Sourdough Pretzel Bites

I’ve been trying my hardest to keep up with snack time for a very hungry 5 year old this Summer (she’s been out of school already for a month) and almost forgot about my equally hungry 48 year old!

As previously mentioned, John is not a huge fan of sweets so his snacks veer toward the salty. One of his favorite nighttime snacks is pretzel nuggets with cheese spread. And since I have an unlimited, it seems, supply of sourdough discard, didn’t it just make sense to see if I could make some pretzels at home?

Spoiler alert….I did and they are so yummy! They are not the hard pretzels like from the store. They are soft and pillowy and addictive! I’ll admit I was a little intimidated at first but after making them a few times, I am ready to share the recipe!

While John assures me they are delicious with cheese spread, I will let you in on another yummy topping….Nutella! Well, the cheaper store brand anyway. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. Think chocolate covered soft pretzels. (P.S. Nutella is amazing on fresh strawberries too). Woooo boy!

Well, I’m going to go wipe the drool from my chin and leave you with the recipe! There are quite a few steps, but all in all it’s a very simple recipe so don’t let that scare you. Because yeast is used, they are ready the same day, which is always helpful. And they are well worth it! I hope you will all enjoy them as much as we have!

Dough
• 2 ¼ tsp active-dry yeast
• ⅔ cups whole milk sub: plant-based milk
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ⅓ cups sourdough discard
• 2 cups bread flour
• ⅔ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter softened

Baking Soda Bath
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 tbsp baking soda

Topping
• ½ tbsp pretzel salt
• ¼ cups unsalted butter melted

INSTRUCTIONS

• Bloom the yeast: Whisk the yeast into the milk and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let the yeast activate for at least 10 minutes or until foamy and fragrant.

• Make the dough: Whisk the sourdough discard into the yeast mixture.

• Fold the dry ingredients in using a spatula or your hands until no traces of flour remain. Continue kneading with your hands until a cohesive dough forms.

• Knead the butter into the dough. The dough will gradually feel less greasy as the butter is absorbed.

• Strengthen the dough: Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it’s completely smooth. Gather it into a tight ball.

• Pre-shape the dough: Divide the dough into 5 even portions. Round the dough into a tight ball. Transfer to a plate and cover with plastic wrap

• Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. This will make the dough much easier to roll out.

• Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Shape: Working with one portion at a time. Roll each into an 18-inch rope. Divide the rope into 1½-inch segments.

• Transfer the dough on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze the tray for 15 minutes.

• Baking soda bath: Dissolve the baking soda in hot, boiling water.

• Drop a few hand fulls of dough into the baking soda bath. As soon as the dough floats, fish them out and transfer them to a parchment-liked baking sheet.