Soft Pretzel Bites

Do you ever decide to make something and during the process you are really wondering if it is going to turn out like you hope? You then take your first bite of whatever it is and realize it is even better than you imagined! That is how this recipe went for me. I was curious, they looked good, why not make them? My husband and I were able to polish off practically the whole batch of these bad boys without even thinking about it. On my next post I will show you what else I did with this recipe, but for now enjoy these amazing homemade pretzels!

Ingredients:

·        1 package active dry yeast (approx. 2 ¼ teaspoons)

·        2 Tablespoons brown sugar

·        1 ¼ teaspoons salt

·        1 ½ cups warm water (110- 115 degrees F)

·        4 cups flour

·        6 cups water

·        6 tablespoons baking soda

·        2 – 3 Tablespoons melted butter

·        Coarse Kosher Salt (optional)

Directions:

1.   In the bowl of your mixer (fitted with dough hook) dissolve yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Mix in flour until you can turn your dough on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover, and let rise for one hour. Punch down dough and cover with saran wrap. Place in fridge and let rest over night. (This step is optional, I ran out of time and made them the next day but they turned out so amazing!

2.   The next day take dough out of fridge, cut into 12 pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll each piece into a 2-3 foot rope.

3.   In a large saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a simmer over medium heat.

4.   Cut dough ropes into bite size pieces and drop into the baking soda solution a few at a time and let simmer for about 20-30 seconds. I found that using a slotted spoon to get them out worked quite well. Place on silpat covered (or greased) baking sheets, and let rise 15-20 minutes.

5.   You could certainly roll your pretzel dough into any shape prior to putting them in the boiling water. I made one into a full size soft pretzel, but it didn't look nearly as pretty as I wanted it to so I stuck mostly with the bites.6.   Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 -10 minutes, or  until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

This recipe is slightly adapted from a recipe I found over at Katrina's Kitchen who got the recipe from Allrecipes