Gluten Free Pretzel Rolls

I first tried pretzel rolls when I went on a trip to the US and I was immediately hooked! That wonderfully chewy crust and soft interior, truly a soft pretzel in roll form, topped with a sprinkling of flakey salt.

Having recently developed a mind-blowingly delicious gluten free soft pretzels recipe, I wanted to adapt it to give you all the option of making these lovely little rolls. And if you enjoyed those pretzels, you will LOVE these.

For me, these gluten free pretzel rolls an ideal accompaniment to a warming to bowl of soup (try my roasted tomato soup) or filled with ham, cheese and other goodies as a quick lunch.

Top Tip

My top tip for making any sort of gluten free bread is: ALWAYS stick to the recipe. Gluten free bread making is very precise and scientific. If you make substitutions, the recipe will not work.

It’s not an advanced bake by any means, you simply need to be precise and exact with your ingredients and you’ll get great results.

There are two ingredients you may or may not be familiar with. Please don’t skip any items in the recipe.

Trust me, everything in the recipe plays a specific role, and our new friends psyllium husk and tapioca starch are well worth adding to your store cupboard.

What Is Psyllium Husk?

The little magic ingredient in this recipe is whole psyllium husk, which is a fantastic ingredient for gluten free bread making. Whole psyllium husk is widely available online and from health food stores. I buy this variety of psyllium husk.

It is a naturally-dervived fibre and it helps to give flexibility to gluten free bread, acting as a binder and improving the final texture of your bake. Do not skip it, else the end bake will not be soft and lovely.

I use whole psyllium husk, rather than the powdered variety. If you only have the powdered variety that’s okay, but you’ll need to reduce the amount used – use 12g psyllium powder.

What About Tapioca Starch?

A favourite flour of mine for bread making, I often add it to gluten free plain flour blends as it really helps with 1) pliability and stretch and 2) softness of the final bread.

Tapioca starch is sometimes called tapioca flour (the Bob’s Red Mill brand), but is different from cassava flour. If you do not have tapioca starch you can buy it on Amazon or find it in health food shops, and even Ocado sell it. I buy it from Shipton Mill.

You’ll find a lot of my bread recipes using tapioca starch, so grab yourself a bag and get baking with me :). It’s a gamechanger.

How Long Do These Gluten Free Pretzel Rolls Stay Fresh?

Like most fresh breads, these rolls are best enjoyed on the day of baking. They are especially good when still warm from the oven.

If you have any leftovers, they can be split and toasted or even frozen, to be enjoyed at a later date. Although note you will need to refresh them by toasting or warming, once defrosted.

Gluten Free Pretzel Rolls Recipe

This recipe makes 6 smallish rolls (you’ll want 1-2 per person, depending on your appetite). If you want to make more, simply double or triple the ingredients quantities and keep the method the same.

You’ll find a full method below, plus lots of photos to help guide you through the recipe. However, feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have. You can contact me at laura@mygfguide.com or message me on Instagram/Facebook @myglutenfreeguide.

I love seeing your home bakes too so please send me photos of your creations, or tag @myglutenfreeguide on social media :).

Lastly, if you enjoy this gluten free pretzel rolls recipe, I would be really grateful if you could leave a star rating or review on the recipe card below. Thank you!

Laura xxx

Makes 6 Rolls

Gluten Free Pretzel Rolls

Ingredients

230g gluten free plain/all purpose flour (I used FREEE by Doves Farm)
40g tapioca starch (I used Shipton Mill)
6g fast action/instant yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
0.5 tsp fine salt
14g whole psyllium husk (don't skip this!)
200ml warm water
30g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp flakey salt (such as Maldon salt)

Instructions

To a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, add the plain flour, tapioca starch, yeast, caster sugar, salt, psyllium husk, water and melted butter.
Crack the egg into a small bowl and carefully measure 30ml of egg white only into the stand mixer bowl. Mix the remaining egg white and yolk together with 1 tsp water to make an egg wash, which we'll use later. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until needed.
Turn the stand mixer on and mix on a medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scrapping down the sides halfway through. Then leave it to rest for 5 minutes, before mixing again for a further 5 minutes on medium-high. During this time, the psyllium husk will be absorbing water from the dough, transforming it from a very wet mixture to a nice soft and pliable dough.
Scoop the dough together to form a nice ball, then place it back into the bowl and cover the top of the bowl with a damp clean cloth or tea towel. Leave to rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until it has increased by about two thirds in size.
Once the dough has risen, use a dough cutter or knife to cut into 6 even portions, about 90g each. Take one piece at a time and knead the dough with your hands until smooth. Then on a clean surface flatten into a disk then fold the sides in towards the centre to create a ball. Pinch the edges to seal and roll on your work top to create a smooth and even roll (or if you are feeling lazy, like me when I took photos for the recipe, you can simply shape the dough portions roughly into roll shapes).
Repeat step 5 with each dough portion until you have formed 6 rolls.
Preheat the oven to 180C (fan) and line a large baking tray with lightly oiled non-stick baking paper or a silicone mat.
Fill a small saucepan with 1.3 litres water and add the bicarbonate of soda. Bring to simmering point then carefully drop a pretzel roll into the water. Boil the pretzel for 45 seconds, during which time it'll pop to the surface, give it a couple of gently dunks to immerse it briefly. Then remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared baking tray. Repeat for all 6 pretzel rolls.
Use a pastry brush to egg wash the pretzels. Then use a sharp knife to score a cross about 2mm deep into the top of each roll, to allow them to expand upwards during baking. Then sprinkle the tops of the rolls with a little flakey salt.
Place the rolls into the oven to bake for 25 minutes, until beautifully browned. Then remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool. After 5 minutes they will firm up and you can enjoy them either while still warm or have them cold later. Like all fresh bread, these are best enjoyed on the day of baking. However, if you've any leftovers you can store them in an airtight container, then microwave (30 seconds - 1 minute) or cut in half and toast to refresh.