Pretzel Bites
I’ve been MIA for a few weeks while we packed up the small Cambridge apartment and moved into a house (!) in Somerville. We also had to paint over glitter ceilings and pink walls before moving in, so it was quite a bit of work, but it was so worth it!
Since moving in, we’ve hosted each of our families and had a house-warming party. I didn’t feel the urge to cook huge meals for everyone, but I did want to make something tasty for our guests.
Thus, I decided to make Pretzel Bites!!
I love pretzels. I love the salt, the chewiness of the dough, and (maybe most importantly) the fact that it pairs perfectly with mustard.
I came across this recipe last year and it has been my go-to since then.
If I don’t have time for the butter to soften on its own, I just put it in a zip-lock bag and smush it flat with my palm – perfectly softened butter in 15 seconds!
Pretzel Bites (click here to print recipe without pictures)
Pretzel Dough:
– 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°F)
– 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
– 3 cups bread flour plus more for work surface
– 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
– 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
– 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, well softened
– Vegetable oil for bowl
Baking Pretzels:
– 8 cups water
– 2/3 cup baking soda
– Coarse kosher salt
Make Pretzel Dough:
1. Stir together warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand until a creamy beige foam develops on the surface, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour, salt, and light brown sugar.
3. Add yeast mixture and butter to flour mixture, and mix on low speed until it forms a dough. Change to the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed if dough sticks to sides of bowl.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn over to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
Alternatively, after kneading, let dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer to oiled bowl as above, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours or up to 2 days).
5. Punch down dough and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into 4 balls. Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into six (2-inch) pieces, and transfer to wax paper–lined rimmed baking sheets (or leave on your clean counter.
Bake Pretzels:
1. Heat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower third. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil (mixture will be foamy at first, but foam will dissipate). Add 12 pretzel bites and cook 30 seconds (they will rise to the surface almost immediately), then transfer with a slotted spoon to baking sheets.
3. Quickly sprinkle pretzel bites lightly on both sides with salt before they dry (so salt sticks). Repeat with remaining pretzel bites, returning water to a boil between batches.
4. Bake pretzel bites in oven, switching sheets between racks and rotating sheets halfway through baking, until deep chestnut brown, 8 to 10 minutes (watch closely toward end of baking; bites brown quickly in last few minutes). Immediately transfer pretzel bites to wire racks to cool.
Serve with your favorite mustard(s) and enjoy!
(adapted from Gourmet Live)
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