Soft Pretzel Bites are the perfect weekend snack…or really any time you want someone to love you.  They are simple and delicious and easy to make!  My older sister used to work at a pretzel place in the mall way back when, and she would bring home the leftover pretzels at night (because you can’t sell old pretzels.  They didn’t even taste quite the same by the end of the day.).  We LOVED it because we got free soft pretzels!  But if you want hot, fresh pretzels and you don’t want to go all the way to the mall, or you just don’t want to pay a lot, try these awesome soft pretzel bites.

Don’t be scared by the baking soda bath.  That’s what gives soft pretzels their pretzel-y taste.  If you skip it, you’ll be sad.  It might be an extra step, but it’s definitely worth it to get that perfect flavor and texture.

Soft Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 3 1/4 cups-4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 9 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg, beaten
• coarse seat salt or kosher salt

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast and honey in warm water (should be about 110 degrees F).  When the yeast is foamy (about 10 minutes), add the flour, salt and butter.
2. Add more flour as necessary (the dough should pull together in a ball).  Knead for about 3 minutes.
3. Cover and let dough rise for 30-60 minutes.
4. Put water on to boil.  While water is coming to a boil, turn dough out onto a clean counter and divide into fourths using a bench scraper.  Divide each piece in half (so you end up with 8 pieces of dough).
5. Roll one section of dough into a rope, and still using the bench scraper, cut it into eighths.  I like to cut in in half, and then each piece in half, then each piece in half.  That way they’re all roughly the same size.  Each rope should yield 8 pieces of dough (for 64 total pieces).
6. Add baking soda to water, be careful not to splash yourself, especially when it bubbles up initially.
7. Preheat oven to 450.
8. Working with 8-10 pretzel bites at a time, carefully add them to the boiling water for 20-30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer (I know it sounds weird, but it totally works).
9. Place each piece of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re a deep golden color.
11. Serve with Sweet Mustard Dipping Sauce or Spicy Cheddar Cheese Sauce, or make them into Cinnamon Bites!

Notes:

• I always start at 3 1/4 cups of flour, and then add more as needed to make my dough the right consistency.
• If you have pretzel salt, use that in place of the sea/kosher salt.
• I don’t flour my counter while I’m working with the dough.  It doesn’t stick, so there’s no need!
• A bench scraper is my tool of choice when working with pretzel dough.  If you don’t have one/like to use one, use your favorite cutting tool.  Just don’t tear the dough with your hands.  This scraper is the one I have, but this one and this one are a little cheaper.  I actually found mine at TJ Maxx, so I only paid a few dollars for it.