Gluten Free Soft Pretzel Bites | Best Sourdough Discard Recipes

This Gluten Free Soft Pretzel recipe is SO good. It takes me straight back to the mall, eating Auntie Anne's pretzel bites out of a cup after a long day's shopping with my mom. We always used to dip them into cream cheese - my favorite pairing.

You will need gluten-free sourdough discard to make these gluten free soft pretzels, and preferably from a superfine brown rice flour or sorghum flour starter. If you don't have a gluten free sourdough starter, you will first need to make one and can find out how with my guide on How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter.

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Tips for Making the Best Gluten Free Soft Pretzels

Making gluten free soft pretzels at home is actually a lot easier than you may think. This recipe uses a combination of sourdough discard and yeast for a quick (40 minute) rise time, and they don't need long at all to bake. Here are some tips to guarantee the best pretzels possible:

• Don't skip the baking soda bath. This solution gives the pretzels their favored chewy exterior and golden brown color.
• Spray the mixer attachments, proofing bowl, pretzel dough, and work surface with oil. This is a little trick from my husband who worked at Pretzel Maker in SLC, Utah. His motto: "Coat it, and there's no such thing as too much."
• Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat the batter for 5 minutes. This whips air into the dough and encourages air pockets.
• Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes, or until just nearly doubled. Then, refrigerate the dough for 5-10 minutes while the baking soda-water solution comes to a boil. It's easier to work with slightly chilled dough. Don't be afraid to spray it once more with oil when it comes out, either.
• For pretzel bites: Roll the dough into 8 to 10-inch ropes. Use a pizza cutter or dough cutter to slice into 1-inch pieces or "bites".
• For traditional soft pretzels: Roll the dough into 8 to 10-inch ropes. Form into a U-shape, cross the loose ends over one another, twist once or twice, fold the twisted ends over to the bottom of the U, and press them flat so the seams don't come apart.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Soft Pretzels:

For the Gluten Free Pretzels:

• High quality gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 (the blue bag).
• Gluten-free sourdough discard, preferably from a 1:1:1 brown rice or sorghum starter.
• Instant yeast. I use Fleischmann's RapidRise.
• Light brown sugar
• Butter. For dairy-free, use dairy-free butter.
• Egg
• Baking powder
• Warm water
• Sea salt
• Coarse sea salt crystals for topping the pretzels, optional
• Additional melted butter for topping the pretzels, optional
• Dipping sauces: mustard, cream cheese, pizza sauce, honey butter, etc.

For the Water Bath:

• Water
• Baking Soda
• Granulated sugar

For Cinnamon-Sugar Pretzels:

• Granulated sugar
• Cinnamon

How to Make Gluten Free Soft Pretzels:

• In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with greased paddle attachments, add the gluten-free flour, yeast, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
• Add in the sourdough discard, warm water, egg, and softened butter.
• Mix on medium-to-high speed for 5 minutes. A nice thick, hydrated dough should form. If it's too dry, add in a few tablespoons of warm water. If it's too wet, add in a few tablespoons of additional flour.
• Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully transfer the dough into the prepared bowl, using a silicone spatula to guide it. Spray the top of the dough with more cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel or plate. Set the bowl aside in a warm place (between 70-85 F) for 30-35 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
• Transfer the bowl with the proofed dough into the refrigerator for an additional 10 minutes to chill slightly.
• Meanwhile, bring 9 cups of water to a boil for the water bath. Preheat the oven to 425 F, and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

• After the dough has chilled slightly, remove it from the fridge and carefully guide it out of the bowl and onto an oiled counter surface. It's extremely important to avoid plopping the dough onto the counter with a lot of force as this could pop some of the air pockets inside. Divide the dough into 8 sections (about 90g per pretzel rope).

• Cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap. Then, one at a time, roll each section into ropes. For pretzel bites: Roll the dough into 8 to 10-inch ropes. Use a pizza cutter or dough cutter to slice into 1-inch pieces or "bites".

• For traditional soft pretzels: Roll the dough into 8 to 10-inch ropes. Form into a U-shape, cross the loose ends over one another, twist once or twice, fold the twisted ends over to the bottom of the U, and press them flat so the seams don't come apart.

• Temporarily place the pretzels on the prepared baking pan.

• Once the water is boiling and the pretzels are all shaped, add the baking soda and sugar to the water bath. Wait for the foam to subside before dropping in one traditional pretzel at a time or a handful of bites. Boil for 10 seconds. They will initially sink, and then float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and then place on a wire cooling rack to drain. Repeat until all of the pretzels have been boiled.

• Place the pretzels back on the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Tip: Don't add salt to pretzels you plan to coat in cinnamon-sugar.

• Bake pretzel bites for 8-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Bake traditional pretzels for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

• Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

• Brush the pretzels with melted butter, and serve hot with dipping sauces. For cinnamon-sugar pretzels: Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a container. Brush the pretzels with melted butter, then add to the container with the cinnamon-sugar. Either spoon the mixture over-top of the pretzels, or put the lid on and shake it.

Equipment

You only need basic kitchen tools to make these Gluten Free Sourdough Soft Pretzels. I recommend:

• A pizza cutter for cutting the pretzel bites, or a dough cutter
• Kitchen scale
• Basting brush
• Handheld electric mixer, or a stand-mixer.
• Coarse sea salt for topping the pretzels
• Parchment paper
• Nonstick cooking spray really helps make this dough super manageable
• Don't want to make a gluten-free starter from scratch? This Sourdough Starter Culture packet gives you a head start with a dehydrated gluten-free sourdough starter culture and directions to follow to maintain it for years to come. I love this website because there's also cheesemaking, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetable kits. (Use the code WONDERS15X on Cultures For Health's website to get 15% off!) The GF starter is also available for purchase on Amazon here.

How to Store Gluten Free Soft Pretzels:

These gluten free soft pretzels are best eaten hot and fresh. However, to freshen them up, they can be reheated in the oven the following day. The cinnamon-sugar pretzels become wet when stored, but we still enjoyed them when reheated.

To reheat gluten free sourdough soft pretzels: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cook 10-12 minutes, or until hot. Serve with dipping sauces.

You can also join my Facebook group, Gluten Free Sourdough Baking Recipes and Advice, to share recipes, post photos, and get advice in live time. Currently we have 8000 members and growing!

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