Dreams are coming true folks, lives are being changed. These grain free pretzel sticks are a total game-changer (and an uber proud moment here on Fork & Beans). I never say uber either so for me to say that this IS a big deal friends. They have NO yeast in them and NO grains yet taste as if none has been removed. Minds are being blown right at this very moment, aren’t they?
Well they should if they aren’t because my mind is still trying to process how GOOD these taste and what a beautiful crunch they give. I am still speechless and yet so excited about the possibilities this brings. Can you just imagine all of the fun homemade pretzel stick holiday ideas this brings to us grain-watching, gluten-restricive, yeast-avoiding folks? I mean, this calls for nondairy chocolate-covered pretzel sticks that are drizzled with festive nondairy white chocolate and even these Pretzel Stick Snowmen. Can you even stand the cuteness? I can’t!
See what I mean? Total game-changer!
Ingredients
- 3/4 c. almond meal
- 1/2 c. arrowroot powder
- 1/4 c coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 c. hot water
- 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 4 c. boiling water
- 3 Tbsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. raw honey
- coarse sea salt
Directions
- Whisk together the first five ingredients together until well-combined. Add the water and vinegar and mix in until a nice dough has formed. Dough should not be sticky or dried out. If you notice your dough is looking too dry, add a tablespoon of hot water at a time until smooth. If you notice your dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon of almond meal until no longer.
- Roll into a dough ball. Begin dividing the ball in half and then divide each of those balls in half. Keep doing so until you have 16 dough balls of even size.
- Take one dough ball between the palms of your hands and roll. Transfer to a piece of wax paper on the counter and keep rolling with your palm until a long string is formed (approx. 5" long and a little larger than 1/2" in diameter). Repeat with each dough ball.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring the water and honey (or brown sugar) to a boil in a large saucepan. Once it is rapidly boiling, slowly add the baking soda (it will begin to "explode" with bubbles but it won't go over the top if you go slowly and use a large enough saucepan). Reduce the boiling to medium heat where the boil is slight. You do not want bubbles to cloud the water.
- Add one pretzel stick at a time, using a large enough spatula to support it. It will take less than 10 seconds to pop back to the top and once that happens, wait another 5 seconds. Remove gently with the spatula and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat with the remainder.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Turn each pretzel stick over and bake another 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned and firm. Allow to set on the baking sheet and crisp up.
Recipe Notes:
√ You WILL need patience and practice rolling; it will only make you a better person in the end.
√ Can you use different flours? You can always try however I have not attempted to do so because I was so pleased with the end result of the almond meal. Are there comparable flours to almond meal that are not nut-based? You can try grinding down sunflower seeds into a flour as an option or even use a combo of brown rice and white rice flours. Check out this post for a guide to help you choose. Please note that when you alter the recipe, the ratios might be off since the flour’s propensity to absorb liquid varies from flour to flour. Just add the water slowly until you see a dough forming and add more if needed.
√ Roll each individual dough ball between your hands first until smooth. It will happen. If it breaks in half while rolling out, simply pinch the dough back together and keep rolling. Again, patience.
√ You can skip over the boiling process? Nope. Yes, it does make the pretzels more fragile however with the combination of the baking soda and honey, it adds an imperative shine and brownness to them that baking alone cannot do. Trust me, I tried both ways and the non-boiling version was not good.
√ For a vegan option, use maple syrup or brown sugar instead of honey in the boiling water.
√ You WILL need a large, heat-safe spatula to support the pretzel going in and out of the boiling concoction. If it’s not large enough, it will break apart.
√ Make sure you flip over the pretzels halfway through baking for an even browning. Also, allow them to set for a good 20 minutes or longer to fully bake inside which will give you a nicer crunch.
Can’t wait to make these? Do you know the nutrition facts by any chance?
I love these for my go to hard pretzel recipe! Do you have a recipe recommendation for soft dough pretzels? Thanks so much!
I actually have an AMAZING recipe for that! Just search “Gluten Free Soft Pretzels” and enjoy 🙂
how long would these keep?
There are both coconut and almond allergies in this family, but the recipe looks so simple that I think I will just try either corn flour or buckwheat for the almond, and brown rice for the coconut.
Cannot wait until my oven is fixed to make these! Thank you. My dude is gonna be so excited. He misses pretzels!
What is it about pretzels that make them the greatest snack ever? Hope your little one loves these!