Pretzel Bites
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These crisp, salty, buttery, and chewy pretzel bites are a delicious snack or appetizer and so easy to make at home!
I am not a big shopper, and I generally hate going to the mall. It is just not my thing! But the one thing that will always draw me to the mall is the promise of a soft pretzel. I got hooked on them in high school when I worked at a department store and would stroll over to the pretzel shop on my break. They’re just so delicious! They’re pillowy and soft, buttery and salty, and totally craveable. I feel like a cup full of warm pretzel bites with a little cup of cheese sauce is pretty much heaven! Because I’m me, I decided that I needed to find a way to recreate it at home. The end result was these delightful and adorable little homemade pretzel bites!
These little bites are pretty easy and straightforward to make, but the one piece of advice I will stress is that lining and greasing your baking sheet is absolutely necessary! Because of the baking soda bath and the high temperature these bake at, they tend to stick to the baking sheet A LOT. I’ve tried a lot of different methods, and the one that works the best for me is to line the pan with a silicone liner AND spray it with cooking spray. I’m generally a parchment paper devotee, but in this case I’ve found the silicone liner works much better and is easier to clean up too!
Every time I post any kind of pretzel or bagel recipe, I always get comments asking if the water bath is necessary. And yes, it is absolutely necessary! It’s the difference between a pretzel and a roll. It gives the pretzels their signature taste and texture. Trust me, it’s worth the extra effort. These little pretzel bites are absolutely amazing!
Pretzel Bites
Print Recipe
Ingredients
for the dough:
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 1/2 cups flour more as needed
- 2 teaspoons salt
for topping:
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 3 cups warm water
- pretzel salt or coarse salt to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. When the mixture is bubbly, mix in the brown sugar, butter, one cup flour, and salt, and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, and mix until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise about one hour, until doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners, spray with cooking spray, and set aside. Divide the dough into equal sized pieces, and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about one inch in diameter, then cut the ropes into one inch segments.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water and baking soda until dissolved. Working in batches, dip the pretzel bites into the baking soda mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake 7 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and toss with the melted butter.
