This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, and a King Arthur Baking affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We love Sourdough Pretzels with Mustard Dip at any time of year–not just during baseball season. They are best served warm, fresh from the oven, but they’re also good hours later warmed in a toaster oven or even the next day. But trust me, they won’t last long.
(Post modified with new photos on 10/11/23.)
Who doesn’t think about soft, chewy pretzels during baseball season? I know I do! These pretzels are even better because you can eat them at home. And they use my Sourdough Starter. These pretzels are also a perfect fit for your next Oktoberfest Celebration! So that’s three wins in my book!
Warm. Soft. Chewy. Salty.
Dip the pretzels in the tangy mustard sauce, and you will spoil your supper! Trust me, we know. We’ve done it. More than once.
More Sourdough Recipes to Enjoy
- Sourdough Artisan Pizza Dough
- Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Flatbread
- Sourdough English Muffins
- Sourdough Whole Wheat Bagels
Ingredients for Sourdough Pretzels with Mustard Dip
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- sourdough starter “unfed”
- warm water
- all-purpose flour
- dry milk powder
- diastatic malt powder, divided
- butter
- instant yeast
- salt
- water for boiling
- baking soda
- egg wash (1 medium egg + 1 tablespoons water)
- sea salt
Mustard Dip
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- prepared mustard
- whole grain mustard
- dried minced onion
- ranch salad dressing mix
- granulated sugar
- prepared horseradish
Instructions for Making this Recipe
To begin, gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
In a large bowl, mix together the “unfed” sourdough starter, lukewarm water, all-purpose flour, dry milk powder, diastatic malt powder, butter, instant yeast, and salt. Knead by hand or mixer until dough is smooth, but slightly sticky.
Cover and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes.
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat “convection” oven to 425 degrees.
Form the Pretzels
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Fold to gently deflate, then divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into an 18″ rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel, pinching the ends into the dough to seal.
Before forming your pretzels, you might want to watch a video or two online. There are lots of them available. But the gist is to roll each piece of dough into a rope about 18″ long. Grasp an end in each hand, twist the rope, and fold it under. Then pinch the ends together and boil them in water for a few minutes.
Forming the pretzels may sound confusing, but it’s not. It really doesn’t take much practice to figure it out. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.
If you prefer larger pretzels, feel free to divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a 20″-24″ rope, continuing with the recipe as written. This makes for a large, soft pretzel similar to what you might get at a concession stand.
Boil and Bake the Pretzels
The next step is to boil the pretzels. Add water to a large pot. Dissolve diastatic malt powder and baking soda into the water and bring to a boil.
Boiling the pretzels helps to make them chewy. Also, if you don’t have diastatic malt powder, you may use brown sugar in it’s place. The malt powder gives the pretzels their shiny crust and flavors it.
Place 2-3 pretzels into the water at a time and boil for 60 seconds, turning after 30 seconds.
Remove the pretzels with a wire strainer and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Spread egg wash over each pretzel, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. The egg wash also helps to create a nice, shiny brown top once baked. Repeat process until all of the pretzels have been boiled.
Bake in preheated “convection” oven for 15-17 minutes until pretzels are golden brown. Remove and place on wire racks. Makes 6-12 pretzels, depending on the size. Serve with Mustard Dip.
Prepare the Mustard Dip
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, prepared mustard, whole grain mustard, dried minced onion, ranch salad dressing mix (see my recipe for this here), granulated sugar, and prepared horseradish. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve with warm pretzels. Makes approximately 1 1/4 cup.
You’ll want to serve Sourdough Pretzels with Mustard Dip soon after coming out of the oven. If you can wait that long. But let them cool down a little or you’ll burn your mouth. If you have any leftovers, you may store them in a loosely covered container and reheat when ready to eat.
See more Sourdough Recipes Here. View Snack Recipes Here. Browse Oktoberfest Ideas Here.
Sourdough Pretzels with Mustard Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter fed and active
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dry milk powder
- 2 tablespoons Non-Diastatic Malt Powder or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3-4 quarts water for boiling
- 1 tablespoon Non-Diastatic Malt Powder or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 teaspoons sea salt
Mustard Dip
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup prepared mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon ranch salad dressing mix
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the unfed sourdough starter, water, all-purpose flour, dry milk powder, non-diastatic malt powder, butter, instant yeast, and salt.
- Knead by hand or mixer until dough is smooth, but slightly sticky.
- Cover and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat "convection" oven to 425 degrees.
Shaping the Pretzels
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Fold to gently deflate, then divide into 12 pieces. Roll each into an 18" rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel, pinching the ends into the dough to seal.
- Add water to a large pot. Dissolve the non-diastatic malt powder and baking soda into the water and bring to a light boil.
- Place 3 pretzels into the water a time and lightly boil for 60 seconds, turning after 30 seconds.
- Remove with a wire strainer and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat process until all of the pretzels have been boiled.
- Bake in preheated "convection" oven for 15-17 minutes until pretzels are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and place on wire racks. Makes 12 pretzels. Serve with Mustard Dip.
Prepare the Mustard Dip
- In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, prepared yellow mustard, whole grain mustard, dried minced onion, dried minced onionranch salad dressing mix, granulated sugar, and prepared horseradish. Mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve with warm pretzels. Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups.
