Keto Pretzel Bites – All Day I Dream About Food

Ingredients you need

• Coconut flour:  I do not recommend substituting another flour here. Coconut flour gives the best structure for these keto pretzels.
• Xanthan gum: A little xanthan gum helps hold the dough together better.
• Shredded mozzarella: You can buy pre-shredded or grate your own. It should work either way.
• Egg: Coconut flour recipes always rely on eggs for structure.
• Butter: Most fathead dough recipes use cream cheese, but butter makes it lighter and flakier. And more buttery!
• Mayonnaise: Be sure to read the labels on your favorite mayonnaise. Choose one that doesn’t add sugar or other sweeteners that increase the carb count.
• Spicy brown mustard: Mustard with pretzels is a classic combination. You can also use regular yellow mustard or dijon.
• Kitchen staples: Garlic powder, baking powder and coarse salt.

Step by step directions

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the coconut flour with the baking powder, garlic powder, and xanthan gum.

2. Melt the cheese: Place mozzarella in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second increments until well melted and easy to stir.

3. Form the dough: Add the flour mixture to the heated mozzarella, then add the egg. Using a silicone spatula, work the flour and egg into the cheese, kneading the dough up against the side of the bowl.

4. Knead the dough: Dust a work surface with the remaining tablespoon of coconut flour. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead with your hands until cohesive. If the dough is still very sticky, dust lightly with more coconut flour until it no longer sticks to your hands.

5. Cut into portions: Divide the dough into 4 even portions and roll each portion out into an 8-inch log. Cut each log into 8 pieces.

6. Air fry: Spray the rack of an air fryer with avocado or coconut oil spray (or brush lightly with the oil of your choice). Place the pretzel bites on the rack with some space in between each one, then brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with coarse or pretzel salt and press lightly to help it adhere to the dough. Air fry pretzel bites at 350F for 5 to 6 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

7. Prepare the dipping sauce: Stir the mayonnaise and mustard together in a small bowl until smooth. Serve with the pretzel bites.

Tips for Success

This recipe is really quite straightforward, but fathead dough can always be a bit tricky. Here are my best tips for getting it right:

1. Prep your dry ingredients before melting the cheese. This way, you can add them all at once, together with the egg, and start kneading the dough right away.
2. Don’t worry about the egg getting “cooked” by the hot melted cheese. Just make sure you add the dry ingredients first, then the egg, then start mixing and kneading right away.
3. Depending on your coconut flour, your dough may be a little sticky at first. This recipe uses a similar method to many conventional wheat doughs, where you work more flour in as you knead the dough, until it’s no longer sticky.
4. Make sure the bites aren’t touching each other in the air fryer basket, as they do expand a bit. If you need to work in batches, that’s fine because these only take about 5 minutes to air fry.
5. Spray your air fryer basket so the pretzel bites don’t stick. Also, brush the tops of the bites with melted butter and then sprinkle with coarse salt for a real pretzel experience.
6. Keep your eye on them because every air fryer is a bit different and you don’t want them to burn!

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