Pretzel Bites

This homemade Pretzel Bites recipe makes the BEST German-style soft pretzel bites – easy to make with basic ingredients – no lye required!

 

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

If you’ve been a reader of The Busy Baker for awhile now you’ll know we’re obsessed with savoury snacks. Finger food is our jam, and we love creating new party-worthy recipes for all your entertaining needs (and ours too!). This homemade Pretzel Bites recipe is one of the BEST things we’ve eaten in a long, long time. They’re soft and chewy, they’re salty and savoury, and they make the perfect snack or party food!

And did we mention, they’re easy to make? Trust us, you’re going to love this recipe!

Soft pretzels are a baked treat known for their unique twisted shape and soft, chewy texture. They originated in Europe (from the German ‘bretzel’) and they’ve become a popular snack worldwide. In North America they can sometimes be found in bakeries, at street stands and festivals, and sometimes at the mall.

Pretzel bites are a popular snack that came from the traditional German pretzel. Unlike larger pretzels, soft pretzel bites are small, bite-sized, soft and chewy pieces of pretzel dough that are baked in the same way larger pretzels are. They’re bathed in a baking soda solution before baking, which gives them that classic, distinctive pretzel flavour and a chewy pretzel-like crust.

Pretzel bites are made from the same dough as soft pretzels with simple, basic ingredients like flour, water, yeast, and salt. After the dough is kneaded and left to rest for only a short time, it is shaped into a long snake-like piece of dough and cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Before baking, they’re traditionally dipped in a lye solution that gives them their distinct brown crust and subtle alkaline flavour after baking. In no-lye recipes like ours, baking soda is a more user-friendly alternative that creates a similar texture and colour to the pretzels traditionally made with lye.

Homemade pretzel bites, just like pretzels, are known for their golden-brown exterior that’s on the chewy side, a soft interior, and the classic sprinkle of coarse salt on top. We serve them plain with mini frankfurters and a dollop of mustard or with our favourite cheese sauce for dipping. They’re also delicious all on their own!

Because they originated in Germany, American soft pretzels are an adapted version with some differences from the original. Here are some differences between the German and North American versions:

American-Style Soft Pretzels: These are typically larger and much softer than the German ones. The texture is pillowy, almost bread-like. They are often shaped into a thick, loose twist and have a mildly salty and usually a buttery flavour. American pretzels are sometimes (but not always) baked after a dip in a baking soda solution, which helps them achieve a light brown crust without the intense flavour that comes from lye. American-style pretzels are sometimes served dipped in cinnamon sugar, in garlic butter with Parmesan, or with a variety of dipping sauces (which is not how traditional German pretzels are served).

German-Style Pretzels: The German “Brezeln” are smaller, denser, and chewier than American soft pretzels. They are known for their thinner arms and a fat bottom which can burst open slightly during baking to reveal a softer, chewier interior. The dark, glossy crust of a traditional German pretzel is created by dipping the unbaked dough in a lye solution. German pretzels are often sprinkled with coarse salt on the outside before baking and served with mustard and sometimes frankfurters.

Our original pretzel recipe is the best of both worlds; they are slightly softer than traditional German ones, but they still have the classic chewy texture. They’ve got a beautiful brown exterior with crunchy coarse salt, but they’re a little bit puffier than the German-style pretzels. These pretzel bites are made in the exact same way as our classic pretzel recipe, making them the PERFECT choice for pretzel lovers everywhere!

There are SO many reasons why we love these homemade pretzel bites! Here are just a few:

1. They’re QUICK to make. The pretzel dough doesn’t need to rise like a traditional bread dough. Just a quick rest and it’s ready to go!
2. Everybody LOVES them. Name one person who doesn’t love a good soft pretzel bite… these are always a hit no matter when and where we make them – especially for game day!
3. They’re great for PARTIES. If you want to talk about finger food, there’s nothing better than a savoury pretzel bite you can hold in your hand. Bonus points if you serve them with a dipping sauce like our favourite cheese sauce!
4. KIDS love them! These pretzel bites are great for grab and go lunches, snacks for the car or after school, and they’re delicious as a part of a lunch plate with some ham, cheese, and cut vegetables and fruit.

If you love hosting parties and gatherings with your friends and family and you’re looking for new and easier ways to make homemade party food, we’ve got you covered! We’ve created a FREE No Fail Guide to the Best Party Food that’s packed with all our favourite tips and tricks, secrets and recipes for quick and easy appetizers and snacks that will turn you into the host with the most – the easy way! Sign up for our FREE guide below:

Creating the perfect homemade pretzel bites is easy, especially when you know all the secrets and expert tips to make sure your homemade soft pretzels turn out just right every single time!

Baking is a science. Measuring your ingredients correctly is how you ensure your dough has the right texture and the recipe works out. Be sure to measure your flour using the fluff and scoop method.

The pretzel bites dough should be smooth and pliable, and tacky but not too sticky. If it’s too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears too dry, don’t add anything – just continue kneading for several minutes and the dough should soften and appear pliable. This recipe requires that you knead the dough a lot in order to develop the gluten.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap while it rests. If you don’t, a skin will form on the dough as it sits, making the dough clumpy as you try to shape it.

When rolling the dough create long, even ropes that are smooth. This will help the pretzel bites have a uniform appearance. If the dough retracts or is difficult to work with, let it rest for a few minutes more to relax the gluten before trying again. Be sure to create long ropes with an even thickness.

Freezing the pretzel bites after forming them, just for 20 minutes, makes a big difference in how easy they are to handle. It’s an optional step, but we find it helps them keep their shape when they’re plunged into the baking soda bath.

The purpose of the baking soda bath is two-fold – it creates a brown crust on the outside of the pretzels but it also gives the pretzel bites that classic salty, almost metallic flavour. Be sure to follow the recipe directions for the correct amount of baking soda and water. Too much baking soda and the pretzel bites will brown too much and taste too strong. Not enough baking soda and they won’t taste like pretzels and they won’t brown sufficiently.

Dip each pretzel bite into the solution for 30 seconds or so, using a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove and drain them before baking. This step is simple, but it’s essential for achieving the pretzel’s classic flavour and colour. Don’t leave the pretzel bites in the baking soda bath too long – they’ll develop an awful metallic taste and get too brown in the oven.

Sprinkle coarse salt while the pretzel bites are still wet from the soda bath. This helps the salt stick to the outside of the pretzels.

Cool the pretzel bites on the baking sheet for several minutes before enjoying. This helps them maintain their chewy texture and not become soggy. Enjoy them warm, but not hot from the oven. Cooling them before enjoying ensures a soft, chewy texture on the inside.

Here are some common pretzel-making problems you might encounter when making this homemade pretzel bites recipe and how to fix them:

This dough requires a lot of kneading to develop the gluten. If your dough seems tough, continue kneading for several more minutes. The dough will loosen up as you knead.

Humidity can affect dough texture, so if it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour as you knead, one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry, continue kneading. Soft pretzel dough requires a lot of kneading to make the pretzels nice and chewy.

If your pretzel bites brown too much, it’s possible you’ve over-baked them, baked them at too high a temperature (use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is correct), or it’s possible your baking soda bath was too concentrated. Too much baking soda will cause the pretzel bites to brown too much while baking.

If they’re too hard, it’s likely they’ve been over-baked. Be sure to follow the recipe directions and bake them only until they’re baked through.

If your pretzel bites are browning unevenly or aren’t brown enough, it could be due to inconsistent oven temperature. Use an oven thermometer to verify your oven’s temperature accuracy and rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. You can also check to make sure you used enough baking soda in the baking soda bath. More baking soda means more browning.

If the pretzel bites have an unpleasant metallic taste, you may have used too much baking soda or left them in the bath too long. Stick to a 30-second dip in the baking soda bath and ensure the baking soda is fully dissolved in the water before adding the pretzel bites. Be sure to use correct measurements of water and baking soda, as directed in the recipe. Don’t boil them – keep the water on a low simmer.

If pretzel bites flatten out during baking, they might have been left to sit too long. Be sure to get them into the oven as soon as possible after they come out of the baking soda bath. They should puff up nicely in the oven.

Here’s a list of the basic kitchen equipment you’ll need to make this delicious soft pretzel bites recipe (paid links):

• a Stand Mixer or mixing bowls, if you’re making them by hand
• a Bench Scraper for working with the dough and dividing it into pieces
• a Slotted Skimmer (a large slotted spoon also works) for placing the pretzels into the baking soda bath and removing them
• a large baking sheet or two
• some Parchment Paper
• a Large Pot

Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious soft pretzel bites recipe (paid links):

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 10 cups water
• 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or pretzel salt (sometimes called rock salt)

We hope you love this homemade pretzel bites recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite snack to make at home? We’d love to know!

Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this recipe. You can find many more deliciously simple recipe videos on our YouTube channel!

• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Mini Cheese Ball Bites
• Baked Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip
• French Onion Dip
• Air Fryer Steak Bites
• Pretzels
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
• Slow Cooker Nuts and Bolts Snack Mix
• Air Fryer Salmon Bites
• Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
• Baked Chicken Tenders
• Chocolate Fruit Dip