These soft and salty sourdough discard pretzel bites are made with simple ingredients and are delicious served up warm with your favorite cheese sauce. Or try them sweet with an irresistible cinnamon sugar coating.
Homemade pretzel bites are a total hit as a party snack. Planning on hosting a gathering soon? Dish up these freshly baked soft pretzels and watch the serving tray get swarmed by hungry guests who will, no doubt, rave about their new favorite party food.
It's a tossup between these sourdough discard pretzel bites and our beloved sourdough bomboloni doughnuts as our family's favorite make-your-taste-buds-explode recipe. Flip a coin, it's really a win-win situation!
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Ingredients
- Sourdough discard: This imparts a delicious, tangy flavor and helps give us that chewy pretzel texture. Baking these pretzels is a great way to use up discard!
- Warm water: This is the liquid for bringing all the dough ingredients together.
- Bread flour: Using bread flour is a great way to add more structure to a baked good, and it helps give that chewy crust that you expect from homemade pretzels.
- All-purpose flour: Because we want a combination of chewy and soft, the addition of all-purpose is what guarantees those soft sourdough pretzels.
- Brown sugar: For a touch of sweetness in the dough and for extra color and shine in the boiling water step.
- Salt: What pretzel recipe would be complete without this crucial ingredient?
- Butter: For a rich and flavorful dough incorporate butter into the mix.
- Instant dry yeast: To lift these sourdough discard pretzels use instant yeast.
- Baking soda: When boiling the bites in water the baking soda helps to develop that dark outer crust during the baking process.
- Egg yolk: A mixture of water and egg yolk for the egg wash will make these pretzels shine.
- Coarse salt: My favorite part of the pretzel is the delicious sprinkling of coarse salt over the tops.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Step 1. Mix the warm water and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the instant yeast on top and allow it to sit until foaming and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Step 2. Add both types of flour, salt, and the softened butter and mix using a dough hook on low speed until combined.
Add in the sourdough discard and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. This may take around 10-15 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand. Do this by pulling a small section of the dough up above the rest, then folding it over the top of itself, and pushing it back into the dough using the heel of your hand. Repeat this hand-kneading process for at least 10 minutes.
Step 3: Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water if necessary, adding one Tablespoon at a time. Aim for a dough that is firm, smooth, and not sticky.
Perform the "window-pane test" to see if the dough is kneaded properly. Do this by stretching the dough gently. If it stretches into a thin, translucent membrane that you can see through, then the gluten has developed adequately and it's time to stop mixing.
Step 4: Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large greased bowl, covering it with plastic wrap. Allow to set at room temperature for 60-90 minutes for the bulk fermentation process. The dough should double in size.
Step 5. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare two half-sheet trays with parchment paper. Bring 10 cups of water and ⅔ cup of baking soda to a boil in a large pot.
Step 6: Place the dough on a clean, dry surface and divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 24-inch (60cm) long rope. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the rope into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Transfer pieces to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let rise for another hour or so.
Step 7: Boil each bite for 20 seconds per side, ensuring they float. If they don't float, no worries, simply leave the remaining bites to rise a little more before boiling the rest. Remove boiled bites from the water using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 8: Brush all the bites with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt to taste.
Step 9: Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated oven or until they turn a golden brown color. The baking soda will cause them to develop a dark brown crust, so don't be alarmed! Allow baked bites to cool on a wire rack before serving with mustard or your preferred dip.
Hint: The baking soda is added to the boiling water to ensure a chewy pretzel texture and golden brown exterior. It also holds the shape of the pretzels so they don't puff up too much in the oven. If you skip this baking soda bath, you'll end up with bread-bites instead of pretzel-bites.
Variations
Sourdough Pretzel Knots: For a fun variation of shape try tying the dough into knots instead of bites. These shapes are great for holding onto dips and scuase and give more surface area for fun coatings.
Fun Pretzel Toppings:
- Cinnamon sugar: - Instead of washing with an egg wash before baking, bake the pretzels plain and melt 4 Tablespoons of butter. Mix ¼ cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Once the pretzel bites are done baking, brush with melted butter while still warm and then dip and coat them in the cinnamon sugar. Serve these the same day.
- Parmesan: As with the cinnamon sugar variation, bake the pretzels plain and melt your butter. Mix up ¾ cup parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Brush baked pretzels with melted butter and dip into the mixture. Serve immediately.
If you're looking for a gluten-free sourdough pretzel option you can try this recipe by Kim at Let Them Eat Gulten Free Cake.
Substitutions:
Brown Sugar: You can substitute honey or maple syrup for the sugar in the dough of this recipe.
Bread flour: If you don't have any bread flour on hand, you can totally get away with 100% all-purpose flour.
Tools You'll Need
- Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment - Not a requirement for this recipe but a definite help!
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer - I really like the spider stainer for easily scooping the bites out of the boiling water. I also use this all the time when I make my Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bagels.
- Bench scraper - I pretty much use this tool anytime I'm dealing with dough. It's just super handy!
- Pastry brush - For brushing on the egg wash.
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Do the float test! When you put the pretzel bites into the boiling water, make sure they float. If not, cover the unboiled pretzels with plastic wrap and allow them to rise longer, about 10-20 minutes, then try again.
- Shake off the water. After boiling, shake any excess water from the bites before transferring them to the parchment-lined baking sheet. This will help keep them from sticking.
FAQ
This recipe uses sourdough discard which is not as active as an active and bubbly starter. In this case, we need an additional leavening agent to raise the dough.
A classic dipping sauce for pretzels is mustard. Try a honey mustard dipping sauce for a great salty and sweet combination.
Yes! Allow the sourdough pretzels to cool completely and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat them simply reheat them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until they are warm and soft.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites
Jump to VideoEquipment
- 1 stand mixer with a dough hook attachment optional, although it does make things easier!
- 1 slotted spoon or spider strainer
- 1 bench craper or a very shart knife
- 1 Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 150 grams sourdough discard
- 250 grams warm water
- 300 grams bread flour
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 40 grams brown sugar
- 8 grams salt
- 50 grams butter
- 4 grams instant dry yeast
Baking Soda Bath
- water 1.9 liters approximately
- 30 grams baking soda
- 30 grams brown sugar
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 ml water
- coarse salt to taste for topping
Instructions
- Mix the warm water and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the instant yeast on top and allow it to sit until foaming and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
- Add both types of flour, salt, and the softened butter and mix using a dough hook on low speed until combined.Add in the sourdough discard and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated and the dough is smooth. This may take around 10-15 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand. Do this by pulling a small section of the dough up above the rest, then folding it over the top of itself, and pushing it back into the dough using the heel of your hand. Repeat this hand-kneading process for at least 10 minutes.
- Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water if necessary, adding one Tablespoon at a time. Aim for a dough that is firm, smooth, and not sticky.Perform the "window-pane test" to see if the dough is kneaded properly. Do this by stretching the dough gently. If it stretches into a thin, translucent membrane that you can see through, then the gluten has developed adequately and it's time to stop mixing.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large greased bowl, covering it with plastic wrap. Allow to set at room temperature for 60-90 minutes for the bulk fermentation process. The dough should double in size.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare two half-sheet trays with parchment paper. Bring 10 cups of water and ⅔ cup of baking soda to a boil in a large pot.
- Place the dough on a clean, dry surface and divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 24-inch (60cm) long rope. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the rope into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Transfer pieces to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let rise for another hour or so.
- Boil each bite for 20 seconds per side, ensuring they float. If they don't float, no worries, simply leave the remaining bites to rise a little more before boiling the rest. Remove boiled bites from the water using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush all the bites with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt to taste.
- Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated oven or until they turn a golden brown color. The baking soda will cause them to develop a dark brown crust, so don't be alarmed! Allow baked bites to cool on a wire rack before serving with mustard or your preferred dip.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Baking Schedule
For a long-fermented version of this recipe omit the instant yeast and use active starter instead of discard. You can follow this baking schedule.
8 AM to 12 PM: Feed your sourdough starter so it will be active and bubbly when you are ready to mix up the dough.
8 PM: Mix the dough together and cover it tightly to ferment overnight.
8 AM the next day: Shape the dough and let it rise for an hour covered with a tea towel. Get your oven preheating and a large pot of water boiling.
9-10 AM: Boil and bake the pretzels.
How to Store Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Store baked and cooled sourdough pretzel bites in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
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