BEFORE BEGINNING: Note that this dough requires 5-7 hours of resting at room temperature followed by a 12+ hour overnight fermentation in the refrigerator. I recommend preparing the dough in the morning or early afternoon and then baking the pretzels the next day.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note), combine sourdough starter, water, honey, butter, salt, and approximately half of the flour and stir until well-combined.

Attach the dough hook attachment to the mixer and begin to stir on low-speed. Add remaining flour as needed until the dough begins to cling to itself and pull away from the sides of the bowl (dough will still be quite sticky, but shouldn’t stick to your finger if you touch it).

Continue to knead dough with dough hook (medium/low speed) until smooth and elastic (usually 5-10 minutes longer).

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size (usually 5-7 hours).

Transfer to refrigerator and allow to rest for 12-18 hours (I let mine sit overnight) before proceeding.

The next dayPreheat oven to 400F (205C) and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside and prepare the lye bath (alternatively, see note for using a baking soda bath instead).

It is important to handle lye safely. Work in a well ventilated area and wear rubber gloves and eye goggles. Do not touch the lye or the lye/water solution and beware that if it splashes it may ruin surfaces. See notes for more information including instructions for disposing of the lye.

Set up your lye bath (see note if using baking soda instead of lye): Place a wide, deep glass dish (I use a 2.75qt glass casserole dish or similar) on one of your parchment paper lined baking sheets. Pour water into the dish and then carefully add lye and use a stainless steel spoon to stir until lye is dissolved. Set aside while you prepare your pretzels.

Remove pretzel dough from the fridge and divide into 10 equal pieces (handle the dough immediately, don’t let it sit or it will get too soft to use). Roll each into a long thin rope, about 20-24” (50-60cm) long, and twist into a pretzel shape (for assistance with shaping properly, see the how-to section in the post or watch the video tutorial).

Use a slotted spatula to lower each pretzel, one at a time, into the lye bath for 30 seconds, then carefully remove. Drain as much water as you can from each pretzel (the wetter they are the more likely they are to stick to the parchment paper and you’ll have to peel them off) then place on prepared baking sheet, spacing pretzels at least 2” apart (I do 5 pretzels per baking sheet).

Sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Transfer to center rack of 400F (205C) oven and bake pans 1 at a time for 12 minutes per pan, rotating the pan halfway through and baking until deep golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving. If they’ve stuck to the parchment, simply peel them off.