Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the Starter
- In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, and cold water on low speed. Knead on high speed for 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 10 hours.
- Make the Dough
- Combine the main dough ingredients with the starter. Mix on low for 4 minutes, then knead on high for 5 minutes.
- Rest the Dough
- Cover and let the dough rest in the bowl for 20 minutes.
- Shape the Pretzel Rolls
- Divide the dough into 8–9 equal pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Place on a lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temp for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Chill the Pretzel Rolls
- Cover and refrigerate the pretzel rolls for 60 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat and Prepare the Lye
- Preheat your oven to 450 °F (230 °C) with top and bottom heat. While the oven heats, prepare your lye solution. ⚠️ Important Safety Notes for Working with Lye: Use only food-grade lye (sodium hydroxide). Always wear gloves and eye protection when handling it. Only use glass or stainless steel containers—never plastic or aluminum. Always add lye to water, never water to lye (or it can cause a dangerous reaction). Use cold water at 20 °C (68 °F)—once lye is added, the solution will naturally rise to around 30 °C (86 °F). Your pretzels must be cold before dipping. If they’re warm, they may react and change texture or color. Never use more than 40 g of lye per 1,000 ml of water.Discard Lye by pouring into sink. DO NOT USE CUP MEASURMENTS FOR YOUR LYE SOLUTION ONLY USE A SCALE!
- Wearing gloves, gently dip each cold pretzel into the lye solution for no more than 5 seconds. Let any excess drip off, then place the pretzels on a spayed (I use avocado oil spray) parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a sharp blade, score the thick part (the belly) of each pretzel, then sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 12–14 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy with Butter
Nutrition
Video
Notes
DO NOT use cup measurements for the lye bath. Only use a scale for exact measurements .
This recipe was only tested with a scale , so make my recommendation is to use a scale!
Chilling Before Lye Bath: Always chill the shaped pretzels before dipping in the lye solution. Warm dough reacts differently and can affect the texture and color.
Baking Surface: Use thick, high-quality parchment paper. Thin or low-quality sheets can burn under the high oven temperature.
Handling Lye Safely: Always wear gloves and eye protection when handling the lye solution, and use only stainless steel or glass bowls — never plastic or aluminum. Do not breathe directly over the lye solution when mixing it with water. I make sure to keep my face away from the bowl while adding the lye to avoid any fumes.
Scaling the Recipe: If you use the 2x or 3x button to scale this recipe, do not increase the lye solution. You only need 1000 ml water + 40 g food-grade lye, no matter how many pretzels you’re making.
Pam or Avocado Oil Spray: You want to spray your parchment paper, otherwise your pretzel roll will stick to the paper, and become hard to get off.