Name: Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cup water (room temperature); 1 tablespoon honey; 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast; ½ cup sourdough discard; 1 tablespoon oil; 3 ⅓ cups bread flour; 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt; 8 cups water; 3 tablespoons baking soda; 2 tablespoons honey; Salt, for topping

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Easier than you might think, soft and chewy sourdough discard pretzel bites need just one short rise time and are boiled in a baking soda bath before baking.

Close up of pretzel bites, one with a bite taken out of it.

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Recipe Rundown: Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

Prep Time
30 minutes

Bake Time
30 minutes

Rise Time
3 hours

Servings
12 rolls

Difficulty
Intermediate

Calories
356 kcal*

Primary Ingredients
Sourdough discard, yeast, all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, and eggs.

*Calories are an estimation.

How This Recipe Works

Woman smiling, with long brown hair in a dark brown shirt.

Pretzel bites are surprisingly easy to make, and it's more about being able to work quickly rather than any other special skills. The bites themselves are soft in the middle, chewy on the outside, and have a delicious salty-sweet taste.

Adding sourdough discard does boost the flavour in these, especially since they have such a short rise time and can't develop a lot of flavour within the dough during that time. There is a hint of sourdough in the dough along with the slight sweetness and saltiness of the outer crust.

I developed and tested this recipe. I made a double batch for my godmother's 90th birthday party a few months ago, to serve a crowd - they're great for parties or get-togethers like movie nights. In Germany these little bites are very popular and can be found in most bakeries. I tried to make them as similar as possible to true German pretzel bites, and they're pretty close despite baking soda replacing lye.

Ingredients You'll Need and Why

The ingredients are simple, just normal bread ingredients with honey and baking soda used for the water bath. These are our notes from recipe testing. You can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

Sourdough discard pretzel bites ingredients with labels.

Flour: we recommend bread flour for this recipe. The extra structure makes the dough much easier to work with. All-purpose flour works too but know that the ropes might be a little stickier and the bites will be less chewy.
Sourdough discard: this can be discard or active sourdough starter, depending on what you have on hand. If using active starter, weigh it instead of using volume measurements as it has a greater volume than discard.
Oil: use your preferred cooking oil. Olive oil will add more flavour than vegetable oil. We don't recommend butter or coconut oil.
Yeast: use standard active yeast or instant yeast. We always bloom yeast (mix it with warm water) before beginning to make sure the yeast is still active. If using instant yeast, mix it in with the dry ingredients. Dry yeast should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life.
Honey: added both to the dough and to the water for boiling. Maple syrup is the best substitution, or use brown sugar in a pinch.
Baking soda: this replaces lye in the water to boil the pretzels, just like we do for bagels. We choose to use soda instead of lye because it's much easier to get and safer for home bakers. If you're experienced working with lye, feel free to use it instead.
Salt: you'll need salt for the dough and for topping the bites. You should never change the salt amount in bread recipes, as it does affect the gluten development.

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.

How to Make Discard Pretzel Bites

The dough only rises for 30 minutes and doesn't have a second rise, so the bites are ready in about an hour from start to finish. You'll need a clean, fairly large work surface for this recipe to roll the dough into ropes.

Pretzel dough steps 1 to 4, dough after mixing, after kneading, after rising, and divided into balls.

Step 1: mix the water, honey, and yeast, and set aside to bloom for a few minutes. Whisk in the oil and discard, then stir in the flour and salt to form a shaggy dough.

Step 2: knead the dough for about 12 minutes, until strong and elastic. A stand mixer fitted with the dough hook is ideal but you can also knead by hand, adding a few minutes onto the kneading time. This is a higher hydration dough but resist the urge to add more flour if kneading by hand.

Step 3: let the dough rest and rise for 30 minutes at room temperature. It won't double in size but will puff up slightly.

Step 4: divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape those pieces into rough balls. They don't need to be shaped perfectly - this is the same as a preshape for a sourdough boule.

Pretzel bites steps 5 to 8, rolled into a rope, cut into pieces, after boiling, and after baking.

Step 5: use both hands to roll and stretch each ball into a 20-inch long rope. Don't flour your work surface for this. The dough needs to be able to stick slightly to the surface in order to roll and stretch this long. Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes if it's springing back too much and won't roll to the full length.

Step 6: making sure the water bath is simmering and the oven is preheated, cut the ropes into 2-inch pieces. Drop into the baking soda bath, 10 pieces at a time.

Step 7: transfer the boiled bites onto lined and greased baking sheets and immediately top with salt or any other toppings.

Step 8: bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. They won't rise much in the oven as they'll have had most of their expansion in the water bath.

Expert Tips for the Best Pretzels

Don't skip boiling: it's the whole point of pretzels, and if you skip the boiling you're just making tiny soft buns. Boiling in a baking soda bath makes the bites chewy and golden.
Add toppings while wet: sprinkle with salt or any other toppings as soon as the bites come out of the water bath, before baking, so that they can stick. You can try alternatives like cinnamon sugar, seeds, and herbs to replace the salt.
Work quickly: tidy your workspace before starting, and make sure everything is prepared and to hand. You're juggling a few things for this recipe and making sure everything is in order before beginning will make it much easier and less stressful.
Eat or freeze: discard pretzel bites are best fresh, and they do harden after the first day. Make them the day you plan on serving, or freeze them right away and refresh in the oven when you do serve them.
Grease the paper: the bites will come off the paper eventually if you don't grease it, but they are tricky to remove without losing the bottom layer. Adding a thin layer of oil or butter allows them to pop right off as soon as they come out of the oven.