The Superbowl is this Sunday and while I don’t care at all about football, I do love a good game day snack! The only football game I really pay attention to every year is the Army/Navy football game. Other than the Olympics every four years, I don’t watch other sports on TV. You can usually fine me with my head in a book when sports are on at our house. What is more festive for a game day than some beer cheese dip and pretzel bites for dipping? These sourdough pretzel bites are my first actual sourdough recipe on the blog, not including my sourdough discard blueberry muffins, and I hope they are the first of many! I love baking with my sourdough starter, fondly named Bready White. I love the tang it gives the baked goods, the health benefits that come from fermentation, and the science behind maintaining a sourdough starter and sourdough baking.
How to Make Sourdough Pretzel Bites
- This recipe uses 100g of sourdough starter so be sure your starter is appropriately fed to ensure you have enough. I feed my starter at 8 am so I can prep the pretzel dough later that night. If you’re planning to make these for Superbowl Sunday, you’ll want to feed your starter on Saturday morning. Pay attention to the rest of the baker’s timeline to make sure you have everything ready on time!
- About 10 hours after feeding the starter (6pm if you fed the starter at 8am), whisk together the water, starter, and honey. Then add in the flour and salt.
- If using a stand mixer, knead together for 6-7 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Rest at room temperature overnight for 10-12 hours.
- In the morning, roll the pretzel dough into ropes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place on rimmed baking sheets covered with parchment paper, cover, and rest for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil and add 3 tbsp. of baking soda and 1 1/2 tbsp. of brown sugar.
- Drop in a few pretzel bites at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and transfer back to the baking sheet. Work in batches until all the pretzel bites have been boiled.
- Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown!
- Serve with warm beer cheese dip (recipe included below!).
These sourdough pretzel bites are delicious on their own, but with a homemade beer cheese dip they’re even better. This beer cheese dip comes together in just 20 minutes and is truly delicious!
20 Minute Beer Cheese Dip
- Melt the butter and whisk in the flower. Slowly drizzle in the beer while continually mixing to make sure the flour incorporates evenly. Whisk in the milk.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Whisk in the sharp cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Allow the sauce to heat through and thicken and serve warm!
This recipe is game day perfection and something that everyone will enjoy! My kids couldn’t keep their hands off the warm, salty pretzel bites. You can also use this sourdough pretzel recipe to form traditional pretzels. You can brush them with the egg wash and salt as instructed, or use your favorite pretzel flavors like cinnamon sugar, garlic parmesan, sesame, everything bagel, and more!
- 100g active starter (see notes below for feeding instructions)
- 255g room temperature or slightly warm water
- 40g honey
- 500g bread flour
- 10g salt
- 8 cups water
- 3 tbsp. baking soda
- 1½ tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- Coarse salt, for topping
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. flour
- ⅔ cup beer
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- Salt to taste
- You will need your starter to be bubbly and active to make these pretzel bites. I feed my starter at 8 am, prep my dough at 6pm, and prep the pretzel bites at 6am the following day. You can push this timeline back a few hours if you don't want to be making the pretzel bites first thing in the morning! For example, you can feed your starter at 10am, prep your dough at 8pm, and prep the pretzel bites at 8am. That means you'll be boiling them at 9am.
- Once your starter is active and bubbly, whisk together 100g of starter, 255g of water, and 40g of honey. Then add in the bread flour and salt. You can knead this mixture in a stand mixer for 6-7 minutes or by hand for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest for 12 hours.
- After the bulk fermentation is complete, roll the dough into ropes and cut into bite-sized pieces. They don't need to be perfect or uniform! Place them onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for one hour.
- After one hour, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and brown sugar to the water. Working in batches, boil the pretzels for about two minutes per side before transferring to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- When ready to serve (or while the pretzels are baking!), make the beer cheese dip.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. While continuously whisking, slowly pour in the beer and bring to a simmer. Then whisk in the milk.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Whisk in the shredded cheddar and cream cheese and mix until smooth and warm. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve your pretzel bites with beer cheese for dipping and enjoy!
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