Yeasted Pretzel Loaf with Poolish

Ingredients

The Poolish (mix the night before)

A 100% hydration preferment that develops 12-14 hours overnight at room temperature.

• 200g (1½ cups) King Arthur bread flour
• 200g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) water (room temperature)
• 0.5g (⅛ tsp) instant yeast

The Final Dough

• ~400g (all of it) all of the poolish from above (about 400g)
• 230g (1 cup) water (room temperature)
• 225g (1¾ cups) King Arthur bread flour
• 225g (1¾ cups) Kirkland all-purpose flour
• 15g (2½ tsp) fine sea salt
• 3g (1 tsp) instant yeast

The Bath

• 4.7L (5 quarts) water
• 120g (½ cup) baking soda

For the Bake

• 4-5 cubes (4-5 cubes) ice cubes (for steam)
• 2 sheets (2 sheets) parchment paper (for sling and Dutch oven liner)

The Finish

• 28g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter (melted)
• 3g (1 tsp) Maldon flake sea salt

Total flour: 650g

Hydration: 66%

Pro tip: The poolish is what gives this loaf its depth. Don't skip it and don't shortcut the overnight rest. 12-14 hours at room temperature is what builds the flavor that mimics a sourdough preferment.

Equipment

Method

Make the Poolish

The poolish is a wet preferment, equal parts flour and water with a tiny pinch of yeast. It ferments overnight on the counter and develops the flavor depth that gives this loaf the soul of a sourdough.

1. Mix the poolish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour, water, and instant yeast. Mix until smooth and no dry flour remains.
2. Cover and ferment overnight. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Leave at room temperature (68-72°F / 20-22°C) for 12-14 hours. The poolish is ready when the surface is covered in bubbles and it has at least doubled in size with a slightly domed top that's just starting to recede in the center.

Wait: PT13H

Tip: If your kitchen is warm (above 75°F), pull the poolish at 10 hours and refrigerate it. A poolish that goes too far smells alcoholic and turns the dough sticky.

Mix the Final Dough

Combine the poolish with the remaining ingredients to form the final dough. The yeast in the final dough does the heavy lifting on bulk fermentation. The poolish brings the flavor.

1. Combine wet and poolish. Add the room temperature water to the bowl with the poolish. Whisk to break up the poolish and combine.
2. Add flour and yeast. Add both flours and the instant yeast to the bowl. Mix with a dough whisk until shaggy, then switch to your hands and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
3. Add the salt. After the 30-minute rest, sprinkle the salt over the dough and dimple it in with wet fingers. Use the rubaud method or stretch and folds for 2-3 minutes to fully incorporate.

Wait: PT30M

Build Strength

Two sets of folds with rests in between. Yeasted dough builds strength faster than sourdough, so we do less folding here.

1. First set of stretch and folds. Perform 2 sets of stretch and fold in the bowl. Cover, rest 30 minutes.
2. Second set of stretch and folds. Perform 2 more sets of stretch and folds. Cover and let bulk ferment.

Bulk Fermentation

The dough should rise by 75% at room temperature. Yeasted dough moves faster than sourdough.

1. Watch the rise. Cover and let the dough rise at 72-75°F (22-24°C) until it has increased by 75% in volume. This typically takes 1.5-2.5 hours. Mark the bowl with tape so you can track the rise accurately.
2. Don't overproof. Like the sourdough version, this dough cannot survive the boil if it's overproofed. Pull it at 75% rise, not full double. The dough should be smooth and domed on top, with a finger indent that springs back slowly. At this lower hydration the dough won't get jiggly or foamy. Trust the volume increase, not surface bubbles. The dough should still feel firm and springy, not slack.

Wait: PT2H

Pre-shape, Shape, and Cold Retard

Same shaping as the sourdough version. The cold retard isn't strictly required for yeasted dough, but it firms the dough up and makes the boil easier to manage.

1. Pre-shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Round it into a loose ball with a bench scraper. Cover with a damp towel and rest 15 minutes.
2. Shape into a boule. Lightly flour the top, flip the dough, and laminate it by stretching into a rectangle and folding the edges into the center. Flip seam-side down and shape into a tight boule using the bench scraper.
3. Into the banneton. Flour the banneton generously. Place the boule seam-side up in the banneton.
4. Cold retard (recommended). Cover with a plastic bag or shower cap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. This is shorter than the sourdough version because yeast keeps working in the cold. A longer retard risks overproofing. This firms the dough so it holds its shape during the boil. If you're baking same-day, proof the boule at room temp for 45-60 minutes covered, then chill for 1 hour minimum before boiling.

Wait: PT10H

The Alkaline Bath

This is the step that makes the loaf a pretzel. The baking soda creates an alkaline bath that gelatinizes the surface starches, which then bake into the deep mahogany pretzel crust. Move quickly. The dough only spends 60 seconds in the water.

1. Boil the water and preheat the Dutch oven. Bring 4.7L (about 5 quarts) of water to a rolling boil in a large stock pot. Preheat your dutch oven (with lid) in the oven to 450°F (232°C) at the same time. The Dutch oven needs at least 30 minutes to reach temperature.
2. Prepare two pieces of parchment. You need two pieces of parchment, each doing a different job: the BREAD SLING and the DUTCH OVEN LINER. Cut the bread sling first: a square of parchment large enough to fit under the loaf with extra on the sides for handles. Cut the Dutch oven liner second: a smaller piece that fits the bottom of your Dutch oven. Set the liner inside the preheated Dutch oven now (carefully, lid back on after) so it's ready when the loaf is.
3. Score the loaf on the sling. Take the banneton out of the fridge. Flip the loaf onto the bread sling (NOT the Dutch oven liner). Score the top with a lame: a single slash, a cross, or a square pattern. Don't score deeper than ¼ inch.
4. Add the baking soda to the boil. Once the water is boiling, slowly pour the 120g of baking soda into the pot. The water will fizz and rise dramatically. Wait for the foam to settle before adding the dough.
5. Boil 60 seconds total on the sling. Lower the loaf into the pot using the bread sling, with the loaf still ON the sling. The loaf and sling will float together. Set a timer for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, use a slotted spoon or spider to flip the loaf (still on the sling) and boil for another 30 seconds on the second side. 60 seconds total. No longer.
6. Lift out and drip briefly. Lift the loaf out using the bread sling. Let it drip for a few seconds. The surface will look slightly wet and slick. That's exactly right. Keep the loaf on the sling. It goes into the Dutch oven on this same sling.

Tip: Hot baking soda water is no joke. Wear long sleeves, keep a towel nearby, and keep kids and pets out of the kitchen for this step.

Bake

Straight from the boil into the preheated Dutch oven. Speed matters. The wet, alkalized surface needs immediate high heat to set the crust.

1. Add ice cubes to the Dutch oven. Open the preheated Dutch oven. The pre-cut Dutch oven liner should already be in the bottom. Drop 4-5 ice cubes around the edges of the liner (NOT directly on the parchment surface where the loaf will sit). The cubes will sit on the hot Dutch oven floor and generate steam during the bake. Even though the loaf is wet from the boil, this extra steam helps oven spring at this lower hydration.
2. Transfer the loaf to the Dutch oven. Lift the bread sling (with the boiled loaf still on it) and lower the entire sling into the Dutch oven, on top of the liner. The loaf bakes on the sling. The liner underneath separates the loaf from the ice cubes so the cubes can melt and steam without soaking the bottom of the loaf. Cover with the lid immediately.
3. Bake covered. Bake at 450°F (232°C) for 30 minutes with the lid on.
4. Rotate and continue. After 30 minutes, rotate the Dutch oven 180 degrees. Continue baking covered another 25 minutes, or until the loaf reaches 205-210°F (96-99°C) internal.
5. Verify doneness. Check internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer pushed into the side of the loaf. Don't trust color alone. The pretzel finish makes the crust look done long before the interior is.

Tip: The ice cube technique came from Candi's original method. The wet boiled surface alone doesn't generate enough steam in a covered Dutch oven for proper oven spring at this hydration. A few ice cubes on the hot Dutch oven floor (kept off the loaf by the parchment liner) make a real difference in how the loaf opens up during the bake.

Butter and Salt the Crust

The moment the loaf comes out, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flake salt. The hot crust soaks up just enough butter to glisten, and the salt locks on while the surface is tacky.

1. Butter immediately. Pull the loaf out of the Dutch oven onto a wire rack. Brush the entire surface with melted butter while the loaf is still hot.
2. Sprinkle the salt. While the butter is still wet, sprinkle Maldon flake salt across the top. Don't be shy.
3. Cool completely. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting too early will gum the crumb.

Shape and Variation Options

Same three options as the sourdough version. The yeasted base behaves nearly identically through the boil and bake.

Plain Pretzel Boule (recommended)

Base recipe as written. Butter and Maldon salt finish.

1. Follow the base recipe. No additions. The pretzel crust does the talking.

Cheddar-Stuffed (Candi's Version)

Inspired by Candi Brown-McGriff's cheddar version of the sourdough original.

1. Add shredded cheese during the second stretch and fold. During the second set of stretch and folds in the strength-building phase, scatter 100g (1 cup) of shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese across the dough. As you complete the folds, the cheese gets distributed throughout the dough rather than layered. This is Candi's actual method and it produces the caramelized cheese-through-the-score-lines finish you see in her bake.
2. Shape carefully. Shape into a tight boule. Some cheese will be visible near the surface and that's fine. During the boil and bake, exposed cheese caramelizes into the crust, which is what gives this loaf its signature look.
3. Boil and bake as written. Cheese will bubble through the score lines. That's the point.

Everything Topped

Apply everything bagel seasoning right after the boil, while the surface is still wet and tacky, so it fuses to the alkaline crust during the bake.

1. Apply seasoning straight after the boil. Right after lifting the loaf from the alkaline bath onto the bread sling, while the surface is still wet and tacky, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning evenly across the top. The wet boiled surface holds the seasoning through the transfer and the bake.
2. Skip the butter and flake salt finish. Bake as written, but skip the butter brush and Maldon salt at the end. The seasoning blend already contains salt, and butter on top would soften the alkaline crust.
3. Cool completely. Cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before slicing.

Bake

High heat, covered, in a preheated Dutch oven. The covered bake traps steam from the wet surface and produces the pretzel sheen.

Oven: 232°C / 450°F. Internal temperature when done: 96-99°C / 205-210°F.

Dutch Oven (recommended)

The only method recommended. The post-boil dough needs trapped heat and steam to set the crust properly.

Equipment: Dutch oven with lid, preheated to 450°F (232°C) for 30+ minutes

1. Preheat with liner. Preheat the Dutch oven (with lid on) at 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes. Place a parchment liner in the bottom of the Dutch oven during the preheat or just before transfer.
2. Add ice cubes. Drop 4-5 ice cubes around the edges of the parchment liner (not directly on the surface where the loaf will sit). The cubes generate steam during the bake for proper oven spring.
3. Transfer on the bread sling. Lower the bread sling (with the boiled loaf still on it) into the Dutch oven on top of the liner. Cover immediately.
4. Covered bake. Bake covered for 30 minutes, rotate 180°, then continue covered another 25 minutes or until internal temp hits 205-210°F (96-99°C).

Storage

• Room temperature: 2-3 days in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean cloth.
• Refrigerated: Not recommended. Refrigeration accelerates staling and softens the crust.
• Frozen: Up to 3 months. Slice before freezing and toast slices directly from frozen.
• Refresh: Toast slices in a toaster or warm a whole loaf at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes to revive the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip the poolish and use a straight dough?

You can, but the loaf won't have the same flavor depth. The poolish gives this version the long-fermented character that makes it worth choosing over a same-day yeasted recipe. If you skip it, increase the yeast to 5g (1½ tsp), use 650g flour and 430g water, and expect a faster bulk (1-1.5 hours) and a less complex flavor.

My poolish smells alcoholic. Is it ruined?

It's overfermented, but not necessarily ruined. Use it within the next hour or two. Add it to the dough immediately and reduce the bulk fermentation to 1 hour to compensate. If it smells sharp like nail polish remover, that's gone too far. Make a new poolish.

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?

Yes. Use the same weight, but bloom the active dry yeast in a few tablespoons of warm water (105°F) for 5 minutes before adding to the dough. Active dry yeast in the poolish doesn't need blooming because the long ferment activates it on its own.

Why did my loaf go pale on top after the boil?

Same answer as the sourdough version: the boil is what produces the pretzel color, but only if the bath is fully alkaline. Use ½ cup of baking soda (120g) in 5 quarts of water. Wait for the foam to settle before adding the dough. For a darker crust, bake the baking soda first at 250°F for 1 hour to convert it to sodium carbonate (a stronger alkali).

Can I make this same-day without the cold retard?

Yes. After shaping, proof the boule at room temperature for 45-60 minutes (until it passes a poke test - finger indent should slowly fill back about halfway). Then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up before the boil. The cold step is what lets the dough hold its shape in boiling water.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice (about 70g)): 175 calories, 33g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 2g fat, 1g fiber, 510mg sodium. Makes 10 servings.