Sourdough Pretzel Bites

ByNatalya Syanova
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This is a very easy, same day sourdough pretzel bites recipe that you should absolutely try. Pretzels are loved by so many people, and what is not to love? They have an incredible texture, as well as great taste and flavor.

Ingredients 

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

  • 10 g sourdough starter
  • 35 g water
  • 70 g bread flour
  • 10 g sugar

Main dough 

  • 100 g sweet stiff starter(37%)
  • 150 g warm water (58%)
  • 270 g bread flour (100%)
  • 27 g sugar (10%)
  • 5 g salt (2%)
  • 2 g malt (could be replaced by 6 g of honey)
  • 27 g soft butter (10%)

Garnish

  • Sea salt (optional)
  • Melted butter for brushing baked pretzels (optional)

Boiling 

  • Wide pot 
  • 1 gallon of water
  • 3 tbs baking soda

Directions

Starter

  • 10 pm dissolve sugar in the water, add starter(100g) and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, place in a jar, cover and let it sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times.
  • Stiff sweet starter will have lower hydration then regular liquid starter and will help us to lower the acidity of final product (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).

Dough 

  • Add all the ingredients, except butter, into a mixing bowl, knead for 5-10 minutes until well incorporated, at the end of mixing add soft butter, continue to mix for a couple more minutes, until gluten is developed.
  • Cover and let it rise until dough becomes lighter and bigger with bubbles on the surface for about  3-4 hours, perform a couple of folds during this time.

Shaping 

  • Prepare baking tray with parchment paper generously oiled.
  • Place the dough onto a non-floured surface. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and divide it into 4 equal pieces, about 110-115 grams each, prereshape them as cylinders, then roll into 20cm long ropes.
  • Set the pretzel ropes on a prepared baking tray. Cover and let them proof for about 1 hour (until they become puffy).
  • When proofing is done, move the pretzel ropes into the fridge for 30 minutes (it will help to transfer them into boiling water later).

Boiling 

  • While the dough chills in the fridge boil the water. Add baking soda and whisk well to have it dissolved. 
  • Preheat your oven to 425F (220C).
  • Remove the pretzel ropes from the fridge, put 2 of them into the pot with boiling water and wait for them to float on the surface (10 seconds or less). Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side for a thin crust. Using a slotted spoon, remove your pretzel ropes from the boiling water, and place them on a well oiled parchment paper, let them cool for about 1 minute. 
  • Use scissors to cut the ropes into bite size pieces (about 1 inch thick).
  • Ensure that pretzel bites remain on an oiled parchment paper.
  • Sprinkle them with sea salt (optional).

Baking 

  • Bake pretzels for about 14-16 minutes until they turn nice and brown.
  • Brush them with melted butter, while still hot for more flavor.

Enjoy your sourdough pretzel bites 🥨

Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Sourdough Pretzel Bites

476kcal
5 from 2 votes
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Prep 45 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 15 hours 15 minutes
A simple, same-day sourdough pretzel bites recipe featuring an incredible chewy texture and rich flavor. Using a sweet stiff starter lowers the acidity of the final product while providing structure for rolling into ropes, boiling in a baking soda bath, and cutting into bite-sized pieces before baking to a golden brown.
Servings 24 bites
Cuisine American

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
Main Dough
  • 100 g Sweet stiff starter (From the stage above)
  • 150 g Warm water
  • 270 g Bread flour
  • 27 g Sugar
  • 5 g Salt
  • 2 g Malt (Can be replaced with 6g of honey)
  • 27 g Soft butter
Boiling Bath
  • 1 gallon Water
  • 3 tbsp Baking soda
Garnish & Finishing
  • Sea salt (Optional)
  • Melted butter (For brushing baked pretzels)

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Jar with Cover (For the starter)
  • Baking Tray & Parchment Paper (Generously oiled)
  • Wide Pot (For boiling)
  • Slotted Spoon
  • Scissors (For cutting boiled ropes into bites)
  • Pastry Brush

Method

  1. Night Before – Prepare the Starter At 10:00 PM, dissolve the 10g of sugar in 35g of water in a small jar.
  2. Add 10g of sourdough starter and whisk together.
  3. Stir in 70g of bread flour, mix well, form into a dough ball, cover, and let sit at room temperature (74–78°F) overnight until increased in volume by 2 or more times.
  4. Mix & Proof the Dough In a mixing bowl, combine 100g of sweet stiff starter, 150g warm water, 270g bread flour, 27g sugar, 5g salt, and 2g malt (or 6g honey).
  5. Knead for 5–10 minutes until well incorporated.
  6. Add the 27g soft butter and continue to mix for a couple more minutes until gluten is developed.
  7. Cover and let rise for about 3–4 hours until the dough becomes lighter and bigger with bubbles on the surface, performing a couple of folds during this time.
  8. Shape & Chill Prepare a baking tray with generously oiled parchment paper.
  9. Place the dough onto a non-floured work surface. Flatten it into a rectangle and divide it into 4 equal pieces (about 110–115g each).
  10. Pre-shape the pieces as cylinders, then roll them into 20 cm long ropes.
  11. Set the pretzel ropes on the prepared baking tray. Cover and let them proof for about 1 hour until puffy.
  12. Move the proofed pretzel ropes into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up for boiling.
  13. Boil, Cut & Bake While the dough chills, bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a wide pot. Add 3 tbsp baking soda and whisk well until dissolved. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
  14. Remove the pretzel ropes from the fridge. Place 2 ropes at a time into the boiling water until they float (10 seconds or less), and cook for 20–30 seconds per side.
  15. Using a slotted spoon, remove the ropes and place them back onto the oiled parchment paper. Let them cool for about 1 minute.
  16. Use scissors to cut the boiled ropes into 1-inch thick bite-sized pieces directly on the oiled parchment paper.
  17. Sprinkle with sea salt (optional).
  18. Bake for 14–16 minutes until nice and brown.
  19. Brush with melted butter while still hot for extra flavor!

Nutrition

Calories476kcalCarbohydrates83gProtein14gFat9gSaturated Fat5gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.3gCholesterol60mgSodium2270mgPotassium151mgFiber2gSugar10gVitamin A251IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium58mgIron1mg

Notes

  • Why an Un-Floured Surface is Mandatory for Rolling: When rolling your proofed dough pieces into long ropes, avoid dusting your counter with raw flour. Stiff pretzel dough requires a high amount of physical friction against the work surface to stretch smoothly under your palms. If the counter is slippery with flour, the dough will simply slide around under your hands instead of rolling out into uniform cylinders.
  • The Physics of the 20-Second Baking Soda Bath: The alkaline environment created by boiling baking soda drastically alters the starch molecules on the exterior surface of the dough, a process known as starch gelatinization. This chemical reaction restricts the dough’s expansion in the oven, locking in a dense, signature chewy bite while allowing the crust to brown rapidly into a deep, classic pretzel color. Do not leave the bites in the boiling water for longer than 30 seconds, or they can develop an unpleasantly metallic, soapy aftertaste.
  • Securing the Perfect Salt Adherence: Standard table salt or fine sea salt will instantly dissolve into the damp skin of the pretzel bites after the boiling bath, leaving you with an overly salty crust devoid of texture. To secure those classic, beautiful white crystals, always source authentic coarse pretzel salt or heavy rock salt. The compressed structures of these specialized crystals resist moisture, ensuring they stay perfectly intact through the high-heat bake cycle.

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43 Comments

  1. Hi! These look delicious and can’t wait to try making these. Two questions-
    1) did you use sourdough discard or fresh fed starter
    2) in the directions for the starter it says to add 100g of starter, but under the ingredients it lists 20g of starter. Could you please clarify the amount?

    Reply

    1. Hi!
      I’m using fresh fed starter to create sweet stiff starter, 100g of which you’ll need for the recipe 🙏

      Reply

  2. Thanks for sharing, I will definitely try this recipe, as I have tried many others from your journal. I have a question… To prepare the stuff sweet starter, we should add 20 g to the water + sugar, right?
    Thanks!

    Reply

      1. Hi there! So you say at 10pm to mix the sweet stuff starter with the flour and water and let rise at 74 degrees. Is that an overnight rise?

      2. Yes, starter has to rise overnight, or you can change the ratio and let it rise faster.

  3. Hi, I can’t wait to try this. Do we’re making a levain first (stiff sweet starter- the night before), letting it rise to about 100 grams before we can make the dough the next day, right? Thank you!

    Reply

  4. Hi! You have start the stiff starter at 10 pm. Does this mean you do that (the stiff starter) the night before and the rest of it the next day “same day.” Or start all of it at 10 AM including the stiff starter?

    Also, you have 10 g start listed in ingredient list but 100g starter in recipe description. Which is correct?

    Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try thi.

    Reply

    2. I too am confused .. the stiff starter recipe only needs 10g of of starter to make the stiff sweet starter and then you only need 100g of the stiff starter for the actual dough recipe?
      So we ignore th night before directions when you say to add “100g” of starter to the water and sugar mix?

      Reply

      1. Hi!
        You need 10g if active starter to create stiff starter for the dough(who will be used next day)

  5. excellent recipe.. I’ll definitely be making this again. just curious what is the purpose of the baking soda in the boiling water?

    Reply

  7. Hi Natasha,

    Thank you for the recipe, it turned out great. This is the second time I make these, definitely will be doing more later.

    Reply

  8. I made this today. They are currently in the oven. I made 4 pretzels instead of pretzel bites and I am so very excited to eat them. They are browning so beautifully and smell quite yummy. Thanks for making such easy to follow instructions. You and Randy (my sourdough starter) came in strong for the win today!! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Hi,
    Thank you for the recipe!

    Just to clarify, when making the Sweet Stiff Sourdough starter, you only use 10 g of sourdough starter?

    Reply

  10. So instead to bites, can I go ahead and shape it like regular pretzels and follow the same process?

    Reply

    1. Hi!
      I’ve never done it!
      But I think you can bake it 3/4 way through and then freeze, then bake again before eating

      Reply

  12. A sourdough newbie here – go make the sweet stiff starter, does the 10 grams of original starter have to be active/at its peak or can it be straight from the fridge? Thank you

    Reply

  14. Hi, I am not familiar with sourdough starter, so please can you give more info what it is and if I cannot fine to buy it is there any substitute? Can you send a photo as well? Thank you in advance.

    Reply

  15. So….make sure when you proof the dough ropes that you cover them with something that won’t stick to the dough. Even though I used a damp cheesecloth…they stuck.

    Reply

  17. Hey Natalya,

    What would you suggest to get these to form into perfectly round balls vs. them being rectangular?

    Thanks,
    CJ

    Reply

  18. All your recipes are so amazing. I would like to use this recipe to wrap a hotdog or sausage link – “pigs in a blanket” style. Do you think it would work?

    Reply

  19. I thought there was a typo in your sweet starter directions. So I added a 100 g instead of the 10 AM is this just a loss now? I just woke up and read the comments..

    Reply

  20. I’ve done this recipe three times in six days. My daughter and granddaughter have requested them for the 4th of July! I’ve tried several pretzel bites recipes, but this one is a keeper!

    Reply

    1. Dear Marian! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed these pretzel bites! Happy baking!

      Reply

  22. 5 stars
    Did you change your recipe? The recipe card ingredients don’t match your in text ingredients anymore. The stiff sweet starter now doesn’t have any sugar?
    I have made these many times, so thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hi, sorry for the inconvenience! Please use the recipe as written in the post for now. We’re currently having an issue with our recipe card plugin, but we’ll have it fixed as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!

      Reply

    2. Hi Meghan, finally we were able to update recipe card, it’s working now. Please let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply
5 from 2 votes

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