Cheesy Sourdough Pretzel Bread

4.72 from 7 votes

Soft and chewy cheesy sourdough pretzel bread with a golden crust and melty cheese. Perfect for snacking and sandwiches.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Rise Time6

Total Time7

Servings:

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter or Levain

50 grams active sourdough starter ¼ cup
50 grams all-purpose or bread flour ⅓ cup
50 grams water ¼ cup

Pretzel bread

330 grams water 1⅓ cups
150 grams active sourdough starter (levain) ⅔ cup
30 grams brown sugar 2 Tablespoons
10 grams salt ½ Tablespoon
500 grams bread flour 3 ½ cups
100 grams cheddar cheese 1 cup

Pretzel Bath

1680 grams water 7 cups
75 grams baking soda ⅓ cup

Toppings

pretzel salt
14 grams butter 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

About 4 hours before making the sourdough pretzel loaf, build a levain or feed your sourdough starter at a 1:1:1 ratio. Cover and let it rest at 77–80°F until bubbly and doubled in size.
If you don’t have extra starter, add an extra 5–10 grams to each portion (starter, flour, and water) so you have enough to bake with and still keep your starter going.
50 grams active sourdough starter, 50 grams all-purpose or bread flour, 50 grams water
Skip this step if your starter is already activated and ready to bake with.
Note: If you want to start the loaf in the morning, you can feed your starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams active sourdough starter, 70 grams flour, 70 grams water) the night before and leave for about 10 hours at 72℉.
Shred cheese: Shred the cheese and set aside to bring to room temperature. This helps prevent the dough from cooling down, which can slow fermentation and extend the rise time.
100 grams cheddar cheese
Mix dough: In a 2-quart straight-sided container or a medium clear bowl, mix water, active starter, brown sugar, and salt using a Danish dough whisk, your hands, or a large spoon. Add the flour and stir until fully incorporated and the dough becomes shaggy. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes in a warm spot.
To follow the suggested timing, keep the dough temperature at 75°F.
330 grams water, 150 grams active sourdough starter (levain) , 30 grams brown sugar , 10 grams salt, 500 grams bread flour
Stretch and folds: Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds with a 30-minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on top of itself. Repeat this 3 more times, rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time. Cover and keep the dough warm between each set.
During the second set, incorporate the cheese if adding it.
First rise: Let the dough rest on the counter in a warm spot to finish bulk fermentation. Bulk fermentation is done when the dough is jiggly, domed on top, bubbly on the sides, and risen 50%. If it does not show these signs, continue to let the dough rise.
At a dough temperature of 75ºF, my dough is ready about 4 hours after mixing the dough.
Prep basket: Lightly flour an 8–10-inch proofing basket with all-purpose flour or rice flour.
If you don't have a proofing basket, line an 8-10 inch bowl with a lightly floured tea towel.
Shape: Turn the dough out onto an unfloured surface and gently stretch it into a thick rectangle. Begin shaping by folding the top edge down toward the center like an envelope, pulling gently to build tension. Next, lift the top two corners and fold them toward the center, slightly overlapping, then repeat with the bottom two corners.
Starting from one side, roll the dough over itself to form a ball, keeping the smooth side on top. Cup your hands around the dough and gently rotate it counter-clockwise toward you to tighten the surface and create a smooth, round shape.
Add to basket: Place it seam-side up in the floured proofing basket and cover.
Final rise same-day (option 1): Let the dough rest on the counter for 1–2 hours at 75°F.
To check for readiness, perform the poke test: gently press the dough with a lightly floured finger. If the indentation slowly springs back, it’s properly proofed and ready to bake. If it bounces back right away, it needs more time. If the indentation doesn’t spring back at all, the dough is overproofed and should be baked right away.
Once the dough is ready, place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before boiling.
Final rise overnight option (option 2): Place the dough in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours until ready to bake. No need to test if the dough is ready, just bake it straight from the fridge.
Preheat oven: Place a dutch oven in the oven and preheat it to 450℉. I also like to place a heavy-duty pizza stone on the rack underneath to prevent the bottom of my loaf from burning.
Boil water: Add 7 cups of water to a 3-4 quart saucier pan with ⅓ cup baking soda. Bring to a boil.
1680 grams water, 75 grams baking soda
Boil bread: Flip the bread onto a silicone bread sling (or an extra-large piece of parchment paper) and carefully lower the dough into the boiling water. Keep the sling straps or parchment edges out of the water so they’re easy to grab when removing the loaf. Boil for 1-2 minutes, using a ladle to gently scoop and pour the boiling water over the top of the dough.
Score: Using the straps of the bread sling or the sides of the parchment paper, carefully lift the dough out of the boiling water. If you are using parchment paper, put the bread on a fresh piece of parchment. With a bread lame or sharp knife, score an “X” on the top of the dough about ¼ inch deep.
Bake: Sprinkle the top with pretzel salt, then carefully transfer the dough to the Dutch oven. Bake covered for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 12–15 minutes. The bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 205°F.
Remove the bread from the dutch oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before slicing. If you are serving right away, brush the crust with melted butter and sprinkle with more pretzel salt if needed. If you don’t plan to serve the entire loaf, skip the butter and salt at the end as it won’t store well.
14 grams butter, pretzel salt

Notes

Saucier pan for boiling. I found that it was much easier to boil the loaf in a saucier pan rather than a large pot.
Boil after 2nd rise. Be sure to boil the bread after the second rise. This boil is what gives the dough that classic pretzel crust. If you skip the boil, you'll end up with a regular loaf of sourdough bread.
Freeze before boil. If you are using the counter-rise method, be sure to freeze the bread for 30 minutes before boiling. This will allow the dough to hold its shape. If you are using the refrigerator method for the second rise, you do not need to freeze the dough.
Substitutions. I use brown sugar in the dough to add a little richness and depth to the dough, similar to pretzels. But you can omit the sugar altogether or swap it out for 15 grams of honey or maple syrup. If you don't have pretzel salt you can use a coarse sea salt.
See sample schedules in the blog post.

Nutrition