Gluten Free Soft Pretzels

These are soft and chewy and delicious. They are well worth the effort, especially if you double or tripple the recipe and save some for later.  My daughters loved them so much they gobbled them up, and even were inspired to try them with dijon mustard.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 Tbsp almond meal

1 ¾ tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

½  cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter

2 eggs

10 cups water

1/3 cup baking soda

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Coarse sea salt or pretzel salt

2 Tbsp cornmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit. Liberally sprinkle one half sheet pan with rice flour and sprinkle another cookie sheet with cornmeal. In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside till bubbly. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer combine flours, almond meal, xanthan gum, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix on low for about a minute to combine. Add oil or butter and eggs and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add water/yeast mixture and mix on low until incorporated. Turn mixer up to high and mix for 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides and paddle. While the dough is mixing, thoroughly coat the inside of a gallon sized zip top bag with oil take and cut about ¾ inch off of one corner. Scrape pretzel dough into bag and pipe 6 logs length of the cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes. This helps the dough to set up a bit so it is easier to form into a pretzel shape. When dough logs are chilled, remove them from the freezer and on a rice floured surface, shape the long logs into pretzel shapes. I used egg wash to stick the ends to the pretzel.

Place pretzels back on the cookie sheet and return to the freezer for 15 minutes. While the pretzels are taking their second turn in the freezer, heat 10 cups of water, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt and baking soda to a simmer in a large pan or pot on the stove top. Be sure not to add the soda to the water when it is boiling or you will have a huge mess. Remove the pretzels from the freezer and place them in the simmering water 3 or 4 at a time. Let them simmer for about 30 seconds then flip them and simmer for another 30 seconds.

Place on the cornmeal dusted cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. For extra chewy pretzels, place a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven while they bake.

Let them cool and serve with gluten-free mustard of your choice. We used Trader Joes Dijon mustard. Enjoy!

More to come, with love!