Same technique, a different dough.
Traditional pretzel dough gets its stretch from gluten. This version leans on almond flour, coconut flour and shredded mozzarella instead, and once the cheese melts into the dough it behaves a lot like gluten does, holding the dough together well enough to roll and shape without it falling apart.
The dough still needs about an hour to rise before it can be shaped, which accounts for most of the gap between the 20 minutes of prep, the 12 to 15 minutes in the oven, and the roughly 1 hour 35 minutes the whole process takes. The baking-soda bath does the same job it always does in pretzel-making: the alkaline water reacts with the surface of the dough and helps it brown and taste the way a pretzel should, regardless of which flour is underneath.
Worth knowing before you start: this is a real project with several stages rather than a five-minute snack, and the salt plus the baking-soda bath push the sodium noticeably higher than most low-carb snacks on this site.
Low-Carb Soft Pretzels
Almond and coconut flour dough, boiled in a baking-soda bath, then baked until golden.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin, divided
- 1 cup water, very warm
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tbsp erythritol, as a low-carb brown sugar substitute
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 egg, for the egg wash
- 1 tbsp water
- Sea salt, to taste, for topping
- Mustard or cheese dip, optional, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, and grease a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.
- 2
Combine the warm water, salt, erythritol and yeast in a separate large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
- 3
Stir the remaining olive oil into the yeast mixture, then gradually add the almond flour, coconut flour and shredded mozzarella, stirring vigorously with a fork until it forms a dough with no lumps.
- 4
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until it’s no longer sticky. Don’t overwork it.
- 5
Shape into a ball, place in the oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- 6
Punch the dough down, rest a couple of minutes, then divide into 12 equal portions.
- 7
Roll each portion into a long rope and bend it into a U shape. Twist the ends together twice and press them down toward the bottom of the U to form the pretzel shape.
- 8
Transfer the shaped pretzels to the prepared baking sheets and let them sit 10–15 minutes so they puff up a little before boiling.
- 9
Meanwhile, bring 8 cups of water and ½ cup of baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot.
- 10
Boil each pretzel about 20 seconds per side, then lift it out with a slotted spatula onto a wire rack to drain.
- 11
Pat the pretzels dry and return them to the baking sheets.
- 12
Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water for the egg wash, brush it over each pretzel, then sprinkle with sea salt.
- 13
Bake in a preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through for even color.
- 14
Let cool a few minutes before serving with mustard or cheese dip.
Nutrition per pretzel
Net carbs here means total carbohydrate (11g) minus fiber (6g). Also per pretzel: 4g saturated fat, 0.4g polyunsaturated fat, 3g monounsaturated fat, 7mg cholesterol, 13mg potassium and 1g sugar, calculated from the recipe's own ingredient data across 12 pretzels.
Sodium runs unusually high for a snack, at 1651mg a pretzel, mostly from the baking-soda bath plus the added salt. That's worth factoring in if you're watching sodium for any reason, even though none of the individual ingredients is unusual on its own.
Nutrition will vary with brands and exactly how the dough divides into 12 portions. Treat it as close, not exact.
Serving. These pair well with grilled meats and dips if you want something bread-like alongside a barbecue spread, or on their own with mustard or a cheese dip.
Storage. Baked goods like this typically keep a few days in an airtight container at room temperature, and can generally be frozen for longer storage. Let them come back to room temperature, or warm briefly in the oven, before serving.
Dough consistency. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid and can make the dough feel dry. If it's difficult to bring together, work in a little more almond flour rather than adding all of it at once.
Sodium. This recipe runs high in sodium for a snack, at 1651mg a pretzel. Most of it comes from the baking-soda bath and the added salt rather than any single ingredient.
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