The perfect snack for your next gathering, because who doesn’t love a good soft pretzel? Soft Pretzel Bites literally makes everyone smile, with their trademark salty crust and their fluffy interiors perfect for just popping in your mouth. Soft Pretzel Bites are delightful when paired with dipping sauces or when served piled high with cheeses and meats. Once these appear at the party, they disappear just as quickly!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 3 ounces unsalted butter melted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed and for flouring a work surface
- vegetable oil, for greasing
- 3 quarts water
- 1/3 cup baking soda, for boiling the pretzels
- 1 whole egg beaten + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined together
- coarse sea salt, optional, for topping
Directions
Step 1 –Add together in the 1 1/2 cups of water, sugar, yeast, and butter into a medium sized mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook until it is fully combined.
Step 2 –Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Step 3 –Add the salt and flour, mixing it at a low speed until the ingredients are fully combined.
Step 4 –Raise the speed of the mixer to a medium and continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and it begins to pull away from the side of the bowl and hook, about 3-4 minutes. If the dough looks to be too wet, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Step 5 –Flour a work surface.
Step 6 –Move the dough from the bowl, putting it on the flat floured surface and kneading the dough into a ball with your hands.
Step 7 –Oil a bowl with the vegetable oil.
Step 8 –Add the dough to the oiled bowl, turning the dough so it is evenly coated in oil.
Step 9 –Cover the bowl with a clean towel or some plastic wrap, putting it in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Step 10 –Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 11 –Bring the 3 quarts of the water up to a boil in a small pot over a high heat.
Step 12 –Carefully add in the baking soda. If you do not add it in carefully enough, the water will boil over.
Step 13 –Move the dough from the bowl and place it onto the flat floured surface.
Step 14 –Divide up the dough pulling it into 8 equal pieces, which is about 4 1/4-4 1/2 ounces each.
Step 15 –Roll out each piece of the dough into a long rope that is measured about 22 inches in length.
Step 16 –Cut up the dough into one-inch large pieces to make the pretzel bites.
Step 17 –Boil the pretzel bites in the water, making sure to do it in batches.
Step 18 –Boil the bites for about 30 seconds each before removing them with a slotted spoon.
Step 19 –Put the pretzel bites onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, make sure that the bites are not touching.
Step 20 –Brush off the tops of the pretzels with the egg wash.
Step 21 –Season the pretzels liberally with the coarse sea salt.
Step 22 –Bake the pretzels until they are golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
Step 23 –Transfer the pretzels to a baking rack and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.