Gluten-Free Sourdough Soft Pretzels

Why You Will Love This Recipe

- Easy to make. Mixing, shaping, and baking these pretzels is a breeze. And they only need 1 hour of fermenting!

- Texture. Thanks to psyllium husk, these pretzels are soft and fluffy on the inside just like you would expect them to be!

- Flavor. Along with a basic pretzel sauce, these are a true indulgence! A great tailgate snack idea.

What Is A Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter?

Gluten-free sourdough starter is simply a mix of gluten-free flour and water that is "discarded" and "fed" regularly. Discarding is a term used for taking some part of the starter out, and feeding means adding fresh flour and water to the starter.

You need to always feed the starter in proportion to its size so discarding allows you to feed it less thus saving you resources.

It is best to use whole grain gluten-free flour to make a starter. Some of the best options include sorghum flour, millet flour, brown rice flour, teff flour, buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, and chickpea flour. You should avoid almond and coconut flour as they are least friendly to the bacteria present in a sourdough starter.

Here is a simple recipe for a starter with brown rice flour and here is one for a millet starter.

Gluten-free sourdough starter - a mature starter will work better but you can also use discard with an addition of regular yeast. You can make your own gluten-free starter if you don't have one yet!

Gluten-free flour - I used my gluten-free rice-free flour mix but any other premade GF flour should work! GF bread flour would work better than pastry flour.

Psyllium husk - you can use either whole husks or powder! There are two types of psyllium powder, so make sure you know which one you are using. They normally won't tell you on the package whether the powder is coarse grind or very fine but you can tell from its look. For more details check out this post on psyllium husk.

Water - I used tap water. If your tap water is drinkable you should be fine! Otherwise, use bottled water.

Substitutes

Psyllium husk - the only good substitute for psyllium husk is psyllium husk powder. If using psyllium husk powder, use 10g, add it to the dry ingredients instead of the water, and let the dough sit for 10-20 minutes until psyllium husk absorbs enough water to thicken the dough!

Add psyllium husk, sugar, and water to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until psyllium gel forms (1-2 minutes).

In a bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) combine all the dry ingredients using a whisk.

Then, add psyllium gel and the sourdough starter to the bowl with the dry ingredients and knead the dough in a stand mixer for 5 minutes using a dough hook. You can also use a hand mixer for this step.

If you don't have a mixer, you can knead the dough by hand, in that case, knead for 10 minutes to achieve a very smooth dough!

If you are using starter discard, add 7g of active dry/instant yeast or 20g of fresh yeast at this point.

Separate the dough into 6 equal pieces. Mine were about 120-130 grams per pretzel. It is important to make sure all pretzels are the same size so that they bake at the same speed! The dough will be very sticky, don't add extra flour! Rather, grease your hands with oil to prevent sticking.

Once the dough is separated into 6 parts, flour the working surface, take one of the dough pieces, and start rolling it into a rope with your hands. As you are rolling the dough, carefully pull it to stretch it out. The length should be about 16 inches/40 cm.

Then, bring the dough into a U-shape, twist the ends over each other twice, and finally, bring the tops to the bottom part of the dough to make the traditional pretzel shape.

Place shaped pretzels on the baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Cover them with a tea towel and let them proof for 1-2 hours. I let mine sit for 1 hour before the water bath! If you are using starter discard with additional yeast, let the pretzels rise for 40-60 min.

30 minutes before the end of proofing start preheating the oven to 445F/230C.

Once the pretzels are done proofing, boil 5 cups of water in a medium-large pot with 5 tablespoon of baking soda. If your pot is too large, you can add more water. Remember to add 1 tablespoon of baking soda per each added cup of water.

Once the water starts boiling, carefully lower the pretzels into the pot (mine fits 2 at once). Boil for 30-50 seconds, you can push the pretzels underwater if they are floating on top.

Finally, transfer the pretzels from the water bath to the parchment paper using a spider or any other tool that works for you, just be gentle with the pretzels.

Don't worry if your pretzels move and fall out of shape. You can reshape them gently once they are out of the water!

Once all pretzels have gone through the water bath, prepare the egg wash. To make an egg wash just whisk one egg with a fork in a small bowl. Then, brush the pretzels with it using a silicone brush or a baking brush. Don't use the whole egg, brush just enough to cover the pretzels to avoid baked eggs on top!

Finally, sprinkle your gluten-free sourdough pretzels with flaky salt!

Place a dish with water in the bottom of the oven to create extra steam and prevent the pretzels from browning too quickly. Bake your gluten-free sourdough pretzels at 445F/230C for 15-20 minutes.

The inner temperature should read 210F/100C and a toothpick should come out without much raw dough sticking to it. Keep checking on the pretzels after 15 minutes to make sure they don't burn!

Let baked pretzels cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

How To Store

These gluten-free sourdough pretzels are best on the day when you baked them but they will keep for a few days in an air-tight container! You can store them at room temperature for 2 days and in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To reheat, just pop them in a microwave for half a minute! You can freeze these pretzels for up to 3 months. To reheat, place them in a microwave until completely soft.

Expert Tips

- Don't roll your pretzels out too thin or they will be hard to handle.

- Use a digital scale to make sure your pretzels turn out the way they should! It is easy to overpack or underpack the flour into the measuring cups which interferes with the recipe.

- If the dough sticks to your hands don't add flour. Grease your hands with oil and flour the working surface, that should be enough! Adding extra flour will make pretzels harder and less fluffy.

- Don't worry if your pretzels fall out of shape during the water bath. You can carefully reshape them after they are back on the baking sheet!

- If you need to increase the amount of water for the water bath remember to add 1 tablespoon of baking soda per each added cup of water.

- Don't forget to add a dish with water in the bottom of the oven to prevent pretzels from browning too quickly and to allow for a better rise.

FAQ