodlife3848]

@@theperfectloaf Thank you so much for your reply and advise, I will try again next time. And I love your book, the best bread book I have seen so far! Hopefully one day I can get you sign it for me!

[@theperfectloaf]

@@superfoodlife3848 thank so much, means a lot to hear that. Would love to sign it! Happy baking 🙂

[@elianeaparecidaartioliherr2987]

❤

[@theperfectloaf]

thank you 🙂

[@Tiffycha1982]

What brand dough mixer so you suggest?

[@theperfectloaf]

For these, I'm using a Haussler Alpha mixer, which is great for stiff doughs. I also like Famag for the home kitchen!

[@Tiffycha1982]

Thank you!

[@gregoryford9374]

What is the make/model of the Mixer you use?

[@theperfectloaf]

For pretzel, I use a Haussler Alpha mixer.

[@gregoryford9374]

Thank you@@theperfectloaf

[@ned711]

I do not have a sourdough starter. Can I make it otherwise? Thank you. Ned

[@theperfectloaf]

Yes, very easy. Here's my guide to creating a starter from scratch: www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/

[@ned711]

Thank you for your reply. However, I don’t have the time to start a starter. Can simply omit it or replace it with something?

[@theperfectloaf]

@@ned711 you'd have to use commercial or instant yeast (you can find this in the supermarket). Or, if you have a bakery nearby, ask them for some of their starter!

[@ned711]

Thanks for your patience with my question. I can certainly use a grocery store yeast, but do I make the levain with that yeast, and then proceed per your recipe, or do I just toss the yeast in with the dough like I would for bread, and proceeded? Thanks again! Ned.

[@theperfectloaf]

@@ned711 you'd have to restructure the formula a bit to work with instant yeast. You could make a poolish, which is like a levain or starter, a little yeast, flour and water left to ferment for a while. But I don't know the exact measurements because I haven't tested that! Usually, a bread recipe would be somewhere around 1% instant yeast to total flour in the recipe.

[@RowlandGosling]

I've always been a bit afraid of lye since it can unclog a drain or strip the grease off of cast iron. I'm surprised you can eat it as part of this process. Hmmmm

[@theperfectloaf]

It bakes off completely!

[@RowlandGosling]

@@theperfectloaf A great pretzel is really fantastic! I'll give these a try - thanks Mario!

[@saroku]

Please correct the recipe on your website for the amount of water. Good recipe, though.

[@theperfectloaf]

It's all correct, the tables are just shown a little differently!

[@Mr1fish2fish]

Make a super good baking pretzel using a baking soda bath. I am not going to use lye as lye is used to clean drains and make soap. Lye is deadly, baking soda is not deadly. Make a pretzel with baking soda.

[@theperfectloaf]

People have been eating lye bakes for ages, but also, 100% of it bakes off in the oven. However, baking soda also works, do what appeals most to you!

[@Mr1fish2fish]

Thanks. @@theperfectloaf

[@mattymattffs]

I was ready to scold you for not using a lye bath, but of course you'd do it right. I'm lucky that I have a good German bakery in town, and a German pretzel place just around the corner.

[@theperfectloaf]

If i had these nearby it would be a very dangerous thing 🙂

[@smo202]

They look good...but why in this world or any other...would you only put salt on part of it. That is a KEY component to a good pretzel and you will miss that on the unsalted half.

[@theperfectloaf]

That's how I learned to make these and honestly, I prefer a little less salt overall. However, the beautiful thing is you can make these however you'd like! By all means, salt away 🙂

[@Cruz0e]

51gram + 51 gram +102gram.. .what that +1 gram does? just to complicate the recipe? or make it "unique"

[@theperfectloaf]

I create my formulas in a spreadsheet because I work in baker's percentages, so the numbers are almost never round (but the percentages are!).

[@Cruz0e]

why there is only salt on one side.. lmao.. saving money on the salt? so sad...

[@theperfectloaf]

Salt how you wish 🙂

[@profitablecopy]

I'm a huge fan of your advice for years. I've created spreadsheets that build on your timing recommendations. But I have to be honest here: the towel-on-shoulder thing seems to be contrived. It turns you from Maurizio, the bread expert, into Maurizio, the guy who's all about appearances. Now I guess if you had that towel on your shoulder when no one knew you at all, then it's authentic. Did you? I just find it distracting. It's as if I decided to stick a feather in my hair and do videos, because that's who I want to appear to be. Yes it's a free country and you can do whatever the hell you want to. Still weird and distracting from your important and useful spoken message.

[@theperfectloaf]

Hey there! So glad to hear my site and spreadsheets have helped for so long! Hmm, ahh the towel, honestly, it's not really a "thing I'm doing" so much as something I always have on my shoulder in the kitchen. If you were here with me baking in the kitchen, you'd see it there every single time I bake 🙂 I don't even notice it to be honest! Since I'm always washing my hands to keep dough from sticking, I always have my trusty kitchen towel there ready for use. But now that you've pointed it out, I can see how it might seem strange (if you didn't know me, that is)!

[@nancycuppy2371]

@@theperfectloaf I'm old if I throw the towel over my shoulder I always know where it is at. Never thought a thing about it. Now if you had a cat on your shoulder I might start asking questions. Keep doing what you are doing! I made the pretzels tonight so good!

[@jeancortez7418]

Oh my goodness! The littlest things that bother some People. Maurizio, you do an outstanding job and your teaching is the best. Thank you for your outstanding videos! I got your book and I love it! I want to give these pretzels a try. How do you store the lye? I’m a bit concerned of someone getting it wet and getting hurt.