Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

These fast sourdough discard pretzel bites are easy to make, packed with flavor and an amazing way to use your extra sourdough discard! You will love that they can be done in under 2 hours, and they make for the best snack for movie night, game night, after-school snacks and more. Vegan, egg-free and dairy-free.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Rising time (approx)1 30

Total Time2

Course: Appetizer, bread, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, sourdough pretzels

Servings: small bites

Calories: 60kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Equipment

Mixing and rising bowl
Baking sheet (+ parchment paper)
Large pot

Ingredients

200 g sourdough discard 100% hydration, active sourdough starter works too
250 g warm water or about room temperature
15 g sugar
1 teaspoon dry active yeast instant yeast is fine too
50 g melted butter I used vegan butter from Earth Balance
500 g all-purpose or bread flour
12 g regular fine salt

To boil

10 cup water
⅔ cup baking soda

To garnish

melted butter
pretzel salt (or coarse salt) to garnish

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough discard, warm water and sugar and stir well. Sprinkle the dry active yeast over and let it sit for about 5 minutes. It should get foamy. Then, stir in the melted butter.
Add the flour and fine salt and keep stirring until uniform. Then, knead the dough right into the bowl until soft (for about 3 minutes). You can also use an electric mixer. Cover well and let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Once done rising, transfer over to a clean surface (without flour) and cut into 4 portions. Pre-shape each of them roughly into balls and cover them with a clean towel. Let them sit for about 5 min.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Also, transfer the 10 cups of water to a large pot and add the ⅔ cup of baking soda, then bring to a boil.
One by one, roll each ball into a long log of about 18 inches. Then, cut into 1½ inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining 3 balls of dough. You should end up with a total of about 40 bites.
Working in batches, transfer a few of the bites (I do 8 at a time) into the boiling water-baking soda and let them boil for about 30-45 sec. Move them around if they stick to the bottom or together. When done, fish them out, drain and transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Pat dry the excess water if necessary and disperse the bites all over the baking sheet. You might need to work in 2 batches so they don't touch each other. Brush with some melted butter and sprinkle some pretzel salt/coarse salt over.
Bake for 10-12 min or until golden brown. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce!

Notes

Dough Rising time: depending on the temperature of your house, the dough might need more or less time to rise. Usually, when a dough is made with some dry active yeast, it is ready to shape within 2 hours.
Do not use extra flour when kneading the dough or you risk having the pretzel too dry. Top tip: try kneading the dough right in the bowl, that way it is more manageable if the dough is a little sticky!
Do not use extra flour when rolling: you actually want a little traction when rolling the dough to help create long tubes before cutting into bite-sized pieces!
Classic pretzel flavor: don't skip adding baking soda to your water when boiling the dough, this gives the pretzels a characteristic flavor and coloring. Using good quality and fresh baking soda will help have a delicious pretzel flavor that is not metallic!
Boiling time: For an extra chewy and colored crust, boil for a little longer, for softer and paler bites, then boil only briefly! I like to do about 30-40 seconds total.
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition