Description
Soft and chewy homemade pretzel bites, perfect for snacking or serving with cheese sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup warm milk (whole milk recommended)
- 2–1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry—see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 up to 4 cups bread flour (plus more for dusting surface, see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 to 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- Cooking spray
- 8 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (or make cinnamon-sugar pretzels with cream cheese sauce—see notes 3 and 4)
- Cheese sauce (optional, for serving, see note 5)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and honey; let sit 5–10 minutes. It should look creamy/foamy after 5 minutes. If not, your yeast didn’t work, and you’ll need to begin again.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 cups bread flour and salt. Stir to combine, then make a well in the middle. Pour in 1 tablespoon melted and cooled butter. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the yeast mixture on top. Attach paddle or dough hook and beat on low speed, scraping the sides as needed, until combined. Increase speed, and if needed, add up to 3/4 cup more flour, adding 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together on the dough hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still sticking to sides, add the last 1/4 cup flour.
- Once dough is gathering around the hook, knead on low speed for 5 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. Knead and shape dough into a ball. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, turn the ball to coat in the oil, cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a draft-free, warm environment for 1 hour 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line an extra-large sheet pan with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Punch down the dough and dump onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Take 1 piece, covering the other 5 pieces with a towel. Use your hands to roll the piece into an even, long rope, about 20–22 inches in length. Cut the rope into pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.
- While cutting out the last 3 ropes, bring 8 cups water in a large pot to boil. Once boiling, add baking soda and whisk until dissolved. Take 8 pretzel bites at a time and gently place in the boiling water. Count to 10, then use a large slotted spoon to lift the pretzel bites, tapping against the pot edge to allow excess water to drip off. Place the bites back on the prepared sheet pan.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter and brush generously over all the pretzel bites. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake 12–18 minutes or until golden brown on top. Optional: for extra buttery bites, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on bites right out of the oven.
Notes
- Note 1: Active dry yeast can be used, just proof it first.
- Note 2: Adjust flour as needed for dough consistency.
- Note 3: For cinnamon-sugar pretzels, mix 1/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon after baking.
- Note 4: Serve with cream cheese sauce for a delicious dip.
- Note 5: Cheese sauce can be melted cheese or a cheese dip.
- Note 6: Ensure the milk isn’t too hot to avoid killing the yeast.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 pretzel bites
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 240mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 12mg