Sourdough Onion Pretzel Bites (Printable)

Soft bites with sourdough and caramelized onions, ideal for flavorful snacks or entertaining guests.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup active sourdough starter at 100% hydration
02 - 2½ cups bread flour
03 - ⅔ cup warm water
04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
05 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
06 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Onion Mixture

07 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
08 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
09 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Baking Soda Bath

10 - 6 cups water
11 - ¼ cup baking soda

→ Topping

12 - 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
13 - Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
14 - Minced chives or dried onion flakes, optional

# How To Make:

01 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and salt, then cook while stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until golden and deeply caramelized. Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter, bread flour, warm water, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Add the cooled caramelized onions to the dough. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 7-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm location for approximately 2 hours until the dough doubles in volume.
05 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Turn dough onto a floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope, then cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.
07 - Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Carefully add baking soda, which will bubble vigorously. Working in batches, drop pretzel bites into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and arrange on prepared baking sheets.
08 - Brush each pretzel bite with beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt and optional chives or onion flakes.
09 - Bake for 12-15 minutes until the bites achieve a deep golden brown color.
10 - Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving warm.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like a fancy bakery snack but come together in your own kitchen without any fussy techniques.
  • Caramelized onions make them feel intentional and special, yet they're actually just onions that sat patiently while you did other things.
  • Your sourdough starter finally gets to shine in a way that feels different from the usual loaf.
02 -
  • Don't skip the baking soda bath—it's not optional—because that's what creates the chewy, slightly crispy exterior that makes these actually feel like pretzels and not just fancy bread.
  • Caramelizing onions takes real time and patience; if you rush them on high heat, they'll burn and taste bitter, so resist the urge to speed things up.
  • Your sourdough starter needs to be at its peak bubbly best before you use it, or the dough won't rise properly and your bites will be dense.
03 -
  • If you want to elevate these even further, add ½ tsp garlic powder to the dough—it whispers in the background and makes the onion flavor feel richer.
  • The baking soda bath is doing real chemistry work, so use a generous amount and let it bubble; underdoing it means you miss the whole pretzel experience.
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