Quick Rustic Sourdough Soft Pretzel - Cranberry & Walnut with Browned Butter Sage
A quick rustic sourdough soft pretzel?? A combination of wild yeast and instant yeast, give each other the right boost so that you are eating soft pretzel in no time!
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups bread flour(preffered) or ap flour (480g)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (12.5g)
- 2 tsp instant yeast (6.2g)
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup milk, room temperature (8oz)
- ½ cup unfed sourdough starter (113g)
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped (65g)
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped (37g)
Boil
- 2 qts water 8 cups - or enough to completely cover a pretzel
- 2 tbsp baking soda
Finishing
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- kosher salt to taste
Dipping idea
- melted brie cheese wheel
Instructions
Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, mix your starter in room temperature milk until it is dissolved. Then add the flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, cranberry, and walnut and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead - Add small amounts of flour as needed to keep the dough from adhering to the counter.
- As you knead, look for a tacky and soft dough, about 15 minutes.
- Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour.
Shaping - See Notes
- Use a bench knife to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece like play-dough until you have a snake of dough about the thickness of your index finger. Be gentle as to not have the cranberry and walnuts bits break up the dough.
- Lay the snake of dough in a u-shape. Twist the two ends together twice, keeping the base of the "u" open, then flip over the twisted ends down onto the base of the "u" and gently press in place.
- Transfer the pretzels onto the lined baking sheets, being sure to leave generous amounts of room between them, cover the pans with tea towels and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy looking, about 30 minutes.
Boil & Bake
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a pot, once water simmers, add the baking soda. Gently lift the pretzels one at a time into the boiling water without crowding, and boil for 45 seconds on each side.
- Use a slotted spatula or spoon to drain and return each piece to its place on the pan.
- Place pans in the oven and bake the pretzels at least until golden brown, 18 minutes. Bake for longer if you prefer a deep brown, about 24 minutes. While the pretzels are baking, let's work on the browned butter sage!
- Browned Butter Sage
- Break the butter into chunks and place in a frying pan over medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. Swirl the pan occasionally, until the color goes to a toasty-brown about 8 minutes. Voila! Rustic Sourdough Pretzels!
- Add the sage leaves to the pan and cook until they crisp up, which will only take a few seconds. Immediately scrape the mixture into a heatproof bowl.
- You can brush this onto the pretzels once they come out, or like me, choose to add as a dipping sauce along with the melted brie!