Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Sourdough cinnamon sugar pretzel bites are a crowd pleaser that remind of your teenage years at the mall. But now that you’re all grown up, you can serve them to all your friends and impress them with your baking skills. Look at you. These are made in an afternoon, and most of that time is hands-off. Explore more of my sourdough discard recipes for creative ways to use up your starter.
These are SO good to eat right away. So, if you want a lot for the week ahead, I suggest you double or triple the recipe. We love having these with a glass of milk after school pick-up.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
When you make the dough, add the flour slowly until it’s tacky but not sticky. Measuring the water out for the water bath is actually important, so don’t just eyeball it. A stand mixer is super handy for this, but if you don’t have one, you can knead by hand…it will just take about 10-12 minutes.
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Dough:
- 1 cup warm water (no hotter than 90°F): Test with your wrist—it should feel warm but not hot to avoid killing the yeast.
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard/unfed
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons dry active yeast: This equals one standard packet if you’re using those.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3½-4 cups all-purpose flour: Start with 3½ cups and add more only if needed—the dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Water Bath:
- 6 cups water: Measure this precisely for the right concentration of baking soda.
- 2 tablespoons baking soda: This creates the distinctive pretzel texture and helps with browning.
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon: Fresh cinnamon makes a big difference in flavor.
- 6-8 tablespoons salted butter, melted: Have this ready before the pretzels come out of the oven.
Essential Equipment:
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment and dough hook: You can knead by hand for 10-12 minutes if you don’t have a mixer.
- Parchment paper
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
- Pastry brush
- Large bowl (for cinnamon sugar coating)
How to Make Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Mix the wet ingredients first
In your stand mixer bowl, combine warm water (90°F – just slightly warm to the touch), sourdough starter discard, brown sugar, yeast, and salt. Stir by hand with a Danish whisk or use the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. This helps distribute the yeast and sugar evenly.
Add half the flour
Pour in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and stir until combined. The mixture will look like a thick batter at this stage.
Incorporate the butter
Pour in the 4 tablespoons of melted butter (slightly cooled so it doesn’t kill the yeast) and stir to combine. The butter helps keep the pretzel bites soft.
Add remaining flour gradually
Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time, mixing between additions and scraping down the sides as needed. Stop adding flour when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but still feels slightly tacky to the touch. You might not need all 4 cups – humidity affects flour absorption.
Knead properly
Let the mixer knead the dough at medium speed for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. You can also transfer to a bread machine on the dough setting if you prefer. Proper kneading develops the gluten that gives these bites their perfect chew.
First rise
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1½ hours or until doubled in size. The dough is ready when you poke it with your finger, and the indentation remains.
Prep for baking
About 15 minutes before the rise is complete, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425°F.
Divide and shape
Turn the risen dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide into 12 equal portions (a bench scraper works great for this). Roll each portion into a rope and cut each rope into 3 pieces to make 36 bites. Alternatively, you can shape them into small balls – no need to be perfect! Place them on your prepared baking sheet with a little space between each.
Prepare the water bath
In a large, wide pot, combine exactly 6 cups of water with 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. The precise measurements ensure the right chemical reaction for that classic pretzel texture.
Boil in batches
Once the water is boiling, carefully add 6-8 pretzel pieces at a time (don’t overcrowd). Boil for exactly 3 minutes – set a timer! The pieces will puff up slightly. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place back on the parchment paper, spacing them at least 1 inch apart.
Bake
Slide the baking sheet into your preheated 425°F oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Look for a light golden brown color – they’ll continue to darken slightly after removal. Darker isn’t better here!
Prepare cinnamon sugar mixture
While they’re baking, mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a separate small bowl.
Coat while hot
Work quickly once the pretzel bites come out of the oven. In small batches (6-8 at a time), toss the hot bites in melted butter, then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. The heat of the bites helps the butter and sugar create that perfect crunchy-sweet coating.
Cool slightly and enjoy
Place the coated bites on a cooling rack or plate. Let cool just enough that you don’t burn your mouth – these are BEST eaten while still warm when the contrast between the crisp exterior and soft, chewy interior is at its peak.
Serving and Storing Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Serve with coffee, hot chocolate, or milk. You can eat them on their own or dip them in cream cheese frosting or chocolate or caramel sauce.
These will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Warm leftover pretzel bites in a 300°F oven for 3-5 minutes. They won’t be quite as good as fresh, but they’ll still disappear quickly!
For make-ahead options, you can freeze the shaped, unboiled dough bites on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag once solid. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed with the boiling step.
Make It Your Own
If you want to try something other than cinnamon sugar, here are some different ways to make them.
- Try rolling in pure maple sugar instead of cinnamon sugar, or go savory with everything bagel seasoning (skip the cinnamon sugar).
- Fold 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips into the dough after kneading for chocolate chip pretzel bites.
- Make traditional pretzel shapes instead of bites, or twist them into pretzel sticks for dipping.
- Serve with cream cheese frosting or chocolate sauce for dunking.
Questions and Troubleshooting
Absolutely. You can refrigerate the dough after the first rise for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping into pretzel bites.
The baking soda bath is what gives pretzels their distinctive chewy texture and brown exterior. Don’t skip this step – it’s what makes them pretzels instead of just bread bites!
Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is tacky but not sticking to your hands. Humidity affects flour absorption, so you might need more on rainy days.
Look for a light golden brown color. They’ll continue to darken slightly after coming out of the oven, so don’t wait until they’re too dark.
Related Recipes
- Make the classic pretzel shape with these homemade sourdough pretzels
- This sourdough discard pretzel bites recipe is a great base for all pretzel bites.
Printable Recipe
Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment and dough hook
- Pot
- Slotted spoon
- Pastry brush
- Large bowl (for cinnamon sugar coating)
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm water no hotter than 90°F
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard/unfed
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 ½- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons salted butter melted
Water Bath
- 6 cups water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6-8 tablespoons salted butter melted
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Instructions
- Mix everything except flour. Add warm water, sourdough starter, brown sugar, yeast, and salt and stir to combine by hand with a Danish whisk or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add half of the flour. Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour and stir to combine.
- Add butter. Add 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and stir.
- Add the rest of the flour. Switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook and slowly add the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring and stopping to push the sides down to make sure the flour is fully incorporated. Repeat this process until the flour has been incorporated and the dough removes itself from the bowl's sides. You want the dough to be slightly tacky but soft.
- Knead dough. Set your mixer to medium and allow the dough to knead for 5-10 minutes. You can also transfer the dough to your bread machine and put it on the dough setting.
- Rise. Remove the dough, cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
- Prep baking sheet. Place a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet and set aside.
- Divide dough. Once the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface and divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Shape the balls into a rope and cut them into 3 equal portions, creating 36 pieces. Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking sheet. You can also roughly divide them and then shape them into small balls
- Prep pot and oven. Add the 6 cups of water, baking soda, and brown sugar in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425°F. It’s important to measure out the water so the proportions are right.
- Boil. Once the water comes to a boil, work in batches to add the dough pieces into the water bath, boiling each batch for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bites and place them on the baking sheet. Repeat until all dough bites have gone through the water bath.
- Bake. Bake at 425°F for 8-10 minutes until the pretzel bites are light golden brown.
- Mix cinnamon sugar. While the pretzel bites are baking, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Coat with cinnamon sugar. While the pretzel bites are still hot from the oven, working in small batches, toss with melted butter, then immediately toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat completely. Place on a clean plate or cooling rack.
- Serve. These are AMAZING while still warm! The inside stays perfectly soft and chewy.
Notes
Nutrition
By Katie Shaw
Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.