My vegan Sourdough Pretzels are fluffy and light as a cloud. You won't be able to stop eating them, which is one good reason to make these asap.
Pretzels may or may not make you thirsty, but the idea of a twisted, chubby, salty cloud of dough baked to golden perfection is enough to make just about anyone hungry.
My sourdough starter, George, has been begging to go into something delicious for a while now, and I thought I'd make my vegan Sourdough Pretzels for Jay, who loves them, and also update this recipe, which I first shared on this blog almost exactly six years ago.
I adapted this recipe all those years ago from the King Arthur Flour website, and it is a simple and very effective one, which is why I've stuck with it. I did need to veganize it because the original contained milk powder, but these vegan pretzels turn out so gorgeous, you can be sure that nothing is lost in translation. They are soft and fluffy and super-delicious, and if you have a kid -- or are a kid at heart -- you will find that they disappear in minutes.
If you don't already have a sourdough starter, what's stopping you? This is a perfect time to make one, when the warm weather is still sticking around. Sourdough relies on capturing natural yeast from the environment, and a Fall kitchen is likely to have a good deal of yeast floating around, especially if you do a lot of baking. I love the very thought of capturing wild yeast from the air-- it makes me feel like one of those superwomen from old times who did everything from scratch. Plus, I get to eat these pretzels and lots of other good stuff, like sourdough waffles, sourdough focaccia, sourdough sandwich bread, and much more.
If you have an aversion to fermented foods (Desi does), this sourdough pretzel (and most sourdough breads) does not have a sour flavor. Instead, the sourdough adds dimension and flavor and a wonderful texture to breads, not to mention good health, because you do know sourdough is probiotic and therefore really, really good for you?
Looking for more vegan sourdough recipes?
- Soft Sourdough Rolls
- Vegan Sourdough Waffles
- Vegan Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Sourdough Challah Bread
Sourdough Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter (unfed starter or "discard")
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ cup almond milk (lukewarm)
- 3 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For glaze:
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- Sea salt or pink salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix the yeast and almond milk in a bowl and set aside to "bloom"
- Add the remaining pretzel ingredients to the bowl and, using your hand or a stand mixer, mix well. Knead the dough until it has a smooth consistency and can be formed into a round ball. It should not be too stiff-- if that's the case, add a little water, a tiny bit at a time.
- Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning over once to coat, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes. The dough will rise a little.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the dough on a lightly greased surface and fold a few times to deflate the air. Divide into 12 equal parts.
- Take one part and cover the rest with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying. Roll the dough into a ball and then into a rope, tapering the ends. You want a rope around 18 inches in length.
- Take the ends of the rope and criss-cross them to make a loop. Twist one more time, then bring the ends back over the top of the pretzel and tuck them in.
- Place the pretzels, about 2 inches apart, on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Make the glaze by dissolving the sugar in water. Brush the tops of the pretzels with this mixture and then sprinkle on some salt. I used fine-grained Himalayan sea salt because I didn't want big particles of salt on my pretzels, but use coarse salt if you wish.
- Bake the pretzels for 27 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden-brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Do I combine the ingredients in step 1 and 2? Or is the step 1 mix the water that might be needed in step 2?
Yes, add step 2 ingredients to the yeast and water. I'll clarify further in the recipe.
These are fantastic! And super easy. I used my stand mixer and dough hook to kneed and when blooming my yeast I used 1 tsp of sugar out of the tbs in the recipe. Came out perfectly. Thanks so much!
So happy to hear, Jessica!
I added a dip in boiling water mixed with baked baking soda and they came out super yummy with a perfect outer crunch.
This recipe looks great! I hope to try it today with my discard. Question--does the sugar add any sweetness or is it just a glaze? I want mine to be salty and not sweet at all. Thank you!
The sugar will give the glaze the stickiness needed to hold onto the pretzels, and it is too little to make the pretzels sweet, but if you don't want to use you can leave it out.
Yes! I made these with wheat flour and had to add extra water. I also omitted the milk and subbed with water. I stuffed half with a cream cheese/spinach/artichoke mix and mixed jalapenos and cheddar in the rest of the dough. So delicious!
Sounds incredibly delicious!
I was wondering if the dough would freeze?
This recipe looks perfect, and I'm excited to try it. Do you think it will work without added yeast if I use ripe starter and let the dough rest a bit?
We'll find out! (because I am impatient and will likely try it withing minutes of leaving this comment, lol)
Hi Amanda, it should work without the yeast. Let me know how it goes!
Curious if it worked without the yeast, because I was considering that route too (I’ve got a starter at home but would have to go buy some yeast at the store).
If using sourdough only, you could try using a recently fed starter (instead of unfed) and also rise times would be higher, but it should work.
This was my first sourdough recipe with your starter instructions ...easy and delicious. They didn’t look quite as good as they do in the picture so I have to work on my technique. I don’t want to eat all the bread I make so the neighbours get to taste. Thank you for the recipe!
Is there a reason why you omit dipping in boiling water and baking soda? I find that helps the ends stay down when baking.
It’s just how I make them — also less of a hassle.
Can I sub. Homemade oat milk for the soy? I wonder if oat flour would work as well? Tia
Yes on the oat milk, but not sure how oat flour would work since it lacks gluten.
Do you not feed your starter? This was my first time making one, and I used your recipe, but all the other recipes I've researched talk about "feeding" their starter, and you made no mention of it in your article. Did you just assume people knew they had to feed it? Or does your specific recipe not call for feeding? I'm so confused!!
Also, can you use the starter sooner than 3 days? Mine is just approaching 24 hours old, and I really want to start baking! Your input on these matters would be most appreciated!
You need to feed the starter after you use some-- add roughly the same amount of flour and water as what you remove, otherwise, of course, your starter will deplete and you won't have any left.
You could use your starter earlier but you won't get all the benefits of a good sourdough starter, including the flavor. I would strongly advise waiting three days.
Hi. I'm newly vegan and loving it! I've also been on a bread making spree lately and came across your sourdouch bread recipe, which led me to your starter. If you always add back what you take, isn't it kind of a never ending supply? Won't it eventually spoil?
Hi Jodie, so long as you refrigerate the sourdough, it will not spoil. It is meant to ferment, which is what makes it sourdough. Enjoy the bread-baking. It's addictive, isn't it?
Yes, it's definitely addictive! I'm thrilled to have discovered your recipes. And thank you so much for replying!! I've asked questions on other sites and never hear back. Sourdough bread is next on my list 🙂