I like to make my pretzels with sourdough starter discard, because I think the sourness adds a lot to what’s an otherwise fairly bland bread (you could argue it’s the dips that make the pretzel, though!)
I do this (makes 3 medium pretzels, enough for my wife and I to share)
40g sourdough starter discard
85g any beer (or water)
1 tsp each salt, yeast, sugar
160gm white flour
2 tbsp butter
I warm up the beer and butter until the butter’s just melted (not too hot, don’t boil it). Add the yeast, starter, and sugar. Give it a good stir.
In a decent-sized bowl add the flour and salt, then add the liquids. Give it a good mix with a wooden spoon. The dough should be just wet enough that there are no dry bits in the bowl, and it should all glom together easily. This is not a wet dough; I find about 58% hydration to be good. If it’s sticking to your fingers it’s probably too wet.
Take the dough out of the bowl, give it a bit of a knead (a few minutes should be fine, it should be fairly stiff to start with and easy to knead).
Form it into a ball and chuck it in an oiled bowl, let it rise for at least an hour, then take it out and mercilessly squish the dough. You want the flavour of the fermentation, but not the airiness. Pretzels should be fairly dense. No prize for big air bubbles here.
Form the pretzels (youtube, it’s easy) and put them on parchment/baking paper that’s been oiled/buttered. Chuck em in the fridge or freezer, they’re easier to handle when cold.
If using lye, make a 3% mix (30gm lye per litre of water; 1 litre should be enough) and when the pretzels are cold and stiff dunk them in the lye water for a minute each. Drain them and move them back to the parchment paper (might be good to oil it again) and give them a good dabbing with a paper towel to dry off the surface a bit. If you don’t the salt flakes you’re about to sprinkle will soak into the dough. Sprinkle salt flakes (you do want flakes not normal table salt). Chuck into a 200C oven on fan bake (or just bottom element) for 6-8 minutes until just past golden brown. Be sure to check on them, all ovens are different.
