Sourdough Pretzel Bites

4.69 from 29 votes

Buttery, salty, and perfectly chewy, these soft sourdough pretzel bites are made with active starter and baked to golden brown perfection!

Prep Time4 20

Cook Time12

Rise Time4

Total Time8 32

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Active Sourdough Starter or Levain

60 grams active sourdough starter ¼ cup
60 grams all-purpose or bread flour scant ½ cup
60 grams warm water ¼ cup

Pretzel dough

160 grams water, heated to 100°F ⅔ cup
175 grams active sourdough starter ¾ cup
28 grams butter, melted 2 Tablespoons
5 grams salt 1 teaspoon
350 grams bread flour 2½ cups
30 grams brown sugar 2 Tablespoons

Water bath

960 grams water 4 cups
30 grams baking soda 2 Tablespoons

Topping

5-10 grams Coarse pretzel salt or sea salt 1-2 teaspoons
28 grams butter, melted 2 Tablespoons

Instructions

3–4 hours before making the dough, make a levain or feed your sourdough starter and leave it covered at around 77–80℉ to double in size. Skip this step if your starter is already activated and ready to bake with.
60 grams active sourdough starter , 60 grams all-purpose or bread flour, 60 grams warm water
Add all the dough ingredients together and knead in a stand mixer on low for 3-5 minutes or by hand until the dough is soft and smooth.
160 grams water, heated to 100°F, 175 grams active sourdough starter, 28 grams butter, melted, 5 grams salt, 350 grams bread flour, 30 grams brown sugar
Place the dough in a bowl to rise until doubled in size. At 80°F this took 4 hours.
Once the dough is ready, pour the water and baking soda in a pot and bring to a boil.
960 grams water, 30 grams baking soda
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 3 sections.
Roll each piece of dough into a long rope by pressing your palms down and gently rolling back and forth to stretch it until it reaches 20-22 inches in length.
Cut the dough into 1 inch sections. Repeat with the other 2 sections.
Work in batches, adding the dough pieces to the boiling water for 15-20 seconds. Scoop out the dough balls and place them in a colander.
Immediately sprinkle the dough balls with pretzel salt while the balls are still damp.
5-10 grams Coarse pretzel salt or sea salt
Place the pretzel bites on a parchment- lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown.
Melt butter and toss the pretzels in butter and add more salt if desired.
28 grams butter, melted

Notes

Keep in a warm spot. If the dough is at 80°F, the dough will double in about 4 hours, but if the dough temperature is lower, it will take longer to rise. At 68-70°F, you could leave the dough to rise overnight instead.
Ensure dough is doubled in size. Let the dough rise and do not move on to the next step until it has doubled in size or the pretzels will likely bake up pale and dense. Add the pretzel dough to a straight edge container so you can easily see when the dough has doubled in size.
Storing in advance. If you’re making the pretzel bites ahead of time, skip sprinkling the pretzel salt over the boiled pieces and adding the butter and salt on top of the baked pieces. Adding salt early can cause the pretzels to become soggy and wrinkled while storing them. Instead, right before serving toss in butter and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
Make-ahead instructions. Place the dough in the fridge for up to 12 hours before baking. If the dough was not fully risen before placing in the fridge, it can stay in the fridge up to 18 hours.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping. For a sweet version, toss the warm baked pretzel bites with 4 tablespoons of butter. Combine ½ cup granulated sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, then toss the buttered pretzels in the sugar mixture until evenly coated.

Nutrition