Sourdough Pretzel Bites
These easy-to-make soft sourdough pretzel bites are sure to be a hit wherever they go! Made with simple ingredients, these sourdough pretzels are super yummy and perfect for movie night, game day, or to bring along to parties and potlucks.
Ingredients
For Sourdough Pretzel Dough:
- 1/2 cup Bubbly, active sourdough starter (see notes to learn how to make your own!)
- 2 tbsp honey or cane sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Baking Soda Bath:
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
To Finish:
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- Pretzel salt or coarse salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the pretzel dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix on medium speed until the dough starts to come together, then reduce the speed to the ideal kneading speed according to your mixer.
- Knead for 10 minutes. At this point, you should have a smooth, slightly wet dough that you can lift out in a ball shape. If your dough is too stiff, add a splash of milk (or more as needed) and knead until soft and smooth. If your dough is too wet or sticky, add an additional ¼ cup of flour (or more as needed) until the dough comes together.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large, lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 8–12 hours. (I usually make mine in the evening and let it sit overnight.)
- After 8–12 hours, remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 8 equal pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a rope roughly 8–10 inches long and about 1 inch thick. Place them on a lightly floured surface, then cut each rope into bite-sized pieces. I usually get about 12–14 pieces per rope, cutting them between ½ inch and 1 inch, but the amount will vary depending on how big or small you want your pieces.
- Place the cut pieces onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and cover with a tea towel. Set them in a warm spot and allow them to rise for 2–4 hours, or until just about doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the water and baking soda and bring to a boil, stirring often. Carefully drop 8–10 pretzel bites into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds, then flip and boil for an additional 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, tap off any excess water, and return them to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Once all the pretzel bites have been boiled, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the pretzel bites are a deep golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pretzel bites to cool slightly before brushing them with melted butter and topping with a generous sprinkle of pretzel salt.
- Serve immediately or save for later! These pretzel bites are delicious on their own or served with your favorite pretzel dipping sauces.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Any leftover pretzel bites can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix and knead the dough by hand. Use a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk to mix until the dough starts to come together. Then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until soft and smooth. Keep in mind that hand-kneaded dough may be slightly stiffer, and that’s okay!
If you’d like to learn how to make your own sourdough starter at home, check out my quick and easy tutorial HERE!
These pretzels are delicious on their own, but also pair well with cheese sauce, beer cheese dip, BBQ sauce, mustard, ranch dressing, and marinara sauce. For sweeter pretzel bites, you could even serve them a side of cream cheese dip or chocolate sauce.
Additional Pretzel Topping Ideas:
Instead of topping your pretzel bites with salt, try one of these delicious options:
- Cinnamon sugar
- Garlic salt
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
- ranch reasoning
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 1604mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!