Hard Sourdough Pretzel Rods

Hard Sourdough Pretzel Rods have a satisfying, salty crunch that can be paired with your favorite dip as an excellent snack or appetizer!

To achieve their dark brown, glossy exterior, I make a baked baking soda bath, which is a little easier and less scary for most home bakers to use over lye. Then, they’re brushed with an egg wash and a sprinkle of crunchy pretzel salt.

While the steps may seem a bit of a dance, the ingredients are very basic, and the process itself is quite forgiving. Plus, you can cut them to make smaller sourdough pretzel bites if you want to.

Be sure to read and follow my detailed instructions and tips below for making these hard pretzel rods so you get great results!

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Why Use Baked Baking Soda and How to Make It

Traditionally, pretzel recipes use a food-grade lye bath to get their dark, glossy, chewy exterior. However, lye is an uncommon ingredient that most home bakers don’t casually have around. Plus, it requires some extra safety precautions that frankly make it a little scary for most home bakers to use.

Thus, to achieve a similar effect (although it’s not the same as lye), bake ½ cup of baking soda on a sheet pan with aluminum foil in the oven at 250ºF (120ºC) for an hour. Baking the baking soda makes it more alkaline (it becomes sodium carbonate), mimicking some of the effects of lye, though to a lesser degree.

It’s a simple trick I learned when I was recipe-testing my Sourdough Pretzels a couple of years ago that enhances browning, improves the texture, and doesn’t carry the caustic risks of lye for home kitchens.

Baked baking soda alternatives

If you choose not to use baked baking soda, there are a couple of alternatives depending on your comfort level and preference.

One option is to use food-grade lye, which will yield the most authentic pretzel results. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the lye package, including all safety precautions like wearing goggles and gloves, and properly disposing of the lye solution after use.

For a more straightforward and accessible substitute, you can boil your pretzels in a water bath with a few tablespoons of regular baking soda and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or molasses. While this method won’t produce the same deep browning or chewy texture, it’s a quick and decent option for home bakers. This is akin to how I boil my Sourdough Bagels.

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🔍 Tips for Making Sourdough Pretzel Rods

• Shape the rods thin and as even as possible
  • I recommend shaping the pretzel rods quite thin (about ½-inch) so there is more crust and the exterior remains crunchy.
  • The rods also show shaping issues when they bake quite clearly, such as baguettes or Sourdough Croissants, so try to keep them straight and adjust them after boiling if needed.
• Don’t overproof or boil too long
  • Overproofing or boiling pretzels or bagels too long will make them deflate before baking. I typically only do a 30 minute or 1 hour final proof and boil them for 10 seconds. Since these are hard pretzels, it’s okay if they are underproof a bit, actually.
• For a darker crust, use baked baking soda and an egg wash
• I highly recommend getting a small bag of pretzel salt so you can get those nice, crunchy salt crystals!
• Depending on how crunchy you want your pretzels, you can extend the baking time at a lower temperature.

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🛠 Tools Needed:

• Baking scale: Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients is the best option! Weighing your ingredients by weight will make your baking more consistent and accurate.
• Stand mixer (recommended, but optional): For stiff doughs like this pretzel dough, I recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. But you can quickly knead the dough by hand as well.
• Wide pot: For boiling the baked baking soda bath
• Sheet pans: I prefer half-sheet or large sheet pans lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. I also use a small quarter-sheet pan for making the baked baking soda.
• Spider strainer (optional, but helpful): You can use a slotted spatula or other large slotted spoon to remove the rods from the boiling water.
• Pastry brush: For egg wash

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🛒 Ingredients Needed:

See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.

• All-purpose flour: I like all-purpose flour for these rods because it has a lower gluten/protein content than bread flour, which helps keep the rods from being too chewy. You could add any amount of whole wheat flour as well to make whole wheat pretzels.
• Water: I mix the dough with warm water so the dough temperature is warm, which helps bulk fermentation move a little faster.
• Salt
• Granulated sugar: There’s just a little granulated sugar in the pretzels, which helps season the pretzels for more flavor.
• Active Sourdough Starter
  • The pretzels are leavened, so you’ll want to use an active sourdough starter (not sourdough discard) for this recipe. See my top sourdough starter tips and learn How to Maintain a Small Sourdough Starter.
• Egg, for egg wash: Helps brown the pretzels and gives them a nice glossy sheen.
• Pretzel salt: I highly recommend the pretzel salt so you have that classic pretzel-like crunch and saltiess. However, you can use sea salt or kosher salt.
• Baked baking soda, for bath:
  • The baked baking soda is used to create an alkaline bath for the pretzels, akin to lye. This helps brown the pretzel rods and gives them their chewy, yet crunchy exterior.
  • To make baked baking soda, heat ½ cup of baking soda on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet at 250ºF (120ºC) for an hour. That’s it! See my other baked baking soda alternatives.

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🥨 How to Make Hard Sourdough Pretzel Rods

Follow this visual and detailed recipe guide as you make these hard sourdough pretzel rods. This recipe makes about 20 long pretzel rods, but it’s easy to double the recipe so you have more or divide them into smaller pieces to make sourdough pretzel bites.

1. Make the Levain

Mix 40g of bread flour, 40g of water, and 40g of active sourdough starter in a jar.

Cover with a lid, sit it in a warm location until doubled in size and full of bubbles about 4 hours.

Alternatively, skip this step and use enough starter for the recipe- 120g of active sourdough starter.

Learn more about what a sourdough levain is and the reasons why I usually recommend using one for home bakers.

2. Mix the Pretzel Rod Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix together the dry ingredients first (flour, salt, and sugar). Then, pour in the warm water and all of the levain.

Mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes until you have a thick, shaggy dough. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all of the flour is hydrated.

Cover the bowl with a clean towel or lid for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to rest and further hydrate. This will allow make the mixing a little easier.

Then, continue mixing for 7-10 minutes on medium speed until the dough smooths out, doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl, and is tacky.

3. Bulk Fermentation (First Proof)

Transfer the pretzel dough to a mixing bowl, cover, and set in a warm location for bulk fermentation for 5-6 hours, or until it’s doubled in size.

This dough is less picky than typical sourdough bread, so it’s okay if it overproofs some. But ideally, it doubles in size, feels full of air, and domes at the top of your bowl.

4. Divide and Shape the Pretzel Rods

The next day, line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly flour the parchment, and set aside.

Punch down the dough in the bowl and turn it out onto a clean work surface.

Then, weigh the dough and divide the number by 20 so you can measure out 20 equal-sized pieces. My total weight is usually close to 800 grams.

Use a bench scraper or knife to cut out 20 equal-sized pieces about 40 grams each (image 1 below). Then, use the palm of your hand to shape each piece into a ball (2). If there’s any sticking, lightly flour the palm of your hands.

To shape the pretzel rods, use the palms of your hands to roll each ball out into a long, even stick or rod about ½ inch thick. Taper them slightly on the ends like baguettes or breadsticks (3).

Place the pretzel rods on the prepared baking sheets close together for proofing (4).

5. Final Proof and Bake the Baking Soda

Due to the long first fermentation and cold proof, the sourdough pretzel rods shouldn’t need a long final proof. In fact, mine are often done at room temperature in just 30 minutes to an hour!

You can keep the baking sheets at room temperature or in a slightly warm environment like the oven with the light on. Proof until they’re slightly puffy and grown about 30% in size.

In the meantime, this is a good time to make the baked baking soda if you haven’t done so yet. Just follow my baked baking soda instructions above.

6. Boil the Pretzels

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC) as you boil the pretzels so you can bake them right after.

While not mandatory, it can be helpful to place the pan/s of proofed pretzel rods in the freezer while you prepare the baked baking soda bath so they will stiffen up some and be easier to transfer to the boiling water.

Fill a large, wide pot or Dutch oven with water and set it over the stovetop. Bring to a rolling boil and carefully pour your baked baking soda into the pot. (Alternatively, skip the baked baking soda and use a 2 TBS of brown sugar and a few TBS of baking soda in the pot). Wear water-proof kitchen gloves in case of splattering and when you’ll likely need to straighte the pretzels.

Place one proofed pretzel rod into the boiling water at a time for about 10 seconds. Then, gently lift it out of the water with a spider strainer (it will probably bend or be out of shape like my image below, which is normal).

Then, place the boiled pretzel rod back onto the same location on the baking sheet. Straighten it back into a rod if it’s misshapen any. Repeat with the remaining pretzel rods, one at a time.

7. Bake

Once all of the pretzel rods are boiled, beat an egg in a small boil and brush a light egg wash on top of the pretzels. Then, sprinkle pretzel salt on top of the rods.

Bake at 425ºF (218ºC) for 30 minutes, or until the pretzel rods are dark brown. Cool slightly or completely before enjoying!

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How to Store and Serve Pretzel Rods

Sourdough pretzels are best the day they’re made and served as an appetizer or snack.

For short-term storage, let the pretzels cool completely before storing in order to not trap too much moisture. Then, store them in an airtight container for 1-2 days. If they soften some, you can reheat them in the oven to crisp back up slightly.

I don’t recommend freezing sourdough pretzel rods.

These pretzel rods are excellent to serve for football or Super Bowl parties, Oktoberfest festivities, or as a fun party appetizer. I like serving them with grainy mustard or beer cheese, on a charcuterie board, or as a breadstick alternative.

I think they look best served upright in a wide-mouth jar, like a mason jar or small vase, which makes them easy to grab for guests.

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❓ FAQs:

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Other Sourdough Recipes You May Enjoy:

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