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dipping easy homemade soft pretzel bites in homemade cheese sauce

Easy Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Yield: 24 pretzel bites
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 8 minutes

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 ¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour (see note)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 cup warm water

Topping:

  • ½ cup very hot water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • Coarse, kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons (43 g) butter, melted

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix. Add the water. Mix well, adding more flour, if needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. It should be soft but not overly sticky.
  • Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy. Grease the inside of a gallon-size ziploc-type bag with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough inside. Close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes (or up to 60 minutes) until doubled in size. Alternately, the dough can rise in a lightly greased, covered bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 500°F. The high heat ensures the pretzels will brown beautifully on the outside while staying soft and chewy on the inside. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured work surface, and cut the dough into four thick strips. Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces. It doesn't have to be exact.
  • Combine the very hot water and baking soda and whisk to combine well.
  • Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this helps give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color). Let the excess liquid drip off before placing the pretzel bites a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Sprinkle the pretzel bites with coarse, kosher salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
  • Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.
  • Remove the pretzels from the oven, and immediately brush them with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Yeast: to sub active dry yeast for the instant yeast, use the same amount and proof it in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Add it to the ingredients and decrease the overall water by 1/4 cup.
Flour: I often use half to 3/4 finely ground white whole wheat flour with good results.
Updates: I've updated this recipe with a few tips and tricks as well as tweaking the recipe just slightly based on what's worked for me over the years. The original recipe listed 2 1/2 cups flour. I've decreased that slightly - but the exact flour amount may vary person to person so just keep an eye on the texture of the dough.