Can I Use Sourdough Discard Instead of a Starter?

You can certainly use your sourdough discard instead of a sourdough starter, though bear in mind that the discard is not active enough to make the bread dough rise.

Are Sourdough Pretzels Healthy?

Sourdough pretzels are definitely the perfect healthy snack. The vitamins and minerals present in the fermented dough are absorbed by your body, therefore making the pretzels easier to digest.

What Happens If You Bake Sourdough Discard?

The discard contains fermented flour which provides a unique sourdough flavor to your baked goods. Sourdough discard can often be used in recipes with no additional flour.

Are Pretzels Made of Sourdough Bread?

Pretzels aren't made of sourdough bread, rather they are typically made from wheat or rye flour. Although they can also acquire a sourdough starter or discard in the recipe.

Delicious and Soft Sourdough Pretzels

Ingredients

Scale

For the pretzels

113g sourdough discard
280g bread flour
1 ⅛ tsp. instant yeast
½ tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ to ½ warm water

Boiling solution

5 cups water
⅓ cup baking soda
1 beaten egg mixed with water
Pretzel salt (kosher salt, or everything bagel seasoning)

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Instructions

Add 113g of discard into a stand mixer bowl. Add 280g of bread flour, followed by instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir thoroughly, then add the butter and olive oil to the mix. Add ¼ cup of water and stir, in an attempt to soften the dough. Continue to gradually add some water, one tablespoon at a time, until most of the flour has been absorbed and the dough isn’t extremely dry or sticky.
Place the bowl of dough on a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead until the dough is nice and smooth, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This should take around 4 to 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let this sit in a warm spot in the kitchen until it has doubled in volume (45 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, Meanwhile, line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and spray this with cooking spray, or grease with vegetable oil. This will help prevent the pretzel dough from sticking.
Add 5 cups of water and baking soda to a saucepan, and bring it to a rolling boil.
Turn the dough, and shape it into a long rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 5 equal strips. Use your fingers to roll each strip to make a cylinder-like shape, then shape this into a pretzel. Set the shaped pretzels on the prepped parchment paper whilst waiting for the water to boil.
Once the water begins to boil, gently lift the pretzel and drop them into the boiling water. boil the pretzel for 45 seconds, then lift the pretzel out of the bubbling eater, and set it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process until the pretzels have been boiled.
Use a pastry brush to spread the beaten egg and sprinkle some salt on the boiled pretzels.
Bake your pretzels in the preheated oven, until they’re golden brown (12-14 minutes). Transfer the baked pretzels to a cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Author: Natasha Krajnc
Cook Time: 14 mins
Category: pastry
Cuisine: German