Lectin Free Gourmet sourdough comes through again with pretzel rods. Soft or hard, sweet or salty, gourmet pretzels make great game food or holiday treats.
When you have LFG sourdough starter, almost anything is possible. These sourdough pretzel rods taste like the ones you remember before you couldn't eat them anymore because you're on a restricted diet. But now you can have them again, thanks to the Lectin Free Gourmet.
First you'll need LFG sourdough starter, so if you haven't fermented yours yet, get on it. See what you're missing out on?
Next you'll need special lectin free flours. Sorghum, tapioca, and my special 2:1:1 LFG blend -- cassava, almond and coconut flour. A lot of people ask about the exact measurements for my LFG flour blend. For one cup of total LFG flour, you need 1/2 cup cassava, 1/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup blanched almond flour. That adds up to one whole cup. I mix a big batch of my flour blend ahead of time and keep it in a big canister in my baking drawer so I can measure out the quantity needed for each recipe without having to do all the math. I SUCK AT MATH! Especially fractions! Like, if a recipe calls for 1/3 cup LFG flour, I scratch my head trying to figure out the 2:1:1 ratio for 1/3. So having it premixed is way easier.
Anyway, let's get to this exciting recipe. You're going to love it!
The Recipe
LFG Sourdough Pretzel Rods
1 3/4 C Tapioca Flour
1/2 C Sorghum Flour
1/2 C LFG Flour Blend*
1 t Salt
1 C LFG Sourdough Starter (or 12-hour leaven)
3/4 C Warm Compliant Milk (your choice)
1 T Raw Local Honey
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Egg
Poaching Bath
10 Cups Water
1/2 C Baking Soda
1 T Raw Local Honey
Egg Wash
1 Large Egg
2 T Water
* LFG Flour Blend is 2:1:1 cassava, coconut and blanched almond flours
Topping Suggestions
Kosher Salt
Chocolate Ganache and Yogurt Drizzle
Smoked Sea Salt and Herbs
Cinnamon and Sugar
Instructions:
Step 1: Mix the Dough
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, dump tapioca starch, sorghum flour, LFG flour and salt into the bowl. Mix on low for about 10 seconds until well blended. In a pourable large measuring glass, add warm milk, honey olive oil, and egg. Whisk well! Add LFG sourdough starter and whisk well again. Turn stand mixer on and slowly pour the starter mixture into the dry mix. Mix on low for about 5 minutes. You may need to stop a few times to scrape the sides, bottom and paddle to get all the ingredients well incorporated. Once you have a large, shaggy, single dough ball, stop.
Step 2: Let the Dough Rise
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Coat your fingers with a little olive oil or water for this next part. Lift the shaggy mass from the bowl and shape it into a big ball. Place it back into the bowl and cover with a proofing cloth or dish towel. Let rise for one hour or until you can gently push your fingerprint into the center and the dough bounces back. Now it's ready.
Step 3: Shape the Dough Into Rods
Lift the dough out of the bowl and place it onto a clean working surface, like a granite countertop. No need to flour the surface. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. With the palm of your hands, not fingertips, roll the pieces into rods about 10 inches long. Place the rods onto two parchment lined baking sheets. Cover with buttered plastic wrap and proof for one hour.
Step 4: Poach the Rods
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a roasting pan on two stovetop burners, bring 10 cups water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add baking soda and honey. A slight chemical reaction will occur, so get the kids. FUN! After the excitement, whisk well. Place one of the baking sheets with rods right next to the roasting pan. Carefully, set 12 pretzel rods at a time into the poaching bath. Place the first one, closest to the baking sheet then work your way to the farthest side. Once the dough puffs up and floats, remove the rod, careful not to break them. Use two utensils, like a slotted spoon and a slotted spatula, and roll the rod up the side of the roasting pan, let the water drain, then flip the poached rod out of the pan onto the baking sheet. This is the best way not to break them. Arrange the poached rods in Repeat the poaching process with the other 12.
Step 5: Egg Wash & Bake the Rods
In a cereal bowl, whip one egg with 2 tablespoons water. Brush the rods, top and undersides, with the egg wash. Sprinkle with your desired seasoning. I like coarse kosher salt, but you can use rock salt, pink Himalayan sea salt, smoked sea salt & herbs, cinnamon & sugar or whatever you desire. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, rotating the sheets at 15 minutes, until the pretzel rods are dark brown, glossy and still soft. At this time you have soft pretzel rods. You can stop here and serve with mustard for game snacks.
For hard pretzel rods, which are great for dipping in chocolate, reduce heat to lowest setting after 20 minutes and dry the rods out for another 20 minutes or until hard. Eat them plain or dip in melted chocolate.
Enjoy!