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Amazing Keto/Low Carb Soft Pretzels

  • Writer: Keto Upgrade
    Keto Upgrade
  • Apr 18
  • 7 min read

After figuring out soft and chewy sweet dinner rolls and pizza crust, I wanted to see if I could take this dough to the next step of boiling. And surprisingly it worked to make a delicious soft pretzel with quite a few tweaks to make it not too big and fluffy. The recipe ended up being pretty basic with pretty much the same ingredients as a regular soft pretzel recipe. The only difference is our "flour" is a combination of several ingredients to replace the stretch and gluten we lack in our flours.






The first part of this recipe is the liquid, just like a regular soft pretzel recipe I just used warm water, not above 110 degrees, to bloom the yeast. I've used active dry and rapid rise yeast and I've found there wasn't too much of a difference. To activate the yeast I use Inulin which is a fiber usually derived from artichokes. I haven't found any other keto sweetener that has worked to active the yeast. If you don't mind using maple syrup or honey you can use 1/2-1 tsp. instead of the inulin. To bloom the yeast I place in a warm area, often I turn on my dehydrator or oven to help warm it up.


The kind of sweetener you use definitely impacts the outcome of the dough. I tried the dough with no sweetener and it did work, just didn't give the chewiness I wanted in the pretzel. I choose Lakanto brand packable erythritol/monkfruit brown sugar substitute but any erythritol based packable brown sweetener should work. The packable brown sugar substitutes have added ingredient that I think helps with the chewiness of the outside of the pretzel. If you choose one with allulose, it will cause it to be softer and more brown.


Next is melted salted butter. I always use salted butter but if you only have unsalted add an extra 1/4 tsp. salt to the dry ingredients. I have found you can usually swap out coconut oil for butter in most recipes. I did try using avocado oil in place of the butter and it worked but the dough was a little bit stickier and needed to add some bamboo fiber when I went to roll it out.


Next is the dry ingredients which I tested so many different ratios of things and this gives the best texture to the pretzel. My problem with this recipe was the pretzels being too fluffy so I did minus the baking powder from my original dough. Then decreased the whey protein quite a bit from my original dough recipe. I use unflavored whey protein Isolate (Isopure) which is 0 net carbs per scoop and I have not been able to figure out a replacement for it without having to change the other "flour" ingredients in the recipe. I didn't use coconut flour in this recipe but you can replace some of the bamboo fiber with coconut if you want to but I don't think that will be any better with the coconut flour added but it won't hinder the dough much.


The xanthan gum and gelatin are both essential. You can try to use just one or the other, looking up the subbing ratios on google, but I have tried and found that it isn't exactly the same outcome. I feel like xanthan gum gives a slimy texture to the dough, for lack of a better descriptor, while gelatin thickens the dough and makes it stiff and chewy. I use Anthony's xanthan gum which is very strong compared to old brands I use to use so you may need more xanthan gum than is in the recipe. For the gelatin I use grass-fed beef gelatin which is stronger than unflavored knox pork gelatin, so you may need more if you use a different gelatin.


The last dry ingredient is the bamboo fiber, I used all bamboo fiber instead of the coconut flour and bamboo fiber mix. I have had luck replacing the bamboo fiber with oat fiber but the dough may be a little more sticky and the crust turned out softer and less crisp. To work with the dough I make sure to oil everything including my hands. If you made the dough correctly you should be able to roll it into the pretzels, as long as you are oiled up. The dough should be able to form a pretty thick dough ball.


In a regular pretzel dough recipe there is not much rising time, just resting. So I just rest the pretzels for ten minutes while I get the baking soda bath and egg yolk wash ready to go. I found the baking soda bath in combination with the egg yolk wash gives the best hard crust on the soft pretzel. I have skipped the baking soda bath and it works but is definitely not as chewy of a crust. I tried a bunch of different washes on the pretzels to get the best browning and a nice shiny soft pretzel and the egg yolk was the best option.





I bought pretzel salt a while back in a big jug and it last forever so I have that linked below. If you don't want to eat them right away, you may not want to salt them before baking. You can reheat in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes or air fry them at 400 for a few minutes until warm and crispy. Just spray with water or avocado oil spray then salt them and warm them. They last for a few weeks in the fridge or you can freeze them, the times will just be a little longer for baking.





Pretzel Salt I bought, it's always cheaper to but a lot than a little- https://amzn.to/4itmiFJ

Small container of pretzel salt- https://amzn.to/42DXox9



You can find all the ingredients for this recipe on my Amazon shop page lists:


My Curated Amazon Shop Page- amazon.com/shop/ketoupgrade


All the Sweeteners I Buy on Amazon- https://amzn.to/40fnPcx

My Essential Keto "Flours" I use in recipes- https://amzn.to/4iVK5iR

Additional Baking Ingredients- https://amzn.to/4iY3JuI


(These are affiliate links, which means you are supporting my family and channel when you purchase products using these links, thank you very much for your continued support of my channel, it means a lot to me!)


Keto/Low Carb Soft Pretzels


8 oz./1 Cup- Warm Water between 100-110 degrees

6 g/2 tsp.- Inulin (Alternatively 1 tsp. Honey or Maple Syrup)

9 g/2-1/2 tsp-. Active Dry or Rapid Rise Yeast

24g/2 Tbs. -1:1 Alternative Brown Erythritol Based Sweetener (packable)

56 g/2 oz./1/2 Stick- Salted Butter (melted) (add 1/2 tsp. salt if using unsalted)

40 g/1/2 Cup (approximately) Packed Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate

88 g/1 Cup + 1/3 Cup- (packed) Bamboo Fiber (Oat Fiber creates less crisp crust)

8 g/2 tsp.- Anthony's Xanthan Gum

20 g/2 Tbs.- Grass fed Beef Gelatin

1/2 tsp.-Salt


Boil Mixture

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

4+1/2 Cup Water


Topping

1 Egg Yolk

2 tsp. Water

Pretzel Salt


Instructions:

  1. Weigh/measure out your liquid and heat to between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit then add the inulin and yeast, set aside to activate (optional but I think it adds flavor)

  2. In a stand mixer bowl or regular bowl for a hand mixer add the sweetener, measure and melt the butter

  3. Weigh/measure, sift and whisk together dry ingredients, once everything is measured out, whisk the melted butter into the sweetener with a whisk, then add the bloomed yeast and whisk well

  4. Place on the stand mixer or using a hand mixer beat in the dry ingredients

  5. Scrap down and whip until a thick dough forms

  6. Once it's a thick dough and not too sticky, place on an oiled piece of plastic wrap on a scale if weighing out the pretzels and divide by 8 to get the weight of each pretzel, if not place onto an oiled surface

  7. Oil your hands and knead the dough until it is nice and smooth, roll into a log to make slicing easier, if it's still sticking to your hands, add more oil and keep adding oil as you work with the dough, you want it sticky so the pretzel will stay in it's shape when boiled and baked

  8. Grab a pan with a silpat or a parchment lined large baking sheet and preheat oven to 400 degrees, divide the dough into eight equal pieces (by eye or weight), once all cut, start rolling into a rope on the oiled surface

  9. Slowly stretch the rope until it's even and 15 inches long, trying to get no rips or tears in the rope and as smooth as possible, then bring the two ends together, twist once, bring down to the bottom of the pretzel (check out the video for tutorial- https://youtu.be/kgjC09Dj7G8 )

  10. Place onto the sheet pan and repeat with remaining pretzels, once all rolls out, set timer for 10 minutes to let rest

  11. Add baking soda and water to a medium size pot and bring to simmer and grab the egg yolk and water mixture to brush the pretzels and grab the salt if using

  12. Once the ten minutes are up and the water just has tiny bubbles around the edges, drop a pretzel at a time into the water and simmer for 20-30 seconds, flipping once then flipping back onto the sheet pan (they are delicate, so be gentle in this process), do not let the water go past a few bubbles, because it will foam up and be hard to see what you are doing

  13. Once all boiled, brush and salt the pretzels and bake for 15-18 minutes until nice and dark golden brown, let cool to room temperature and Enjoy!!


Macros: 1 Pretzel


100 Calories

7g Fat

7g Total Carbs

3g Fiber

3g Sugar Alcohol

1g Net Carbs

8g Protein


If you are in in AR, AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, IN, IA, IL, KY, LA, ME, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NH, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, or WV, feel free to check out my website to place an order for some High Protein/Low Carb White Bread or some delicious keto brownies or keto breakfast Baked Goods- Sugarswapbakeshop.com or click the link: https://www.ketoupgrade.info/shop-1


                

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Code for 20% off- ALYCIA20


Ketoupgrade is a participant in the Perfect Keto Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Perfect Keto. As an Perfect Keto Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


I created a patreon account. I have many ideas for the future of this channel and maybe even creating my own keto line of desserts at some point. I'm going to be posting some inspirational stuff over there along with more information about my life, past, present and future. I'm excited to take this extra step and do some extra content for supporters. Some behind the scenes of my recipe testing successes and fails alike. Maybe even some merch down the line! If you would like to support me and this channel, please consider becoming a patron.


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Alycia J Distefano

P. O. Box 56

Derby, NY 14047






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