Quarantine sourdough pretzels

sorry for mixed units. I prefer metric mass units, but aspects of recipe pulled from multiple sources, in multiple units.

• 1/4 c ripe starter
• 250g water
• 6g salt (~< 3/4 tsp)
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 500g flour (2c more or less to make sticky dough)
• more flour

mix dry ingredients. Mix in wet ones, should form sticky dough.
keep adding flour until a fairly stiff (lower-hydration bread) dough, until barely not sticky.

In the end, we want a slightly sticky dough, somewhat higher-hydration than typical American style closed-crumb bread. It tends to get a little stickier as it is rested and stretched. So, the initial mix-in should be a little stiffer than desired in the final product.

autolase rest ... 30 min

Strech and fold every 30 min, 2 hours. (4-5 times)

cover and place in fridge. I prefer loosely capped, greased, pint containers... like for sour cream or take-out soup.

refrigerate overnight (all day) or up to several days.

Bread

Let rise in a not-quite airtight container.
Gently move from container, score top, and bake.
Scoring is important. Allows bread to rise as it bakes.
Sourdough with no added yeast is slow to rise, so I try to not disturb it. Just bake.

Pizza

Gently press flat, and let warm. Try not to disturb much, leaving air bubbles mostly in tact.
Stretch to larger shape. Top and bake.

preheat oven to 450F

Prepare boiling caustic, about 1/4 c baking soda per quart of water.

Gently stretch and roll piece of dough into a coil about 1cm diameter, perhaps 50 cm length.
form into pretzel.
boil 60-90 seconds in caustic.

Place on greased cookie sheet.

(optional) apply egg yolk wash (2 parts yolk, 1 part water)

bake 10-15 minutes until dark brown

allow to (mostly) cool

Mist with a little water, and dip in coarse salt