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sourdough pretzel bites baked to golden brown topped with seasonings and placed on a wooden block next to cheese sauce
Kyrie | Healthfully Rooted Home

Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Super fluffy sourdough pretzel bites are the perfect snack, or a fun appetizer to bring to a party. This recipe can also be made into traditional soft sourdough pretzels too.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Long-ferment 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 30 pretzel bites
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 50
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

Pretzel Bite Dough
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 2 tbs butter softened
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter active and bubbly
  • 2 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour  start with 3 cups, then add 1/4 cup until dough starts to pull away from the bowl and becomes workable.
Boiling Ingredients
  • 12 cups  filtered water
  • 1 tbs baking soda
  • 1 tbs coconut sugar
Pretzel Bites Toppings
  • 2 tbs topping of choice

Method
 

Pretzel Bite Dough
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine water, butter, honey, and sourdough starter until just combined.
  2. Switch to the dough hook attachment, add 3 cups of flour and knead the dough on low speed for about 5 minutes.
  3. While kneading, lightly coat a large glass bowl with coconut oil.
  4. Stop kneading and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
  5. Next add sea salt, and more flour (only if the dough is still pretty sticky - I find that 3 1/4- 3 1/2 cups is best)
  6. Knead for another 10 minutes.
  7. Turn off the mixer and do the windowpane test, meaning, pull a piece of dough up and stretch it - you should see light coming through the dough before the dough rips).
  8. Scrape the dough into your greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or beeswax wrap and ferment at room temp for 8-24 hours while the dough rises. You can get away with the longer end of that spectrum during the cooler months.
  9. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide it into about 12-14 pieces.
  10. Roll the pieces of sourdough pretzel dough into long ropes (about 1 inch thick).
  11. Shape each rope into a pretzel and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover and let rest for about 30-60 minutes.
Boiling Pretzel Bites
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F while the pretzels rest.
  2. Bring a large stockpot or dutch oven with water to a boil. Once boiling, add coconut sugar and baking soda.
  3. Place 3 pretzels at a time into the water. Remove with a slotted spatula after about 2-3 minutes on each side.
PRETZEL TOPPING AND BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Immediately after removing the pretzels from the boiling water, place the sourdough pretzels back onto the lined baking sheet and sprinkle with your topping of choice.
  2. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Video

Notes

How to Shape Sourdough Pretzel Bites

I do a combination of 3 techniques for rolling the dough:
  1. The first is to roll the dough against the surface of the countertop.
  2. Second is to take the dough in both hands and roll between my hands.
  3. Third is to stretch it out by taking both ends of the dough and let gravity stretch it.

How to Store Soft Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Soft pretzel bites are most delicious when eaten day-of. If you'd like to save them for later, it's best to freeze them while they're fresh. I recommend making your soft pretzels, setting aside the ones you'll eat right away then stashing the rest in the freezer once completely cooled.

Room Temperature

Store soft pretzel bites in a paper bag for up to 3 days. You can eat pretzel bites at room temperature or heat them up in the oven or microwave to the desired temperature.

Freezer

To freeze pretzel bites, let them cool to room temperature then individually wrap them in plastic wrap, then toss them in a freezer bag. Store your pretzel bites in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating From Frozen

To reheat your frozen pretzel bites, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw for about 20 minutes, then toss them into the oven or microwave and heat it until heated through.
You can skip thawing in a pinch and heat longer in the oven or microwave.

Sourdough Pretzel Bite Tips

  • is used to caramelize the outside of the pretzel.
  • Add baking soda - Don't skip the baking soda in the boiling water - this is used to increase surface gelatinization by breaking down some starch in the pretzel dough, and also gives the pretzels a "pretzely" taste. 
  • Have a separate baking sheet during boiling - It's nice to have a "working" parchment-lined baking sheet while you're boiling and topping the pretzels. This helps the extra water to drain off the pretzel bites so the baking sheet you're actually going to use to bake the bites doesn't get soggy.