Is there anything better than hot, soft, chewy pretzel bites? Skip the freezer aisle and make these little bites of perfection at home!
Don’t you just love cute-as-a-button, bite-sized appetizers? If you’re a fan of popping these little nuggets into your mouth one by one, you may also want to try my Brioche Monte Cristo Sliders, Parmesan Fried Pickles and Cajun Mini Corn Dogs.
HOW TO MAKE CHEWY PRETZEL BITES:
Don’t be shy, these little cuties are as easy as ready… set… go!
- READY: Combine the dough ingredients and allow it to rise for about an hour.
- SET: Cut the dough into 1-inch logs and give them a quick bath in boiling water.
- GO: Brush them with egg wash, sprinkle with salt and bake until they’re golden brown.
Serve warm and watch them quickly disappear!
WHAT DO THEY TASTE BEST WITH?
- Dunk them into smooth, velvety Irish Beer Cheese Dip.
- Serve them alongside White Bean Hummus.
- Enjoy them as an AM Pick-Me-Up with this Mediterranean Breakfast Bowl.
- Dip them in my Alabama White Sauce for a salty-tangy treat.
HOW DO YOU STORE THEM?
We rarely have leftovers when it comes to this recipe. However, if you have some that you’d like to save for later, simply place them in a bag on the counter. I opt for a brown paper bag over a sealed plastic container to avoid too much moisture.
Too much moisture = rubbery pretzel bites. 😉
If you’d like to freeze them, place the pieces in a ziplock bag and pop them in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw them at room temperature (and if you’d like to toast them up again, bake the thawed bites for 5-10 minutes in a 350F oven.
IN THE KITCHEN WITH FRIENDS:
(Greg was recently awarded by Esquire as the 2nd Best New Restaurant 2020, yay!)
- 1½ cups Warm Water (around 110F)
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt, plus more for topping
- 1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
- 1 Package Active Dry Yeast (1/4-ounce)
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- 1 Egg Yolk, beaten
- 5 cups Water
- ⅓ cup Baking Soda
- Whisk together the warm water, salt, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl and set aside. Allow the mixture to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Pour into a stand-alone mixer and add melted butter and flour. Gently stir together on low with a dough cook until combined.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to mix together until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This will take about 3 - 5 minutes.
- Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil and transfer the dough from the mixer to the bowl. Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an hour.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 450F.
- While the oven preheats, bring water and baking soda to a rapid boil.
- Place dough on a cutting board and divide into 6 pieces (DO NOT flour the cutting board surface). Roll each piece into a rope and cut into 1-inch logs.
- Gently drop dough logs into the boiling water and allow them to cook for roughly 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Brush each log with egg yolk and sprinkle with Kosher salt.
- Bake the logs for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy immediately.
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- I promise you, I am NOT a baker, so if you’re intimidated by making bread… don’t be!! I like to think of this as a beginners bread baking recipe!
- Using warm water is a must in this recipe. It’s what activates the yeast and helps the dough rise.
- Watching your salt intake? Sprinkling the logs with salt before baking is completely optional… especially if you’re serving them with a salty dipping sauce or entree.
Are you a local chef that wants to cook together in my kitchen (like the video with Greg above)? Give me a shout by email and let’s chat! SliceOfJessBlog@gmail.com. Check out some of my other collaborations in the links below!
Matthew Shepard’s Rosemary Chicken (AAA Diamond Award Chef)
Chris Coleman’s Chicken Parmesan Pasta (ahem, who just won Chopped)
Clark Barlowe’s Pizza Dough (one of the BEST mushroom slingers in the US)
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
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