Gluten-Free Soft Pretzel Bites

Meaningful Eats

Gluten-Free Soft Pretzel Bites

4 dozen

Who could resist these gluten-free soft pretzels? They're CHEWY, BREADY perfection and easier to make than you'd think!

Serve these pretzels with gluten-free cheese sauce or mustard for a delicious appetizer. (We also love rolling them in cinnamon sugar!)

Make them in advance and freeze to bake up later!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1

Author Erin Collins

Ingredients

For the Pretzel Dough:

4 ¼ cups (638g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
¼ cup (53g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup (20g) whole psyllium husk
3 tablespoons (42g) butter, melted
2 1/2 cups (600ml) water

For the Baking Soda Bath:

1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
9 cups (2160ml) water

For the Egg Wash:

1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
coarse salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

MAKE THE GLUTEN-FREE PRETZEL DOUGH

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, instant yeast, salt, baking powder and whole psyllium husk. Mix on medium-low speed until evenly combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the melted butter and water. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 5 minutes.
NOTE: The dough should look like thick cookie dough. Add another couple tablespoons of flour to the dough if it looks too wet. You don’t want the dough to be too stiff or the pretzel bites will be dense, but you want it thick enough so you can roll it out. Basically you want to keep the dough as light as possible, but still rollable. Don't overdo it with adding more flour! Add just enough so you can reasonably work with it.
Use an oiled spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured work surface, and cut the dough into 6 pieces.
Roll each chunk of dough into a 1-2 inch thick strip.
Cut each strip of dough into 1-2 inch pieces. It doesn’t have to be exact, but try to make the pieces even.

MAKE THE BAKING SODA BATH

Mix the water and baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
Place 8-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10-15 seconds. (Any longer and your pretzels could take on a metallic taste.)
Let the excess liquid drip off before placing the pretzel bites a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Cut a slit diagonally across each pretzel bite. (This is the point where you can stop and freeze the pretzel bites for later! See note.)

MAKE THE EGG WASH/BAKE

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk together the egg wash.
Brush each pretzel bite with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake the pretzel bites for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes

Gluten-Free: This recipe was specifically designed to work with King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. Unfortunately, no other flour can be substituted with the same results.

Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter.

To Make-Ahead: Follow the recipe through boiling the pretzel bites and cutting slits in each. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined plate and freeze for a few hours. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake, top with the egg wash and salt, then bake (add 3-5 extra minutes when baking from frozen).

To Store: Cool, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days, Reheat in oven at 350°F for 5-8 minutes to warm and soften.

To Freeze: Cool, then place in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Reheat in oven to soften.

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