I most definitely made pretzels last weekend. And they were goooooood! I have been really focusing on getting enough protein for the past few months (we herbivores need to make an extra effort!). And I've noticed the most interesting thing happening...my giant sweet tooth (teeth?) is turning into a salt tooth. I know. I find it fascinating.
So normally, when hunkered down at home on a weekend afternoon, I would probably make a giant cake, I found myself making pretzels instead.
YUM!
The only problem was the cheese sauce recipe I used wasn't exactly what I was hoping for (but hey, at least it was made with real cheese!).
And so the next time I make these little gems I need to find another recipe to try.
Soft Pretzel Bites:
recipe from whatmegansmaking.com
ingredients:
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 ounces butter, melted
2 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 c. all purpose flour
vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 c. baking soda
1 whole egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches. Cut the dough into one inch pieces. In small batches (about 15 at a time), boil the pretzel bites in the water solution for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon and place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season with coarse sea salt. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating.
These are best warm, but are still good at room temperature. They are best served the day they're made.
