Sourdough Soft Pretzels

My lovely jar of sourdough starter has now contributed to three loaves of bread and a batch of soft pretzels. My husband was craving soft pretzels after a day out, so I told him I'd try making sourdough pretzels. The dough takes 2-3 hours to proof, so plan a little ahead. Top them any way you choose. You can sprinkle with coarse sea salt for a classic soft pretzel, shredded sweetened coconut if you're craving sweet, or jalapenos and shredded cheddar Daiya if you're feeling spicy. Turbokid dove for the sesame pretzel and ate the entire thing.

(Clockwise) Jalapeno-Cheddar, Sesame, Coconut, Cinnamon Sugar

 

 Sourdough Soft Pretzels

Dough:
2/3 cup sourdough starter
1 cup lukewarm water
3 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt

For boiling:
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda

Toppings:
olive oil (for savory) or coconut oil (for sweet) for brushing
Optional topping ideas: coarse salt, cinnamon and sugar, minced garlic, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nutritional yeast, sliced almonds, jalapenos and Daiya cheese, coconut shreds, etc.

Instructions: 
Combine starter, water, flours, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Knead dough for several minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm spot for 2-3 hours, until dough has doubled in size.

Stir baking soda into water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Preheat oven to 450F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper.

Dough balls. Keep them covered so they don't dry out.

Divide dough into 8 portions and roll each piece into a rope about 24 inches long. Keep the dough covered with plastic wrap or a towel when not working with it so it doesn't dry out. Knot each rope into a pretzel shape. Boil the pretzels for 30 seconds, one at a time, in the baking soda water. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain.

Knotted pretzel, pre-boiling. Boiling sets the shape and helps the toppings stick.

Place the pretzels on the baking sheets. Lightly brush with olive oil or melted coconut oil, then sprinkle on topping of choice.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Jalapeno and Daiya cheddar

Sweetened shredded coconut

Vampire-Away Kale Chips

One of the local health food stores had a sample of garlicky kale chips out one day so I tried them. They were wonderful, but cost something like $5-6 for a small container. I bought a bunch of kale a couple days ago, so decided I had to replicate those chips. Mine are baked instead of raw because I don't have a dehydrator and raw vegetables are hard on my finicky stomach.

Vampire-Away Kale Chips

1 bunch green kale
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 275F.

Wash kale, then remove the ribs and tear or cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss the kale with the olive oil, then with the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. I found it was easiest to get an even coating by shaking it in a container with a lid, but tossing in a bowl also works.

Place kale on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy, stirring once halfway through.

Roasted Chickpeas

These are one of my favorite snacks and picky Turbokid decided they were one of his, too. I couldn't even get him to put the bowl down long enough for me to take a picture, so he's my hand model here.

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread chickpeas into a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes.