Soft Pretzel Bites

There are lots of recipes that I have seen lately that I've wanted to try but could not until now because the instructions always involved a stand mixer. Well, I recently bought a Kitchenaid mixer and decided to put it to good use immediately! 

Soft pretzels are one of the recipes that sounded amazing but required said stand mixer. So this is the first recipe I tried using it, and these turned out great!!

I did find that this is easier as a two person job when it comes to boiling the pretzels right before baking. Since you need to boil these in small batches, and arrange them on a cookie sheet fairly quickly, another pair of hands comes in handy. But this could definitely be done solo, just requires a bit of quick moving and good timing. 

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 quarts water

3/4 cup baking soda

For the egg wash:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Oil, for prepping your bowl to rise the dough in

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water, brown sugar, yeast and melted butter.  Stir to combine, and then let sit for about 5 minutes, or until slightly foamy.

2. With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the salt and flour until just combined.

3. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl (approx. 3-4 minutes)

4. Place in a pre-oiled bowl, and cover with a towel.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

6. Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal portions on a clean floured surface.

7. Roll each portion into a long rope, about 18-20 inches in length.

8. Cut each rope into 1-inch portions and place each one on a lightly greased baking sheet. Set aside.

9. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil.

10.  Very carefully (the water will spray and foam up), add the baking soda.

11. In small batches, boil the pretzel bites for about 30 seconds or so.  (Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water and place them back on the baking sheet, about 1 to 2 inches apart.)

12. To make the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cold water.

13. Lightly brush the boiled pretzel bites with the egg wash and lightly sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.

14. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Source:  Two Peas and Their Pod.