Hard Sourdough Pretzel Rods

Make the Levain:
Mix the active sourdough starter, bread flour, and water for the levain in a jar.
Cover and set in a warm location for 4-5 hours until doubled in size and bubbly.
Alternatively, skip this step and mix 120g of active starter into your dough in the next step.
40 grams Sourdough Starter, 40 grams Water, 40 grams Bread Flour
Mix the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Then, pour all of the levain and water into the bowl and begin mixing for a couple of minutes on low speed until the dry ingredients are just mixed, but shaggy and stiff.
Cover with a towel for 10 minutes to rest and further hydrate.
Continue mixing for 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, tacky, and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
420 grams All-purpose Flour, 25 grams Granulated Sugar, 12 grams Kosher Salt, 260 grams Warm Water, Levain
Cover the bowl and place in a warm location to proof for 5-6 hours. Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough has doubled in size and feels full of air.
Refrigerate the dough overnight, or for up to 48 hours.
The next day, line two baking sheets with lightly floured parchment paper.
Punch down the cold dough and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Weigh the dough and divide that number by 20. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into 20 equal-sized portions. Mine are typically 38-40 grams each.
Use the palm of your hand and the friction of the work surface to roll each piece into a round ball (only flour the palm of your hands if there is sticking).
Then, roll the balls into long, slender pretzel rods about 9 inches long and an ½ inch thick with slightly tapered ends. Place them an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Set aside to proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour until they've risen a bit and feel puffy.
Meanwhile, you can make the baked baking soda. To do so, preheat the oven to 250ºF (120ºC). Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and add the baking soda. Bake for an hour.
Baking the baking soda will transform the sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate and help you get dark brown pretzels. Feel free to make the baked baking soda ahead and store in it an airtight container (or use another substitute given in the detailed post above).
½ cup Baking Soda
Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425ºF (218ºC).
Fill a wide dutch oven or large pot over a stovetop with water and bring to a boil. Add all of the baked baking soda (it will bubble at first and turn cloudy).
Wearing safe kitchen gloves, gently drop one pretzel rod at a time into the bath for about 10 seconds. It's okay if they lose their shape or bend. Then, lift the rod out of the water with a spider strainer and place it back onto the prepared baking sheets. Arrange it so it's as straight as possible and bakes evenly. Repeat with the remaining pretzel rods.
If the dough is too sticky or difficult to handle, place the pan into the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen up.
Water
Beat one egg in a small bowl and use a brush to apply a thin layer of egg wash to the pretzels rods, followed by a sprinkle of pretzel salt.
Bake the pretzels for 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. When done, the pretzels should be dark brown and shiny.
Cool on wire racks and serve warm or at room temperature day-of.
1 Egg, Pretzel Salt

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain

Sourdough Pretzel Rods:

Baked Baking Soda Bath:

Instructions

Notes