Is there anything better than a golden brown, warm Sourdough Pretzel Buns fresh out of the oven?

Originally Published 06/19/2021

Mmmm… Right now, I can’t think of many things that make me happier!

Miss Lucille’s Cafe in Clarksville, Tennessee serves Pretzel Bun Brisket Sliders. These sliders are so good! They cross my mind from time to time, and like a song stuck on repeat in my head, I can’t quit thinking about them until I eat one!

So I decided to make my own pretzel bun to satisfy that craving!

This Sourdough Pretzel Buns recipe is also a sourdough discard recipe. So if you need a place to use up some of that leftover sour greatness – this recipe is for you!

If you’d like to make these without sourdough – check out Bake it With Love’s Pretzel Bun recipe as my sourdough version is based on hers!

Ok – on to making these!

For this pretzel bun recipe,

I used a kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients. If you don’t have a kitchen scale though, the approximate cup/spoon measurements are off to the side of the recipe as well! So, start by adding the warm water, sourdough discard, brown sugar, and yeast to your mixer.

Let the yeast proof for a few minutes and then add the room-temperature butter, bread flour, and salt. I like to add the salt after the flour so the flour can act as a buffer between the salt and the yeast. Yeast doesn’t necessarily love salt.

Mix everything until the dough forms and then knead for another 5-8 minutes. The dough shouldn’t be too wet and sticky, but it shouldn’t be super dry either.

After the dough has been kneaded by the mixer,

place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for at least an hour. It should double in size during this time! After the hour is up, tip the dough out on your counter and divide it into 10 equal pieces. This is where a kitchen scale comes in handy again! You can weigh the total weight of the dough, divide it by 10, and then weigh out equal pieces… Or if you don’t care to be that precise, just eyeball it! 😂

After you get 10 lumps of dough, shape each pretzel bun into a tight little round ball. You’re trying to create surface tension across the top of the dough so it will hold its shape better while soaking in the soda bath and then baking. Place each pretzel bun on the lightly oiled, parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rise for another 20 minutes.  

While the Sourdough Pretzel Buns are rising,

get a pot of water mixed with a 1/2 cup of baking soda, boiling. Giving the pretzel buns a little dip in this baking soda bath is what gives them their characteristic pretzel flavor, skin, and golden brown loveliness! It’s a step that can’t be skipped or you just have buns. Albeit, they may be tasty buns – they won’t be pretzel buns!

Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the stove and leave the pot on the burner.

Take the risen pretzel buns and carefully put them in the water upside down for 30 seconds, and then right side up for 30 seconds. They only need a quick dip, and then put them back on the baking sheet.

It’s best if you work quickly on this part so they don’t sit and cool off/dry out too much before you get them in the oven. So, try and get as many in the pot at one time as you can without them touching and sticking together.

Once the pretzel buns are back on the baking sheet,

use a bread lame, razor blade, or very sharp knife to score an X on top of each one. Next, place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

They don’t take too long to bake!

You’ll know they’re done when they’ve turned a lovely dark, golden-brown color! Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter, and once you pull them out of the oven, while they’re still on the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel bun with it!

Yum! After this, you can remove them from the tray and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Finally,

you get to eat one of these beauties! I couldn’t wait and ate one as soon as it was cool enough to dig in! Super good even plain! My husband smoked brisket the day before. So, I made some homemade blue cheese dressing and we loaded each pretzel bun up with brisket, lettuce, and dressing… hit the spot!

These pretzel buns are the perfect slider size, but they could be made bigger to hold burgers, BLTs, and spicy chicken. etc.! I hope you try the recipe out and let me know what you think!

Print Recipe

Sourdough Pretzel Buns

These Sourdough Pretzel Buns are easy to make and dangerously delicious! A great sourdough discard recipe – and the perfect buns for all your summertime BBQs!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Rise Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Servings: 10 rolls

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Mixer
• Kitchen Scale
• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Large bowl
• Large Pot
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Pretzel Roll Dough

• 220 grams Warm Water 1 Cup
• 120 grams Sourdough Discard 1/2 Cup
• 3 grams Brown Sugar 1 tsp
• 7 grams Yeast 2 1/4 tsp
• 45 grams Salted Butter Softened 3 tbsp
• 500 grams Bread Flour 3 Cups
• 12 grams Salt 2 tsp
• 30 grams Salted Butter Melted 2 tbsp

Baking Soda Water Bath

• 5 Cups Water
• 3 tbsp Baking Soda

Instructions

Pretzel Dough

• In your Kitchenaid Mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add in the 220 grams of warm water, 120 grams of sourdough discard, 3 grams of sugar, and lastly the 7 grams of yeast. Let the yeast proof for 3-5 minutes.
• After this, add in the 45 grams of softened butter, 500 grams of bread flour, and lastly the 12 grams of salt. Mix with bread hook until everything comes together and then knead for 5-8 minutes. The dough shouldn’t be too dry, or too wet and sticky. Adjust with minor amounts of flour or water to fix either, if necessary.
• Once the dough has finished kneading, remove it from the mixing bowl and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for one hour somewhere warm. It should double in size.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil.
• After the first rise, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and shape them into rounds. Place each pretzel bun on the baking sheet, lightly spray them with oil, cover them with plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for another 20 minutes.
• While the pretzel buns are rising, fill a large pot with 5 cups of water and 3 tbsp baking soda. You need enough water so that the pretzel buns don’t touch the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil and then turn off the stove.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• After the pretzels have risen for the last 20 minutes, use a slotted spoon to place them in the water upside down for 30 seconds, then flip them right side up for 30 seconds, and then return them to the baking sheet. Put as many in the pan as you can fit without them touching each other as they can get stuck together if they touch.
• Once all the pretzel buns have taken a dip in the baking soda water and are back on the baking sheet, place them on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until they are deep golden brown!
• After they are finished baking, remove them from the oven and brush melted butter over the top of each one of them. Then, remove them from the baking sheet and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.
• Slice them in half and fill them with whatever goodness you’d like! Or just eat them plain and enjoy that amazing pretzel bun flavor!

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save