Soft Pretzel Bites

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm water, yeast, and brown sugar. Mix on low until the yeast is evenly distributed and the brown sugar has dissolved— about 30 seconds.

With the mixer on low, slowly add 2 cups of flour and kosher salt. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour slowly and stop adding additional flour when the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Allow the dough to knead for 2-3 minutes, or until is has formed a smooth ball. If the dough starts to stick to the sides of the bowl again, add a little bit more flour.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Place it in a warm spot to rise for one hour.

Punch the dough down and reform it into a ball. Allow it to rise for another hour.

Once the dough has doubled from its original size, cut it onto quarters and roll the quarters into long strands— about 18” long and 1/2” thick.

Cut pretzel bites of your desired size (I usually opt for 1” long bites).

Preheat your oven to 425F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

While your oven is preheating, bring a large pot of water to a boil— make sure to only fill the pot half full so it doesn’t boil over when cooking the pretzels.

Once the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda and stir it to ensure the baking soda has dissolved. Turn the heat down to medium-high so the water stays at a gentle boil rather than a rolling boil. NOTE: Make sure to add it slowly! Adding the baking soda too quickly will result in it boiling over— not fun to clean!

Add a few pretzel bites to the boiling water and allow them to cook for 45 seconds per side— make sure not to crowd the pan. You want the pretzel bites to cook evenly on all sides. Remove the boiled pretzel bites to a parchment lined sheet pan and repeat with the remaining pretzel bites. NOTE: Make sure the pretzel bites are at least 1” apart on the sheet pan as they will puff up slightly during baking.

Beat the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water to create an egg wash. Brush the tops of the pretzels lightly with egg wash. If using salt or sesame seeds, add them now. If using cinnamon-sugar, do not add anything on top of the egg wash.

Bake the pretzels in a pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes or until they are a deep brown color.

If using cinnamon sugar, transfer the pretzel bites to a large bowl and toss them with the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm.