There is nothing quite like stadium food. It’s not healthy, typically far from nutritious, definitely not gourmet; but those treats have an aroma that can bring back memories of simple childhood joy, like nothing else.   I think we could all use memories of such simple childhood pleasures now more than ever.  Considering few of us, if any, were able to sit in a stadium this past summer and feel the joy and excitement of a cheering crowd.  For now we will have to fuel ourselves on nostalgia, and nothing makes me more nostalgic than the aroma of these soft and salty sourdough pretzels.   

With the super bowl around the corner I got thinking about some of my favorite stadium foods, the one I most fondly thought of was soft pretzels.  Now I know with all the quarantines and lockdowns that most of us find ourselves in, a super bowl party may be out of the question. But there is no reason not to put out a spread for a household Super Bowl party, actually, I think it is even more reason too.   I’m still working out the menu for our party of four, but I promise you these soft pretzels are on it!

A Few Tips For Making Sourdough Pretzels

Getting a Beautiful Brown Crust.

There are a few ways bakers achieve the beautiful, brown crust on pretzels. The most common, is by dipping them in food grade lye. This type of lye is still corrosive, so you will need to wear plastic gloves while dipping the pretzels, however the lye bakes off in the oven, leaving the end product totally safe to eat. Personally, as a home baker, one whom usually has children under foot, I am not comfortable with this process. So, I will show you how to get a golden brown pretzel another way.

Diastatic Malt Powder- This powder is made from malted barley, wheat flour, and dextrose, and it creates the beautiful brown color on the crust of the pretzels. It also assists in a strong rise during the fermentation process.

Baking Soda & Honey- Add 1/2 a cup of baking soda, and 2-3 tablespoons of honey to the water you boil the pretzels in. This will create a brown crust through the sugar in the honey and the slightly alkalizing effect of the baking soda.

Chilling the Dough Before Boiling– This results in firmer dough that is easier to handle, and does not fall apart when you lift it to put in the boiling water.

Steps to Shaping Sourdough Pretzels

I put pretzels right there with baguettes, both are deceivingly simple in form, but can be very challenging to shape. The bonus with pretzels is, you are working with a lower hydration dough which is much easier to handle. When rolling out the pretzels, if you find yourself working against too much resistance, cover the dough and let it rest for ten minutes. Once it has relaxed a little, it will be easier to shape.

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Divide into 8, 100-115 g rectangles, stretch it out as you would when making a log of bread or baguette, just smaller, working with the long sides, fold top over to center rotate 180 degrees fold other side over to center and press to seal. You do not want much of any flour on your work surface as it will interfere with rolling and building tension. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

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To roll out dough, place one hand over the other in the center of the dough gently press down pushing away from you and towards you to roll the dough. Slowly working your hands laterally turning the dough into a rope. Leave a little extra bulk in the center, this is where you will score the pretzel after boiling. If dough becomes to resistant to rolling out allow it to rest for 10 minutes covered, before continuing to roll it out. Once the dough is about 2 feet long form and upside down U and cross cross the ends, then flip again to opposite hands, then fold ends upwards to the base of the U.

Do You Have a Sourdough Starter?

Like all the recipes featured on Bubbling Starter, this bread is made with a sourdough starter. To learn how to make your own; check out Beginners Guide to Creating a Bubbling Starter.