Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

There is nothing better than fresh baked gluten free pretzel bites. They are soft and chewy and easier to make than you think. Soft Pretzel Bites make the perfect appetizer for tailgaiting at game day, parties and of course October Fest. They are definitely the MVP of every Super Bowl Party if you ask me.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: This recipe for Gluten Free Pretzel Bites will not work with store-bought flour blends such as Cup4Cup or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1. These blends are not designed to work for yeasted doughs. The flours used in this recipe are also used in my own gluten-free multi purpose flour blend and should be a staple in every gluten-free pantry.

• Super Fine Brown Rice Flour: This is what gives the pretzel buns their structure. I recommend using super fine brown rice flour since regular ground brown rice flour will give the buns a gritty texture. I do NOT recommend using white rice flour since it is lower in protein and will cause a gummy texture in the dough.
• Sorghum Flour: Sorghum Flour is high in protein, soft flour with light color. Pretzels get their light texture as well as a depth of flavor from this ingredient.
• Tapioca Starch/Flour: Tapioca starch/flour gives baked goods a chewy texture, as well as, contributes to the browning.
• Corn Starch: Corn starch gives the gluten-free pretzels their classic crisp brown exterior.

Whole Psyllium Husks: This ingredient helps to reduce the crumbly structure often found in gluten free baked goods. It also gives the dough a wheat-like texture. I have only tested this recipe with Whole Psyllium Husks which can be found in your local health food store. I have NOT tested this recipe with Psyllium Husk Powder.

Whole Milk: I have tested this recipe with water and whole milk and highly recommend using whole milk if you can. The casein found in whole milk mimics gluten and helps to create the structure of the pretzels. Pretzel Bites made with nondairy milk will be lighter in color.

Sourdough Discard: This is an optional ingredient. The Sourdough discard can NOT be used to replace the active dry yeast but it will give the finished product a chewy texture, a better rise, and a little tang. I use the sourdough discard straight from the fridge. No need to bring it to room temperature or feed it. It can also be used at room temperature.

Toppings: Flaky Sea Salt, Sesame Seeds, or even Everything but the Bagel Seasoning make delicious toppings.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you must replace any of the ingredients used in the original recipe for Gluten Free Soft Pretzel Bites, please be aware that your results will vary. The more ingredients you will replace, the more likely the recipe will fail. I recommend following the recipe as written.

Gluten-Free Flour Substitutions

• Super Fine Brown Rice Flour – cassava flour
• Sorghum Flour – millet or chickpea flour
• Tapioca Starch – potato starch
• Corn Starch – potato starch or tapioca starch

Whole Milk: Replace milk with 225 grams of warm water (preferably sparkling water) and 10 grams of apple cider vinegar. Please be aware the pretzel roll may rise less and will not be as fluffy and light in color. Non-dairy milk is an option but since it does not contain any casein like cow milk, it will not make a major difference in the appearance.

Egg Wash: You can use olive oil or neutral oil such as grapeseed oil instead.

Butter: If you are dairy-free, please substitute the butter with your favorite dairy-free butter substitute. I do NOT recommend oil.

Recommended Tools

To successfully make this gluten-free pretzel bites recipe, you will need the following equipment

• Digital Kitchen Scale is a must-have to make this recipe (or any of my recipes)
• Stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, hand mixer, or someone willing to knead the dough by hand (which is very tacky!)
• two baking sheets, parchment paper, non stick cooking spray
• A large pot or saucepan big enough to hold 12 cups of water, a slotted spoon or spatula, a pastry brush, a sharp knife or pizza cutter

How to make Gluten Free Pretzel Bites Dough

The pretzel bites need to rise for at least 60 minutes until they are 50% larger than their original size. So please plan accordingly.

Step 1: To start, lightly dust a parchment-lined baking pan with some tapioca starch and set aside (just a few grams of flour or less).

Step 2: Start by activating the yeast in warm whole milk. Heat the milk in a small bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. The temperature should be around 110F (no hotter than 115F or you will kill your yeast). Check the temperature with a digital thermometer. Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar over the warmed milk and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Your yeast will be ready when it looks bubbly and frothy. It is not recommended to use yeast in recipes if it is not bubbly and frothy after 10 minutes.

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, brown sugar, kosher salt, psyllium husk, and xanthan gum.

Step 4: When the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter and the gluten free sourdough discard. Mix the mixture at a low speed to combine. Once the dough starts to come together, increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high and mix for 3-4 minutes. The dough will look soft and not like your typical bread dough (This is normal for Gluten Free bread doughs)

Step 5: With a flexible spatula or your hands, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and place it on the lightly floured sheet pan. Use tapioca starch for this. The dough for gluten free pretzel bites may be a bit tacky but this is normal. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes before proceeding with shaping.

How to shape Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

Prepare your workspace with a clean surface and some additional tapioca starch in case your pretzel dough becomes too sticky.

Step 1: Line a seperate baking tray with parchment paper and lightly spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. If you skip spraying the parchment paper, the bites will most likely stick to the paper.

Step 2: Divide the gluten-free dough into equal pieces by weight. You should have around 580 grams of gluten-free pretzel dough if you followed the recipe correctly. (around 550 grams if you did not add sour dough discard)

Step 3: Roll each piece of dough into a 12" rope. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible which will ensure the pretzel bites all bake in the same amount of time.

Step 4: With a sharp chef's knife or a pizza cutter divide each rope into 8 equal parts. I start by cutting each rope into halves and then dividing the halves into quarters. Quarters I divide into half again which should give you 8 equally sized pretzel bites. Transfer the pretzel bites to the prepared baking sheet. Should the dough be too tacky to cut, refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes.

Proofing of Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

Lightly cover the tray with a clean kitchen towel. Place the sheet tray in a warm place and allow them to rise until they are 50% larger than their original size. If you plan on freezing some or all of the pretzel bites, I recommend freezing them BEFORE proofing.

I use my oven for this by preheating it for a few minutes until it is around 100F (check your oven thermometer!), turning it off, and placing the sheet tray with the pretzel bites inside. It can take anywhere from 60-90 minutes for the pretzels to be ready.

Pro Tip: I like to lightly sprinkle a little water on top of the pretzel bites before proofing. Moisture encourages proofing and keeps the dough from drying out.

Baking Soda Bath and Baking

Once the gluten-free pretzels are puffy looking and 50% bigger than their original size, transfer the sheet tray to the freezer. Freezing the pretzels for 10-20 minutes, while you preheat the oven and prepare the baking soda bath makes them easier to handle.

The baking soda bath gives the glute free soft pretzel bites their signature color and distinctive soft pretzel chew. While many bakers prefer using food-grade lye, I believe baking soda will achieve the same result and is safer to work with.

Step 1: While the pretzels bites are in the freezer, preheat your oven to 425F and arrange your oven rack in the center of the oven.

Step 2: For the Baking Soda Bath, bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. The baking soda will foam up once it is added to boiling water, so make sure you have enough room for it. While the water comes to a boil, line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. In order to prevent your pretzels from sticking to the parchment paper after baking, spray it with a non-stick spray. Prepare the egg wash (or olive oil) and your toppings of choice. For a classic soft pretzel bites, I like to use flaky sea salt or pretzel salt. But Sesame Seeds or Everything But The Bagel Seasoning make a delicious topping too.

Step 3: Once the water is at a boil, carefully add the baking soda. It will foam up!

Step 4: Remove the pretzel bites from the freezer and with a slotted spoon, carefully add 4-5 pretzel bites to the boiling baking soda bath and allow to boil for no long than 25-30 seconds. Make sure to carefully turn it over halfway through. Boiling the pretzels longer than 30 seconds may cause them to taste metallic (NOT a good taste). Remove the pretzel bites from the baking soda bath and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with half of the pretzel bites and return the rest to the freezer. It is easier to bake them in two batches.

Step 5: Brush the bites with the egg wash (or olive oil) and top them with your toppings of choice. Unlike pretzel buns or soft pretzels, there is no need to score pretzel bites.

Step 6: Place the gluten free pretzel bites in the center of your fully preheated oven and bake for 12-13 minutes until dark golden brown. I highly recommend keeping an eye on them after 11 minutes because no one likes burnt pretzel bites. Baking times vary depending on how big you cut the pretzel bites.

Step 7: Remove the pretzel nuggets from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat with the second half of the pretzel dough!

Storage & Freezing

Clearly these gluten free pretzel bites taste the best the day they have been baked. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for a few minutes before serving if you like.

To freeze the baked pretzel bites, make sure they are fully cooled and then place them in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, bake the frozen nuggets at 350F for 10 minutes, until fully warmed through. One can also just pop them in the microwave and carefully nuke them until thawed.

If you would like to freeze the unbaked soft pretzel bites, I recommend doing this before proofing them. Freeze them on a sheet tray and then transfer them to a ziplock bag. Keep in the freezer up to 10 days. When ready to bake, arrange them on a sheet tray and thaw/proof at room temperature until 50% the size of the original bites. This can take several hours. Once thawed/proofed, follow the recipe instructions as written.

While proofed pretzel dough can be stored in the freezer for a few hours, I don't recommend freezing the proofed bites for an extended period of time. They will not rise as nicely.

How to serve Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

These gluten free soft pretzel bites are the perfect appetizer and snack. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce such as cheese sauce (in case you are wondering if Cheez Whiz is gluten free, check out this article: Is Cheez Whiz Gluten Free?) or some stone ground mustard. Another classic way to serve them is along with Spinach Artichoke Dip.

FAQ - Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

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📖 Recipe

Yield: 32-35 pretzel bites

Gluten Free Pretzel Bites

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Serve these delicious gluten free pretzel bites with your favorite dipping sauce or a generous bowl of cheese dip. The perfect appetizer for Game Days and get togethers.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

To Activate Yeast

• 235 grams whole milk
• 5 grams active dry yeast
• pinch of granulated white sugar

For Gluten Free Soft Pretzel Bite Dough

• 100 grams super-fine brown rice flour
• 65 grams sorghum flour
• 65 grams tapioca starch (plus more for shaping the rolls)
• 30 grams corn starch
• 20 grams light brown sugar
• 4.5 grams xanthan gum (1 ⅛ teaspoon)
• 3 grams kosher salt
• 2 grams whole psyllium husk (1 ¼ teaspoon)
• 20 grams unsalted butter, melted
• 30 grams gluten free sourdough discard (OPTIONAL)

For Baking Soda Bath

• 8 cups water (1900 ml)
• 70 grams baking soda

To Finish

• 1 egg yolk whisked together with 1 teaspoon of water
• Flaky Sea Salt or Pretzel Salt, Sesame Seeds, EBTB Seasoning

Instructions

How to make Gluten Free Pretzel Dough

1. Warm 235 grams of milk in a small bowl to 110-114F.
2. Add the active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Your yeast is ready to use when it looks bubbly and frothy.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, brown sugar, kosher salt, psyllium husk, and xanthan gum
4. When the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. If using, add the sourdough discard. Mix the mixture at a low speed to combine. Once the dough starts to come together, increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high and mix for 3-4 minutes. The dough will look soft
5. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the lightly floured sheet pan. The dough may be a bit tacky but this is normal. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes before proceeding with shaping the pretzel bites.

Shaping and rising of pretzel bites

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Divide the gluten-free dough into four equal pieces by weight.
3. Roll each piece of dough into a 12" rope. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible which will ensure the pretzel bites all bake in the same amount of time.
4. With a sharp chef's knife or a pizza cutter divide each rope into 8 equal parts. I start by cutting each rope into halves and then dividing the halves into quarters. Quarters I divide into half again which should give you 8 equally sized pretzel bites. Transfer the pretzel bites to the prepared baking sheet. Should the dough be too tacky to cut, refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes.
5. Allow for them to rise in a warm place until 50% bigger than their original size. I like to use my oven for this by preheating it for a few minutes until it’s around 100F (check your oven thermometer!!), TURN OFF and place the sheet tray with the pretzels in the oven. It can take anywhere from 60-90 minutes for the pretzels to be ready to be baked.

Baking soda bath and Baking

1. Once the gluten-free pretzels are puffy looking and 50% bigger than their original size, transfer the sheet tray to the freezer. Freezing the pretzels for 10-20 minutes, while you preheat the oven and prepare the baking soda bath makes them easier to handle.
2. While the pretzels are in the freezer, preheat your oven to 425F and arrange your oven rack in the center of the oven.
3. For the Baking Soda Bath, bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Make sure it has enough space since the baking soda will foam up once you add it to the boiling water.
4. While the water comes to a boil, line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray, prepare the egg wash (or olive oil) and your toppings of choice. 
5. Once the water is at a boil, carefully add the baking soda. It will foam up!
6. Remove the pretzel bites from the freezer and with a slotted spoon, carefully add 4-5 pretzel bites to the boiling baking soda bath and allow to boil for no long than 25-30 seconds. Make sure to carefully turn it over halfway through.
7. Remove the pretzel bites from the baking soda bath and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with half of the pretzel bites and return the rest to the freezer. It is easier to bake them in two batches.
8. Brush the bites with the egg wash (or olive oil) and top them with your toppings of choice. Unlike pretzel buns or soft pretzels, there is no need to score pretzel bites.
9. Bake for 12-13 minutes until dark golden brown. Baking times depend on the size of the pretzel nuggets. Smaller pieces will bake faster than larger ones.
10. Remove the pretzel nuggets from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat with the second half of the pretzel dough!

Notes

Please make sure to read Recipe Ingredient Notes and ingredient substitution notes regarding ingredient questions.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for a few minutes before serving if you like.

Freezing: To freeze baked pretzel bites, make sure they are fully cooled. Place them in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, bake the frozen nuggets at 350F for 10 minutes, until fully warmed through.

Sourdough Discard: This is an optional ingredient. The Sourdough discard can NOT be used to replace the active dry yeast but it will give the finished product a chewy texture, a better rise, and a little tang. I use the sourdough discard straight from the fridge. No need to bring it to room temperature or feed it. It can also be used at room temperature. If no sourdough discard is on hand, make the recipe as written WITHOUT the discard.

Recommended Products

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  Katbite 200PCS 12x16 In Heavy Duty Flat Parchment Paper, Parchment Paper Sheets for Baking Cookies, Cooking, Frying, Air Fryer, Grilling Rack, Oven(12x16 Inch)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 49

Calories are a guestimate.

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