German Pretzel Bites Recipe

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German Pretzel Bites Recipe

Pretzel bites are a simplified version of my famous German pretzels, and come together super quickly! I make them for parties all the time and they are always gone in no time!

Prep Time30

Cook Time12

Resting Time45

Course: Baking, Savory Baking, Snack

Cuisine: Bavarian, German

Keyword: Best pretzel bites recipe, Easy pretzel bites recipe, German pretzel bites recipe

Servings: pretzel bites

Calories: 53kcal

Author: Author: Sophie Sadler

Equipment

steel skimmer For dipping the bites in the lye
medium sized steel bowl For lye solution. Glass/ceramic works too.
Kitchen Scale Always recommend for German baking!
2 Silicone Baking Mats Half sheet size
Dough cutting tools highly recommend this set as I use it all the time!

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

500 grams all-purpose flour
15 grams brown sugar
30 grams butter room temperature
10 grams sea salt
4 grams active dry yeast ½ pouch
275 milliliters water luke warm

Lye Solution

12 grams food-grade lye I am using food-grade lye granules with a concentration of 100%. Your lye-water solution (once mixed) should have no more than 4% lye. You could use baking soda instead of lye. See notes below.
300 milliliters water COLD water

Topping

pretzel salt Kosher salt can be substituted, although pretzel salt makes your pretzel bites really authentic and it's inexpensive and lasts forever.

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Stir together the lukewarm (barely warm) water, brown sugar and yeast and allow to bubble up, this should take 5 minutes. If it's not getting bubbly, your water may have been too hot or your yeast is bad. You'll have to repeat this step.
15 grams brown sugar, 4 grams active dry yeast, 275 milliliters water
Sift together the flour and salt, and add in the butter and the bubbly yeast mixture. Knead the dough on the low setting for 8 to 10 minutes using the dough hook.
500 grams all-purpose flour, 10 grams sea salt, 30 grams butter
Cover the dough with a piece of wax paper (or a clean linen towel) and let it rest for 5 minutes. This is to help prevent a skin from forming.
Now it’s time to cut your bites! Divide the dough into 4 equal-ish portions (you can weigh it out if you'd like to be exact). Now roll each dough piece in a long, even-thickness log of about ¾ inch thickness (1.5 cm). Cut each log into 10 pieces. I start by cutting it in half, then I cut each half into 5 pieces. I like using a dough cutting tool (this one's my favorite dough set).
Transfer the pretzels on sheets of wax paper or silicone baking mats, cover with a clean linen towel, and let them rest and develop for about 30 to 45 minutes. The bites should have increased some in size, but not a lot.
Prepare your lye solution in a well-ventilated area (like standing under a vent hood set to high or ideally being outside) because of potential fumes. I also recommend wearing a cloth or medical grade face mask and rubber gloves to be extra safe (luckily everyone should have these at home by now). Add the premeasured lye (it comes in dry granules) into COLD water, not the over way around. At this point, I like to step to the side for about 10 to 15 seconds to let potential fumes evaporate. Then carefully combine with a whisk until the solution is clear.
12 grams food-grade lye, 300 milliliters water
Now dip the dough pieces using a steel skimmer (you could also use two forks) for about 8 seconds each before transferring them using your skimmer onto a baking sheet covered with a silicone baking mat (I have found the baking mats work best in releasing the pretzels after baking, so it may be time to invest in some).
Then sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
Alternatively, sprinkle with shredded cheese or seeds. Pumpkin seeds are my favorite seeds to add.
pretzel salt
Bake at 355° Fahrenheit or 180° Celsius (convection/Umluft setting) for about 12 minutes or until golden brown (I like to rotate them after 6 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before enjoying on their own, with butter, Obatzda, a Bavarian cheese spread for this creamy dip that I love so much!

Notes

No Lye? Use baking soda instead. In a small to medium saucepan, whisk together ¼ cup of baking soda and 4 cups of water. Bring to a gentle simmer and using a slotted turner or a skimmer, dip your pretzel bites in the solution for 30 seconds at a time. To get a more authentic pretzel taste, bake your baking soda before preparing the solution. On a baking sheet covered with foil, evenly sprinkle on the baking soda and bake for an hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius), making it more alkaline and closer to a PH value of lye. Then proceed with making the solution.
No convection setting? Use a conventional oven and increase the temperature to 380 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees Celsius. Bake until the pretzel bites are golden brown.

Nutrition