Soft Pretzel Bites
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
40 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(130)
Ingredients
5 dozen
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm–around 100°F (38°C))
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 3 and 3/4 – 4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- Topping: coarse salt/coarse sea salt
- Baking Soda Bath:
- 1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
- 9 cups (2,160ml) water
- Optional for Serving: spicy cheese sauce or your favorite mustard
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Preparation
Step 1
Make the dough: Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle or dough hook attachment. Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add 3/4 cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute.
Step 2
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough.
Step 3
Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile, get the water and baking soda boiling as instructed in step 5.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
Step 5
Shape: With a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1.5 – 2 inch pieces to make bites.
Step 6
Baking Soda Bath: Mix water and baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place 8-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping listed in the notes.
Step 7
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Step 8
Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
Step 9
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:
If planning to freeze baked pretzel bites, do not top them with coarse salt before baking. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen pretzel bites (no need to thaw) with water and sprinkle with coarse salt, then bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes or until warmed through, or microwave frozen pretzel bites until warm. The prepared pretzel dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2–3 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzel bites while still cold, but allow extra time for the pretzel bites to puff up before continuing with the baking soda bath and baking.
Special Tools:
Electric Stand Mixer, Baking Sheets, Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper, Pizza Cutter or Bench Scraper, Large Pot, Coarse Salt
Flour:
If you have it, the same amount of bread flour works instead of all-purpose flour. Do not use whole wheat flour.
Cinnamon Sugar:
Bake the pretzel bites completely plain without salt. As they bake, melt 4 Tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter. Combine 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Once the pretzels are done and still warm, brush each with melted butter then generously dip into cinnamon sugar.
