There’s nothing like eating a warm, soft, salty, or sweet pretzel straight out of the oven. For some strange reason, I always assumed they were long and complicated to make, so I never tried making them at home. For years, I would only enjoy them at fairs and Aunty Anne’s pretzel shop. I love pretzels any which way! Traditional salty knots, sweet cinnamon ones, pretzel dogs, and my favorite cute little soft pretzel bites.
My family loves pretzels just as much as I do, so making a batch never goes to waste. They’re such a fun snack or dessert. Once your dough is made, you can shape it however you’d like. Soft pretzel bites are great for tiny hands and tend to make less mess lol. They also require no skills! You don’t need to know how to shape them into fancy knots. All you need to do is roll out long ropes, and cut them into small pieces. The same would go for a pretzel dog. Once your long ropes are rolled out, you’d simply wrap them around the dog! Likewise, you could cut the hot dogs into smaller pieces and make mini dogs for parties. Always such a hit.
Essentially, pretzel bites are little bread balls. What gives them that distinctive flavor and texture, is simply taking a little dip in a baking soda bath before heading into the oven. And once they come out, lather them in butter! Oh ya! That’s what I’m talking about. From there, if you want sweet little morsels, you can toss the buttered pretzel bites in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.
Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 tsp. Yeast
- 1/2 c. White Sugar
- 2 c. Warm Water
- 5 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Melted Salted Butter
Baking Soda Bath
- 1/2 c. Baking Soda
- 5 c. Boiling Water
Toppings
- 1/2 c. Melted Salted Butter
- Flaky Sea Salt
- 1/2 c. White Sugar
- 3 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
Dough
- Place yeast and 1Tbsp. of sugar in the water to proof for 5 min.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, place flour, salt, and melted butter.
- Once the yeast has bubbled up, pour it into the flour mix. By hand, or with the hook attachment, knead the dough till it become soft and smooth.
- Place in a large oiled bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm area till the dough doubles in size. Approximately 1-2 hours.
Baking Soda Bath
- Preheat oven to 425*F
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a pot, add water and baking soda. Bring to a simmer.
Pretzels
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Deflate, and separate into 16 even pieces.
- Start rolling out long ropes. Work gently not to rip the dough.
- At this point, you can either shape the dough into pretzels, wrap it around hotdogs, or cut it into 1-inch pieces to make pretzel bites.
- Once all your dough is shaped, a few pieces at a time, quickly dip them into the simmering water. Remove and place on prepared baking sheet. (If you'll be making cinnamon pretzels, skip this next step.) Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Place in the oven and cook till golden brown, approximately 10 min for bites.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter. ( If making cinnamon sugar pretzels, now is the time to toss them in the mixture)
- Enjoy warm!
Making bread dough is very easy. The hardest part is waiting around while it rises. The first step is proofing your yeast. This step is to ensure that your yeast is still active and that your dough will rise properly. Afterward, simply mix into your flour, salt, and butter kneading until you get a smooth dough. Next, place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover it, and place it in a warm spot. Once the dough has doubled in size, you’re ready to go!
Now the fun part! Make sure you preheat your oven to 425*F, prepare your baking sheets, and put your baking soda bath to simmer before you start. I love rolling out bread dough…so do the kids. Pretzels don’t have to be perfect, so it’s a great time to let the kids help out. Separate the dough into 16 pieces and start rolling out long ropes about 1 cm in diameter. At this point, you can either cut 1-inch pieces into pretzel bites, tie them into knots, or wrap them around smokey hotdogs.
Your pretzels just need to be dipped quickly into the baking soda bath, you’re not trying to boil them. Place them on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt (unless you’re going to be making sweet ones, then skip that step) Pop them into the oven for about 10 min, till nice and golden brown. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter. If you’ll be making them sweet, now is the time to toss them into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Enjoy them while they’re still warm!
There you have it! Now you can make delicious and soft pretzel bites at home. These are a fun snack to throw in a school lunch, make for a movie night, a party, or a rainy afternoon. I hope this inspires you to bake a little something today! Thank you for stopping by today.
Elisa
