Description
With a golden crust and salty finish, these chewy gluten-free soft pretzels are perfect for dipping or eating on their own. A perfect savory afternoon snack or a crowd-pleasing appetizer, these easy homemade pretzels deliver all the flavor and texture without the gluten. Plus, you can make them dairy-free too!
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Pretzel Dough:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already includes it)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115F)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tablespoon softened butter
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
For the Baking Soda Bath:
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients to Form Dough: Add gluten free 1:1 baking flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, yeast to a large bowl of a stand mixer and whisk. Add egg, butter and warm water while mixing on low speed. Once mixture starts to come together, increase speed to medium and mix until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms.
- Let Dough Rise: Place dough ball into a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm area for 1-2 hours. Dough can be set in oven with only the light turned on.
- Prepare Soda Bath: To make the baking soda bath, pour the 4 cups of water into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil.
- Preheat and Line: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut Dough into Equal Portions: After the gluten-free pretzel dough has risen, cut the dough in half and then cut each half of dough into thirds, making 6 equal portions.
- Roll and Shape Dough: Roll each dough portion out using greased fingers on a lightly floured surface into a long rope about 9-10 inches in length. Shape into a letter “U”, then twist the ends over each other two times and pull down to the bottom, creating your classic pretzel shape.
- Boil Dough in Soda Bath: Once all 6 pretzels are shaped, add baking soda and honey to boiling water. Turn heat down to low so water is simmering. Add 1 pretzel at a time to the water and boil for 10-15 seconds.
- Set on Baking Sheet and Sprinkle with Salt: Remove each boiled pretzel from the soda bath with a slotted spoon and set it on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt (optional, but I highly recommend it!).
- Bake Until Golden Brown: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until they turn a deep golden brown on the outside. Allow pretzels to cool for 5 minutes then serve!
Notes
Gluten-Free Flour: For the best texture, I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free 1:1 baking flour that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, potato starch). I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend that is made up of heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a heavier and denser final texture.
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps to better bind the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure to add it in.
Brown Sugar: I used light brown sugar, but cane sugar or dark brown sugar will work just as well.
Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the pretzel dough to rise a little more, so make sure to add it in. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use certified gluten-free baking powder.
Yeast: The yeast is required to make the pretzel dough rise. I recommend using instant yeast so there is no proofing time required and you can mix all the ingredients together at once.
Warm Water: Make sure your warm water is between 105F to 115F (this is important as the heat is needed to help activate the yeast, but if the water is too hot, the overly high heat will kill the yeast).
Egg: The egg helps to better bind the ingredients together, so make sure to add it in.
Butter: Make sure to use softened butter. If you are dairy-intolerant and wish to keep this pretzel recipe dairy-free too, you can use softened dairy-free butter (vegan butter) instead.
Sea Salt: Sprinkling some coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt really the characteristic hint of salt to the pretzels.
Soda Bath: Make sure you don’t skip the baking soda bath – it is essential for creating the desired chewy texture of the pretzels, as it gelatinizes the surface of the dough. Honey adds a nice sweetness, and also makes the pretzels bake up a nice deep brown.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Rising Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western