Rye Pretzels

Rye Pretzels

Rye Pretzels by baker Lindsey Danis, inspired by The Perfect Loaf’s Sourdough Pretzel. Makes 12 pretzels at about 125 grams each.

Ingredients

Levain:
10 grams ripe sourdough starter
51grams Milestone Mill All Purpose flour
51grams Milestone Mill Bread flour
102 grams water

Main Dough:
453 grams Milestone Mill Bread flour
302 grams Milestone Mill Rye flour
369 grams water
17 grams fine sea salt
80 grams unsalted butter, softened
7 grams diastatic malt powder
8 grams sugar

Baking Soda Bath:
305 grams baking soda
4 cups water

Topping:
Pretzel Salt

Instructions

1. The night before baking, mix levain ingredients together to create levain. Cover and leave out overnight. Proceed with dough creation in the morning.
2. Combine levain and dough water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a spatula to mix the levain into the water. Add all of the other dough ingredients and mix with a dough hook on low until the mixture just comes together, adding a splash of extra water if needed. Then mix on medium low (speed 4) for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 3 hours. Once an hour during the rising time, give pretzel dough a set of stretch and folds. Cover when finished and let dough continue to rest.
3. When the dough has finished rising, weigh dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces. 

4. Punch down each piece with the heel of your hands to flatten it. Roll each piece into a cylinder or cigar and allow to rest for 15 minutes. The tighter the initial cylinder, the smoother the shaped pretzel will be. Keep pretzels covered with plastic wrap while they are shaped and rested.

5. After a 15-minute rest period, shape pretzels. Create a 16-inch long pretzel snakeby rolling the dough between your palms. Fold snake into a U shape. Bring the ends of the U together to create a crossed loop, twist twice, then fold the ends back over the dough to create the signature pretzel shape.

6. As pretzels are shaped, transfer them to a baking sheet covered with parchment.Let pretzels sit uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, transfer the covered sheets to the refrigerator for an overnight retard. Pretzels can also be baked the sameday the dough is made. If baking on the same day let the pretzels sit out for 30 minutes uncovered, then proceed with baking soda bath (steps 7, 9) and bake.

   7. Bake baking soda for baking soda bath (see page 3). Store cooled baking soda in aglass jar until needed.

   8. In the morning, uncover the pretzels. Let them sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutesto form a skin.

   9. Preheat oven to 450 F, convection if possible. While the oven preheats, mix bakedbaking soda with four cups of scalding water. The soda will come when the water isadded so be prepared to stir vigorously. The baked baking soda is acidic and will marstainless steel pans. If possible use a glass baking dish for the mixture.

   10. When the oven is preheated, and pretzels have had time to form a skin, give them abaking soda bath. Transfer pretzels into the baking soda liquid, allow to soak in thescalding water for 3 minutes, then take out of the bath and return to baking sheet. Usea slotted spatula or wear gloves when handling the mixture. Continue bathing pretzelsin the baking soda bath until all 12 have had a turn. Sprinkle pretzels with pretzel saltprior to baking.

   11. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 425, rotate baking sheets, and let bake for 5 more minutes.

   12. Cool pretzels on a baking rack and enjoy.

Baking Soda Bath:

1. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Pour baking soda onto prepared sheet pan. Bake at 300° for 1 hour. Let cool and store until needed.
   For more information on the baked baking soda method versus a lye bath for pretzels, see instructions by Harold McGee.