If you're looking for the perfect game day (or Netflix day, snow day, 'insert-whatever' day) snack, these salty soft pretzel bites are it!
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Tell me about these pretzel bites!
- Texture: like these cinnamon sugar soft pretzels, these pretzel bites are super fluffy inside with a firm pretzel coating. You can add coarse salt to the top of each bite to add more texture.
- Flavour: these soft pretzel bites get that super pretzel flavour by soaking each bite in a baking soda bath - don't skip this step!
- Ease: this is an advanced beginner recipe, you don't have the fuss of creating a pretzel shape and as long as you read the instructions thoroughly, you're gonna have a great snack.
- Time: the dough will need half an hour to rise, but while the dough is rising you can work on the cheese sauce and prepping the baking soda bath.
The secret to making soft pretzel bites
The most important part of making pretzels is the baking soda bath. This is what gives you the pretzel taste and colour. Usually when making pretzels you would soak them in lye, but lye can be kind of dangerous to use in home baking! Instead, let's turn to baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). To enhance that pretzel taste, here's what you need to do:
- Before you start prepping for your pretzels, or even a few days before, bake your baking soda.
- Preheat your oven to 250 F/ 120 C and line a baking tray with foil. Spread ¼ cup of baking soda (or more if you bake pretzels regularly!) on the sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Keep the baked baking soda in an airtight container.
- In a medium saucepan, boil 6 cups of water with the baked baking soda. Once you get a rolling boil, you can soak the bites 5-8 at a time for 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to lift them out.
FAQs & Tips
Yes! Skip sprinkling them with salt, and when they come out of the oven brush with melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar.
If you don't have coarse salt, you could use regular salt, everything bagel seasoning, make your own spiced seasoning!
When you're kneading the dough and after a few minutes you find it's still too sticky, you can add up to ¼ cup of flour to the dough.
I found it easier to roll out the dough into ropes without much flour, otherwise the dough isn't very elastic with a surface that is over floured.
These pretzel bites taste best on the day of baking, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
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Love savoury baking? Try these!
Recipe
Soft Pretzel Bites with a Beer Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Soft Pretzel Bites
- 300 grams flour 2 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon light brown sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
- 200 grams warm water 1 cup
- 1 egg, whisked for egg wash
- 2 tablespoon coarse salt for sprinkling
Baking Soda Bath
- ¼ cup baking soda
- 6 cups water
Cheese Sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon shallots, minced
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese
- 113 grams cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 ounces beer
Instructions
Make pretzels
- Whisk the yeast with 1 cup of warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer, and let it sit for 10 minutes until it starts to foam. Add the salt and brown sugar, then whisk. In the stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the flour a cup at a time.
- Knead the dough with the hook for 3-4 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, you can add up to ¼ cup of flour. Take the dough out and shape it into a ball. Grease your stand mixer bowl, put the dough back in and let rise for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, prepare your baking soda bath. Combine the 6 cups of water and baking soda and boil.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to your work surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into 12" ropes. Cut each rope into about 8 pieces.
- Drop 5-7 pretzel bites into the water and let boil for 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Don't let the bites touch.
- Brush the beaten egg over each pretzel bite and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake the bites for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Make cheese sauce
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beer, garlic powder, mustard, salt and pepper. Let it come to a boil.
- Add the cream cheese in two additions, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the cheese and whisk until melted.
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Ker says
Heya! 👋🏼 Bites came out great! Question though - if making a head of time, is it best to wait to make the cheese sauce until right before/day of serving? Wasn’t sure if the cooling and reheating of the sauce would change if that to was made ahead of time. Thank you!!!
Ella says
Hi! I would serve the cheese sauce as soon as you've made it. You can reheat it but it definitely tastes better fresh!