Sourdough Pretzel Bites

5 from 3 votes

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

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Rise Time4

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

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, put the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the baking soda.
960 grams water, 15 grams baking soda
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 10-20 seconds. Scoop out the dough balls and place 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 at 450°F for 10-12 minutes.
Melt butter and toss the pretzels in butter and add more salt if desired.
28 grams butter, melted

Don't skip the baking soda bath before baking. This creates the chewy texture in the pretzel bites.
Let the dough rise and do not move on to the next step until it has doubled in size. This gives the pretzel bites a soft and airy texture.
Pretzel bites are best served fresh. To store leftovers, add to an airtight container and store on the counter for 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.