If you haven’t been following my blog or don’t know anything about me, then you need to know this one fact: I’m from Philly.
And here in Philly we LOVE… and I mean absolutely LOVE a good soft pretzel. (That translates to… we would most likely cut someone if they stole our super soft perfectly warmed soft pretzel).
I’m obsessed with them and you can get them anywhere you turn. That is, unless you’re allergic to gluten because you can’t find a gluten free soft pretzel anywhere!
In fact, my friend Mara and I talk about soft pretzels all the time.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but we have mentioned them a few times and the chance of finding a delicious soft pretzel that’s also gluten, soy, and dairy free is slim to none.
So I decided that I would attempt to make soft pretzels this past weekend. I was worried it wouldn’t work and half way through I was convinced that they were ruined and I should give up.
But my desire for a soft pretzel (and Mara’s goading from the phone along with the bet on her end that it would probably still be good even if they turned out hard and brittle), kept me going.
I have to admit, these aren’t simple to make. The dough crumbles and you need to smash it together and they don’t look pretty. That damn gluten free flour can be a killer!
Not to mention, I wanted these to be free of the top 8 allergens, but because the dough was so brittle, I had to add an egg (sorry)!
But, if you are allergic to eggs and CAN eat gluten, then check out a repeat of the recipe right here that’s safe for you too!: Allergy Free Soft Pretzel Bites {Egg Free}!
So here it goes… good luck and check out my pictures because you’ll see that it wasn’t simple for me either. Maybe next time they’ll be better shaped though they were damn good – agreed upon by the allergy free party goers AND the people who can eat normal soft pretzels (always the best taste testers)! 
These Soft Pretzels Are:
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Peanut Free
- Tree Nut Free
- Soy Free
- Fish Free
- Shellfish Free
Allergy Free Cheddar Soft Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
- 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 2tbsp and 1tsp brown sugar, packed
- 1/4c warm water (I just put mine in the microwave for a minute or two)
- 1c rice milk (I just put mine in the microwave for a minute or two)
- 2c of gluten free flour (for the recipe I used, see below)
- 1lg egg
- 1/2c of Daiya Cheddar Cheese, shredded (1 bag will do)
- 4tsp baking soda
- Kosher Salt, to taste
Gluten Free Flour:
- 1 1/4c chickpea flour
- 1c potato starch
- 1c tapioca flour
- 1c white rice flour
Combine the yeast, 2tbsp brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Let sit for approx 5minutes until the yeast foams. If the yeast doesn’t foam, then start over again.
In a small bowl, combine the 1tsp brown sugar and the warm rice milk, until dissolved.
When the water and yeast mixture is ready, combine the milk mixture, the egg, and the 2c of gluten free flour.
Mix with your hands until completely combined. This will take several minutes and the dough will be flaky, but that’s okay. Just keep mixing until the dough becomes a good consistency.
Roll into a ball, cover with plastic and place in a draft free area to rise for approx 2 hours.
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NOTE: When I placed my dough to rise, it did NOT rise. I thought maybe that this was a problem and this is when I was worried my pretzels would not turn out. Now, I’m telling you to continue to try to do this because I’m not sure if it was my yeast (which was about 2 months over the due date) or because I was in a drafty area, etc…
So, if you dough does NOT rise, don’t worry… I just want you to do it to test and when I make the recipe again I will update.
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Preheat the oven to 400F.
Remove your large dough ball from the bowl and split into 4 different equal sections. Work the sections one at a time, keeping the other sections covered with plastic wrap (to keep them from drying out), until you’re ready to use them.
One at a time, roll each section out into a rope (or a snake) shape, approx 1.5” wide and 12” long.
Using a rolling pin, roll over top of the rope to flatten it until it is approx 2” wide (you want this to be wide because you’re going to put the cheese in the middle of the rope so your pretzel bites have cheese in the middle.
In the center of the rope, place a line of shredded Daiya cheese. Next, you’re going to pull the sides of the rope up and over the cheese to encase it in the middle. This was the hardest part for me because the dough broke and flaked a lot. I just kept pushing the dough together until it formed small balls with the cheese in the middle.
Cut the rope into 1.5” – 2” bites, pushing the ends together so the cheese is completely encased.
Heat water in a medium sized pot until boiling. Add the baking soda and stir. Cook the pretzel bites in batches by throwing them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds until they float.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Kosher salt.
Bake for approx 15 minutes until browned (some of the cheese may ooze out).
Dip into mustards and enjoy because they are delicious and I’m craving them right now! The great thing about the Daiya cheese is that it gives a little bit of a buttery taste making the pretzels absolutely perfect.
I may just make some more this weekend!
And again, if you need an egg-free recipe (and you can eat gluten), then check out my Allergy Free Soft Pretzel Bites {Egg Free}!
xo,
L.
