I came across this recipe for soft pretzel bites at www.melskitchencafe.com and thought it’d be perfect to make for a Super Bowl party. I doubled the recipe & it was a good thing because they were all gone even before halftime! The recipe here has all the steps with some great pics, so all my process pictures aren’t necessary, but oh well! Other than doubling it and using slightly less butter, I didn’t really change the recipe since I’ve never made anything like these before. I only wish I had some coarse salt to use. {Bummer.} Eh, oh well, they still tasted great! So below is the recipe straight from melskitchencafe.com with my process pics. Keep in mind, when I made them, I doubled all the ingredients listed the recipe below.
Chewy Pretzel Bites
*Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam – maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt.
*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites
Dough:
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water
Topping:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine.
Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky.
{my mom took this pic cause I was visiting her place :)}
Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length.
{I have 8 strips because I doubled it.}
Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.
Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.
Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste.
Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.
{or if you’re like me, you’ll eat one the instant you finish buttering them!}
These were really good dipped in some yellow mustard. Mmm. Eugene’s already put in a request for another batch of these asap. :)
