These PretzelBites are unbelievably good! Brush 'em with butter and sprinkle with coarse salt or enjoy them dipped in cinnamon sugar! Dip salted pretzels in an easy cheese sauce or cinnamon sugar pretzels in a cream cheese glaze.
2-1/4teaspoonsinstant yeast(or use active dry -- See Note 1)
2tablespoonshoney
5-7tablespoonsunsalted butter,separated
1teaspoonfine sea salt
3up to 4 cupsbread flour,plus more for dusting surface (See Note 2) (450-500g)
Baking Soda Bath
8cupswater
1/4cupbaking soda
Coarse salt, for topping (or make cinnamon-sugar pretzels with cream cheese sauce -- See Note 3)
Optional, for serving: cheese sauce (See Note 4)
Instructions
QUICK TIP: It may be helpful to watch the tutorial video in this recipe post before starting!YEAST: In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup warm water, 1/2 cup warm milk (Note 5), 2-1/4 tsp. yeast, and 2 tbsp honey and let sit 5-10 minutes. It should look creamy/foamy after 5 minutes (see photo). If not, your yeast failed and you'll need to begin again. (Either the yeast is dead or the water/milk was too hot.)
DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer) combine 3 cups bread flour and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine then make a well in the middle of the bowl. Pour in the 1 tbsp melted and cooled butter. Then use a spatula to scrape every bit of the yeast mixture right on top. Attach paddle or dough hook and beat on low speed, scraping the sides as needed with a rubber spatula, until combined. Increase speed and if needed, (See Note 6)add in 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 while mixing. After mixing for about 2 minutes, if the dough is still sticky (sticking to sides of the bowl instead of around hook) add the last 1/4 cup flour.
KNEAD AND RISE: 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 oil cooking spray, turn the ball to coat in the oil then cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a draft-free warm (70 degree F) environment for 1 hour 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
SHAPE PRETZEL BITES: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line an extra-large (15x21-inch) sheet pan (or 2 smaller pans) with silicone baking mats (preferred) or parchment paper (lightly grease with cooking spray). Set prepared pan(s) next to the dough. Punch down the dough and dump onto a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces (just eyeball it). Take one piece for now, 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 1.5-inch pieces. Place pieces on prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is cut into pieces.
BAKINGSODA: While cutting out the last 3 ropes, bring 8 cups water in a large pot to a boil. Once boiling, add in 1/4 cup baking soda and whisk until completely dissolved. Take 8 pretzel bites at a time in both hands and gently place (at the same time) in the boiling water. Count to 10 and then use a large slotted spoon to lift up the pretzel bites, tapping against edge of the pot to allow excess water to drip off. Place the bites back on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all bites have gone in the boiling water (if the water is getting foamy, reduce the heat). When returning bites to the baking sheet, make sure they are well spaced out, not overlapping, but they can be relatively close together (see picture).
BAKE: Melt 4 tablespoons butter and use a pastry brush to brush butter generously over all the pretzel bites (should use all or most of it). Sprinkle with coarse salt (about 1 tsp total) and bake for 12-18 minutes or until golden brown on top, lightly browned on bottom, and baked through. (If you don't bake the entire batch of pretzels at once, bake time will be quicker). Remove from the oven. Optional: for extra buttery bites, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush on bites right out of the oven, adding a touch more salt if desired. Serve warm.
STORAGE: Pretzels are best the same day they’re made, and very best when they're still warm. Cool fully before storing: place on a cooling rack and leave them at room temp until fully cooled then store in a large airtight bag for 3 up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or air fryer the next day to crisp up a bit. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 5 minutes. (Heads-up: each day of storing they lose more texture)
Video
Notes
Note 1: Yeast: We prefer using instant yeast, but active dry will work. Just note the rise time is typically longer!Note 2: Bread flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content which delivers such a better chew and texture to these Pretzel Bites. You can use all-purpose flour, but they are slightly less pretzel-like.Note 3: Cinnamon sugar: Bake the Pretzel Bites completely plain without butter or salt. While the pretzel bites bake, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Once the pretzels are finished baking (and still warm) use a pastry brush to brush each with butter (don't dunk in butter) and then generously dip in the cinnamon sugar-- immediately transferring to a wire cooling rack. These are best served warm, they'll get soggy after a couple of hours. Here's our favorite cream cheese sauce: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) whisk together 4 ounces softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons butter until smooth. Add in 1 cup powdered sugar, a dash of vanilla, pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Beat until smooth.Note 4: Optional Cheese Sauce:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp fine sea salt and paprika
1/4 tsp pepper and garlic powder
1 tbsp white flour
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
2 cups sharp (or extra sharp) freshlygrated Cheddar cheese (6 oz. cheese)
For more flavor/some heat: add in hot sauce or ground cayenne pepper (add slowly to taste)
In a small pot, over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle in flour then whisk to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium and add in evaporated milk very gradually while whisking constantly. Once combined, cook until thickened. Reduce to medium-low heat and add in the cheese. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until cheese is melted. (This takes a bit of time.) You may be tempted to increase the heat, but don't -- this is how you get a grainy dip. Once the cheese is fully melted, taste for seasoning and adjust. Dip will thicken and harden as it cools (just like any melted cheese-filled recipe). It's great right off the stovetop, but will get thicker and thicker the longer it stands. Keep it in dipping consistency by adding to a small crockpot or warmer.Note 5: Water and milk temperature: I take 1/2 cup milk straight out of the fridge and pour into a bowl then get very hot tap water and mix the two together. Test and it should be perfectly warm. Drizzle a few drops of the warmed water onto the inside of your wrist. If it is warm and comfy for you, it will be perfect for the yeast. If it is not warm and instead feels hot, it will be too hot for the yeast. Too cold and the yeast will simply remain dormant.Note 6: Flour: It's tricky to give an exact flour measurement for bread as measuring flour can greatly vary from person to person. Too little flour and the dough will be too wet/sticky; too much and the pretzels will be overly dense. If you have a food scale, I highly recommend pulling it out for the measurement. No food scale? Make sure to completely fill up the measuring cup then level the top off with the back of a table knife. Even still, the amount of flour you add to the dough can vary based on humidity, altitude, etc. so it's best to add flour gradually watching for these cues:
Flour visual cues:
Dough should gather around the paddle attachment instead of sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Dough will be slightlysticky, but ultimately smooth and tacky. When you touch it, your finger should face a little resistance but shouldn't stick in the dough.
Add flour slowly-- you can always add more, but you can't take it away! Resist the urge to add too much additional flour as this will take away from the softness of the dough.