Homemade Pretzel Bites

These soft pretzel bites have all of the chewy texture and flavor of your favorite street vendor pretzel in a poppable little bite. 

It's so hard to stop eating these warm, soft, and chewy pretzel bites when they emerge from the oven. Once you try one, you'll be completely obsessed. 

These soft pretzel bites will be your new favorite snack to serve on game day. You can make them in just about an hour and a half, rising time included. 

What makes pretzels "pretzels?"

While most are shaped in the familiar twist, what makes them unique is their dark chewy exterior from the maillard reaction, or browning, in the oven after the surface of the bread that is accellerated by placing the shaped dough in an alkaline bath before baking. 

It has something to do with what the solution does to the proteins in the dough...

If you ask a German, they might say that pretzels aren't pretzels unless you use a lye bath, but doing so at home is quite the high wire act. You pretty much have to wear gloves, long sleeves, and goggles. In fact, I did use the method when making pretzel buns. I was pretty nervous! One of these days I will tackle Bavarian laugenbrezel.... 

For these pretzels, as well as all of the other pretzels I've made, I've used a water and baking soda bath, which is alkaline, but not as strong as lye. 

Tips for Making These: 

Be sure to line your baking sheets with either silicone or good parchment paper, especially if they are aluminum, because the soda solution can damage them. 

Making the baking soda dipping solution involves using boiling water. Be sure to add the soda slowly. Otherwise, the pan will bubble over all over your stove (I speak from past experience). I usually add it a little at a time, let it bubble and settle, and then add more. 

When rolling out the long dough ropes that you cut into pieces for baking, I recommend using a silicone mat that you've very lighly sprayed with oil. It helps control sticking without getting too slippery (so you still have some traction. I used a dough scraper to cut the ropes into the pieces, but a bench knife or scizzors will work too. 

Ingredient Notes:

Flour: You can use unbleached all purpose or bread flour. 

Yeast: Use instant yeast with this recipe for the faster rising time. 

Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown. 

Salt

Butter: There is a tablespoon of butter in the dough. Because it is such a small amount, you can use salted or unsalted. 

Baking soda: For the alkaline bath. 

Toppings: You have several options. I used pretzel salt for half and Everything Bagel topping for the other half. You could also use Swedish pearl sugar or sparkling sugar for a sweet pretzel. 

Serving Suggestion:

You can serve these with different mustards, beer cheese sauce, or my favorite, nacho cheese sauce. They're also delicious on their own with no dipping sauce. 

Tips for Leftovers:

If you have leftovers, it's best to freeze them in a freezer bag, and then re-heat them from frozen in a 350 degree F oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

If you are planning on serving them a few hours later, and don't want to freeze them, bake them without any topping and later mist them lightly with water, sprinkle on the topping, and then bake them at 325 degrees for about 5 minutes. 

More of My Pretzel Recipes You May Like: 

Everything Bagel Soft Pretzel Knots

Hot Buttered Soft Pretzels

Pretzel Croissants

Stuffed Pretzel Bites

Ballpark Pretzels

Pretzel Buns (Laugenbrötchen)

This month's theme for Bread Bakers is Anything Pretzel. Be sure to check out everyone's recipes!

• Air Fryer Soft Pretzel Bites from Cook with Renu
• Homemade Pretzel Bites from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Keto Pretzel Bites from Sneha's Recipe
• Pretzel Hamburger Buns from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Soft Sourdough Pretzel Knots from Food Lust People Love
• Toffee Apple Pretzels from A Messy Kitchen
• Double Jalapeno Cheese Pretzel from Magical Ingredients

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Homemade Pretzel Bites

Yield: 60 to 80 pretzel bites

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

These soft pretzel bites have all of the chewy texture and flavor of your favorite street vendor pretzel in a poppable little bite.

Ingredients

For the Pretzel Bites

• 1 1/2 cups warm (100 degrees F) water
• 7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, very soft
• 469 to 500 grams (3 3/4 to 4 cups) all purpose or bread flour
• Toppings such as pretzel salt, kosher salt, Everything Bagel topping, Swedish pearl sugar, or cinnamon sugar

For the Water Bath

• 2 quarts, plus one cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup baking soda

Instructions

To Make the Pretzels

1. Add all of the ingredients (holding back 1/4 cup of the flour) to the bowl of a stand mixer and knead on low speed for about 2 minutes until all of the flour is incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary. Knead on second speed until you have a cohesive and smooth dough, about five minutes, adding the rest of the flour by the tablespoon if the dough is too sticky (more likely needed if the weather is humid).
2. Cover the bowl and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by bringing the water to a boil and then slowly adding the baking soda. Keep on a simmer while you shape the dough. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Turn out the dough and shape it into a 12 inch by 6 inch rectangle and cut into 6 strips, lengthwise. Cover the other dough strips with lightly oiled plastic wrap while you work with each dough piece.
5. Moving your hands back and forth over the top of a strip, roll a strip out into a 20 inch rope and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cover the cut pieces with lightly oiled plastic wrap while you work with the rest of the dough.
6. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
7. Boil the pretzel bites, about 15 at a time, for about 30 to 45 seconds, and drain them with a large slotted spoon or spider strainer. Place them on the baking sheet and sprinkle them with your topping.
8. When you've filled a baking sheet, bake the pretzel bites for 15 minutes on the center rack.
9. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.
10. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

32.01

Fat (grams)

0.33

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.14

Carbs (grams)

6.12

Fiber (grams)

0.22

Net carbs

5.89

Sugar (grams)

0.21

Protein (grams)

1.02

Sodium (milligrams)

316.11

Cholesterol (grams)

0.5

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2022/09/homemade-pretzel-bites.html

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Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction