These sourdough pretzel bites are salty and crunchy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, and you can make them without any baker’s yeast (only sourdough starter). Pair them with your favorite dipping sauce and these are a fantastic sourdough appetizer.
Ingredients You’ll Need for These Sourdough Pretzel Bites
- Bread Flour: The higher protein content in bread flour gives bagels a chewier texture than all-purpose flour. Any type of white bread flour should work if it has around 13% protein content. For this particular recipe, I used the King Arthur brand of bread flour in the blue bag.
- Water: Plain, unchlorinater tap water is best. Use filtered water or bottled spring water if your city’s tap water contains harsh ingredients or has a bad taste. You’ll use water both for the pretzel dough and for making a baking soda solution to brush on top of the sourdough pretzel bites right before baking.
- Sourdough Starter: I used my regular sourdough starter for this recipe that I fed with bread flour. You can use almost any type of sourdough starter as long as it is 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water by weight).
- Salt: I used Kosher salt in this recipe. You can use any sea salt, plain table salt, or kosher salt and it will work just fine.
- Baking Soda: You will use baking soda (not baking powder) and water to create an alkaline solution to brush on top of your sourdough pretzel bites before baking. This will cause them to brown in the oven. Traditional pretzel recipes use a solution made with food-grade lye, but this ingredient is not common in many home kitchens and it can be dangerous to use if you aren’t familiar with it, so I prefer to use a baking soda solution for most pretzel recipes.
Note: See recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Using Oil instead of Butter: You can use 28 grams (2 Tbsp) of olive oil or vegetable oil in place of the 28 grams of butter called for in this recipe. You’ll need to squeeze the oil into the dough thoroughly before kneading the dough on the kitchen counter.
Ingredient Amounts
Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover – 25 grams
- Water – 50 grams
- Bread Flour – 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour – 450 grams
- Water – 225 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active – 100 grams
- Salt – 10 grams, plus extra for sprinkling on the pretzel bites
- Butter, softened – 2 Tbsp (28 grams)
Baking Soda Solution
- Water – 1 cup (240 grams)
- Baking Soda – 2 tsp (12 grams)
Suggested Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 10:00 PM (Day 1) | Feeding the Sourdough Starter |
| 6:00 AM (Day 2) | Mixing the Dough |
| 6:05 AM | Kneading and Adding the Butter |
| 6:30 AM | The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation) |
| 12:30 PM | Dividing the Pretzel Bites |
| 1:00 PM | The Second Rise (Final Proof) |
| 3:00 PM | Applying the Baking Soda Solution |
| 3:10 PM | Baking |
How to Make Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
Take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Using a digital scale to weigh your ingredients, add 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour to the sourdough starter jar and mix it thoroughly to combine. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and close the lid of the jar loosely. Leave the starter to rise on your counter overnight for 6-8 hours, or until it roughly doubles in size.
Mixing the Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the water and risen sourdough starter and stir thoroughly to dissolve the starter. Then, add the bread flour and salt and mix to form a shaggy dough.
Kneading and Adding the Butter
Turn the dough out onto your un-floured kitchen counter and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes, or until it forms a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, press the dough down into a flat disc and press two tablespoons of softened butter into the dough. Stretch and fold the dough around the butter, and then knead the dough for 8 minutes. At first the butter will cause the dough to break apart, but eventually the dough will come back together again, and after 8 minutes of kneading by hand the dough should form a smooth ball.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the dough to an oiled glass bowl and cover it with an airtight lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Dividing the Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Transfer the dough to your kitchen counter and press it down into a square. Divide the dough into eight pieces with a knife or bench scraper and then roll each of the eight pieces of dough into a long 1”-thick strip. Then, cut each strip of dough into ten pieces until you have 80 total pretzel bites.
The Second Rise (Final Proof)
Arrange the pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then cover the pretzel bites with a kitchen towel or a sheet of plastic wrap brushed with oil. Let the pretzel bites rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until they look puffy and risen.
Applying the Baking Soda Solution
When the pretzel bites are almost ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Bring one cup of water to a boil on the stove and add 2 Tbsp of baking soda to the boiling water. Whisk thoroughly to combine and then turn the heat off. Brush the risen pieces of dough with the baking soda solution as thoroughly as you can using a pastry brush. (The baking soda solution will cause the sourdough pretzel bites to brown in the oven, so any part of the dough that doesn’t get brushed will appear paler.) Sprinkle the pieces of dough with coarse salt (Kosher salt or pretzel salt).
Baking
Bake the sourdough pretzel bites for 20 minutes at 450°F (232°C) in the middle rack of your oven, or until the pretzel bites are a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow the bites to cool directly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then enjoy with your favorite dippings sauces, mustard, or beer cheese.
Sourdough Pretzel Bites
These sourdough pretzel bites are salty and crunchy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, and you can make them without any baker’s yeast (only sourdough starter). Pair them with your favorite dipping sauce and these are a fantastic sourdough appetizer.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter Feeding
- Sourdough Starter, leftover - 25 grams
- Water - 50 grams
- Bread Flour - 50 grams
Main Dough
- Bread Flour - 450 grams
- Water - 225 grams
- Sourdough Starter, active - 100 grams
- Salt - 10 grams
- Butter, softened - 28 grams (2 Tbsp)
Baking Soda Solution
- Water - 1 cup (240 grams)
- Baking Soda - 2 tsp (12 grams)
Instructions
Feeding the Sourdough Starter
Take 25 grams of leftover sourdough starter out of the fridge. Using a digital scale to weigh your ingredients, add 50 grams of water and 50 grams of bread flour to the sourdough starter jar and mix it thoroughly to combine. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band and close the lid of the jar loosely. Leave the starter to rise on your counter overnight for 6-8 hours, or until it roughly doubles in size.
Mixing the Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the water and risen sourdough starter and stir thoroughly to dissolve the starter. Then, add the bread flour and salt and mix to form a shaggy dough.
Kneading and Adding the Butter
Turn the dough out onto your un-floured kitchen counter and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes, or until it forms a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, press the dough down into a flat disc and press two tablespoons of softened butter into the dough. Stretch and fold the dough around the butter, and then knead the dough for 8 minutes. At first the butter will cause the dough to break apart, but eventually the dough will come back together again, and after 8 minutes of kneading by hand the dough should form a smooth ball.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the dough to an oiled glass bowl and cover it with an airtight lid or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Dividing the Sourdough Pretzel Bites
Transfer the dough to your kitchen counter and press it down into a square. Divide the dough into eight pieces with a knife or bench scraper and then roll each of the eight pieces of dough into a long 1”-thick strip. Then, cut each strip of dough into ten pieces until you have 80 total pretzel bites.
The Second Rise (Final Proof)
Arrange the pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then cover the pretzel bites with a kitchen towel or a sheet of plastic wrap brushed with oil. Let the pretzel bites rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until they look puffy and risen.
Applying the Baking Soda Solution
When the pretzel bites are almost ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Bring one cup of water to a boil on the stove and add 2 Tbsp of baking soda to the boiling water. Whisk thoroughly to combine and then turn the heat off. Brush the risen pieces of dough with the baking soda solution as thoroughly as you can using a pastry brush. (The baking soda solution will cause the sourdough pretzel bites to brown in the oven, so any part of the dough that doesn’t get brushed will appear paler.) Sprinkle the pieces of dough with coarse salt (Kosher salt or pretzel salt).
Baking
Bake the sourdough pretzel bites for 20 minutes at 450°F (232°C) in the middle rack of your oven, or until the pretzel bites are a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow the bites to cool directly on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then enjoy with your favorite dippings sauces, mustard, or beer cheese.