Pretzels shells…who doesn’t love their crunchy, salty goodness! Did you know you can make them at home with just a few ingredients? These pillow looking snacks are so good you can’t just stop with a few!

As most of you know by now, sourdough is a favorite baking item of mine. So why wouldn’t I use sourdough starter to make these crunchy shells? With just 4 ingredients, these are a simple recipe to make. It does take a little time to cut the shells but my daughter loves to do that. So it is a winner either way I look at it.

If sourdough starter scares you…it really shouldn’t. It is not at all complicate to feed, best of all, it can just live in your fridge until you want to use it. Feed it a few times and it is ready to bake with. However, this recipe does not need to have active starter. You can use starter right from the fridge to mix these pretzel shells.

If you are short on time like I am so often, this dough can be mixed one day and baked another day. Just be sure to keep the dough in the fridge so it doesn’t over-ferment in this summer weather.

You will find many more recipes in the spiral bound 600+ page Around the Family Table Cookbook and the hard cover spiral bound(preorder) It’s all About Sourdough. All recipes are sugar-free and label with the correct fuel. Books can be purchased using this link.  We have now added additional items to our store… Sourdough Starter Kits and more. Buy It Now. Follow my blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

Pretzel Shells.. THM E, DF, SF

• 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• pretzel salt or Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Mixing/Fermenting: In a mixer bowl combine the starter and flour. You should have a thick stiff dough. You may need to add just a bit of flour or water depending on the thick/thinness of your starter. Place dough into a Ziploc bag and ferment in the fridge 24 hours or at room time for 7 hours.
• Shaping/Baking: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I use my Atlas Noodle Maker to roll the pretzel dough to a uniform thickness. I cut the dough into 4 pieces. Shape one piece into a disc 1/2 inch thick. Put through the noodle maker on number1. Fold and repeat 2 times. Repeat until all four pieces have been put through the rollers on number one. Turn the dial to number 4. Put all pieces through. Lay each piece on parchment paper. Using a ruler and pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares. Separate the squares slightly. Brush the pretzel squares with egg. Sprinkle on *desired seasoning. Slide the parchment sheet unto a cookie baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until browned. *we made some with coarse pretzel salt and some with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
• These shells are an E and have very minimal fat from the egg. The amount of pretzel shells will vary depending on the size and thickness. You can roll the pretzels by hand but it is hard to get a uniform thickness. I have seen pasta makers at thrift stores so you dont have to spend a lot to have one.

I buy 50 pound bags of Wheat Montana White Whole Wheat to use in my baking. If you have a bulk food store near by , they may be able to order it for you.

I use starter that I had setting on my kitchen counter. I had not been feed for 24 hours. You can use unfed starter from the fridge or even active starter. However, if you use active starter you may need ti add a teaspoon or two of water to the dough. I find that unfed starter is thinner than fed starter.

This is how your dough should look after it is mixed. It may seem dry but that is ok. It should be a stiff dough.

This noodle machine gets a lot of use. I love it for these pretzels shells since it makes them all uniform thickness.

Here I am rolling the dough through the last time to the thickness I want it to be.

This is a job my 12 year old daughter loves to do for me. I give her a ruler and a pizza cutter. She will even brush the egg wash on and put whatever seasonings we want to use.

These are ready to be baked. I space them just a little apart from each other. They do at times stick together. That is okay, you can snap them apart after they are baked.

Since you are baking these pretzels shells at such a high heat, they should pop up like little pillows. I bake them until they are nicely browned. I allow them to cool at room temp. You do not want to put them in a tight container until they are thoroughly cooled.

This post has affiliated links, if you purchase items through these links, I receive a small commission but your price doesn’t change. Your purchase help support this blog, keeps new recipes coming, and assist with our move to a mission outreach of our church. Below are a few of my favorites listed under the affiliate store I purchase them. 

AMAZON

This Atlas Noodle Maker is the best. My late mother-in-law gave me hers. It has made hundred of pounds of pasta and crackers.

My favorite topping for these shells is…Everything Bagel! The flavors blend together just perfectly!

I used coarse pretzel salt for some of the shells I made. They tasted just like the pretzel shells you can buy in the store.

This parchment paper is a baker’s best friend. I wouldn’t be without it and use it all the time.

I love these sturdy cookies sheets. I use them several times a week in our bakery. They are my absolute favorite.

I love my Kitchen Aid Mixer…I have had mine for 27 years and it still works great.

The Trim Healthy Mama Store has wonderful products. Here is my affiliate link if you wish to use it. Trim Healthy Mama Store.

Print

Pretzel Shells, THM E, DF, SF

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

fermenting time 7 hours

Author Glenda Groff

Ingredients

• 1 cup sourdough starter unfed
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• pretzel salt or Everything Bagel Seasoning

Instructions

1. Mixing/Fermenting: In a mixer bowl combine the starter and flour. You should have a thick stiff dough. You may need to add just a bit of flour or water depending on the thick/thinness of your starter. Place dough into a Ziploc bag and ferment in the fridge 24 hours or at room time for 7 hours.
2. Shaping/Baking: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I use my Atlas Noodle Maker to roll the pretzel dough to a uniform thickness. I cut the dough into 4 pieces. Shape one piece into a disc 1/2 inch thick. Put through the noodle maker on number1. Fold and repeat 2 times. Repeat until all four pieces have been put through the rollers on number one. Turn the dial to number 4. Put all pieces through. Lay each piece on parchment paper. Using a ruler and pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares. Separate the squares slightly. Brush the pretzel squares with egg. Sprinkle on desired seasoning. Slide the parchment sheet unto a cookie baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until browned.

3. These shells are an E and have very minimal fat from the egg. The amount of pretzel shells will vary depending on the size and thickness. You can roll the pretzels by hand but it is hard to get a uniform thickness. I have seen pasta makers at thrift stores so you don't have to spend a lot to have one.

You will find many more recipes in the spiral bound 600+ page Around the Family Table Cookbook and the hard cover spiral bound(preorder) It’s all About Sourdough. All recipes are sugar-free and label with the correct fuel. Books can be purchased using this link.  We have now added additional items to our store… Sourdough Starter Kits and more. Buy It Now. Follow my blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages.