Soft Pretzel Bites

Perfect bite-sized soft pretzels! Add your favorite toppings: salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried shallots, dried onions, etc… before baking. Serve with cheese sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice.

Step: 1

Place 1 1/2 cups water, butter, brown sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix until well combined. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Step: 2

Turn mixer on low speed and add 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Add additional 1/2 cup flour if dough appears sticky. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in more flour if dough still seems a little tacky.

Step: 3

Oil a large mixing bowl. Add the ball of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Step: 4

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a sheet pan with cooking spray.

Step: 5

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly add baking soda and return to a boil.

Step: 6

Meanwhile, remove dough from the bowl, flatten into a disc shape, and cut into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge into a 24-inch rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.

Step: 7

Drop batches of dough pieces into the boiling water for about 35 seconds. Remove to the prepared sheet pan. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush over the tops of each boiled dough piece. Repeat with remaining dough.

Step: 8

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Per Serving: 166 calories; protein 3.8g; carbohydrates 25.7g; fat 5.2g; cholesterol 21.7mg; sodium 2207.8mg.

The quality of the flour could make a real deal to your bread. Different brands do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal bread , which doesn’t always rise as well as white bread.

To make this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the makers instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be done in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can work it night before , then clear it off the next day.