Secret ingredient= goat milk.
These won't last long. Trust me.
Traditionally, when you search for sourdough pretzel recipes you will notice a couple of ingredients you might not just keep around the house.
Or at least we don't!
I have tweaked traditional recipes and I have found this is my best one yet!
Most of you all know, we raise dairy goats! This recipe uses goat milk in place of nonfat dry milk. Goat milk for the win!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup unfed sourdough starter, straight from the refrigerator- discard
3 cups bread flour. I have also used All-Purpose and that would be okay.
1/4 goat milk* (I bet you could use cow's milk too)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt- if I am honest, I don't measure this. I just add a pinch.
2 teaspoons instant yeast
Mix all of this above up by hand or in a mixer. I use a mixer and use the bread hook attachment. The dough once mixed well will be firm, yet sticker. Sticker than traditional sourdough loaf bread, and more uniform looking.
Let it rest for 45 minutes or so just on the counter.
Towards the end of that time period, preheat your oven to 350.
Divide the dough into 12-18 even chunks and roll out. If you are new to rolling dough, or just slow like me you might want to cover the dough you aren't working with with a towel or plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out.
Form your dough into pretzels. Don't worry, I had to look up what they were supposed to look like the first time too.
Before going into the oven, brush the pretzels with about 1 tablespoon of dissolved sugar and then sprinkle with salt. Whatever salt you have is fine. You don't have to use pretzel salt. I normally use sea salt because we always have it at home.
Bake them for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Brush with melted butter and a tad more salt if you wish when you get them out of the oven.
Enjoy.