These Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites are delicious little morsels that are soft on the inside with a gorgeous gold-brown classic pretzel crust on the outside and finished off with sprinkling of coarse salt crystals.
They’re the perfect party food or just for snacking with your favorite dipping sauce. It would be great with our copycat Chick-fil-a sauce.
Easy Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
When it comes to ultimate game day snacks, it doesn’t get any better than these soft homemade pretzel bites. Inspired by this recipe for Soft Pretzels, these bite sized snacks are salty and chewy and great for dipping!
Let’s face it, we have all been there. We’re walking through the mall when that delicious aroma of freshly baked pretzels fills the air. All of sudden irresistible cravings draw you in and before you know it, you are walking away with a warm and chewy pretzel.
If this sounds familiar, you are going to be thrilled when I tell you that with just a few basic ingredients, you can have those same amazing treats, right in your own kitchen…but even better because they are bite sized!
Why We Love This Recipe
Basic ingredients: The dough is a simple recipe that only requires 5 ingredients that are pantry staples and a cup of warm water. That’s it!
Texture: In order to get a classic pretzel crust, they have to take a quick plunge in baking soda water. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it is so worth the extra step. It gives the pretzel bite AH-mazing texture!
Better than store-bought: These are even better than mall pretzels and at a fraction of the cost
What’s Needed to Make this Easy Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe
For the Dough
- flour – All-purpose flour
- salt – Adds flavor to the pretzel dough
- instant yeast – You need to use yeast, but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s so easy and this recipe shows you how!
- sugar – Helps to activate the yeast and adds a touch of flavor
- coarse sea salt – This is a must for regular pretzels (unless you are making the sweet version mentioned below)
- warm water– Use luke warm water from the tap. If it’s too hot it kills the yeast.
For Cooking
- water – You’ll need to bring 10 cups to a rolling boil.
- baking soda – Provides alkaline to the water needed to give the pretzels their signature crust.
- egg – Egg mixed with one tsp of cold water to make an egg wash gives the pretzels a shiny exterior and helps the salt stick.
How to Make Homemade Pretzel Bites
Making the Pretzel Dough
- First add warm water and sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer then stir to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle yeast across the top of the water and leave it for about 5 minutes. The yeast will start to foam.
- Attach dough hook attachment to mixer.
- Add in the 4 tablespoons of melted butter, salt and half of the all purpose flour. Mix on low speed until flour is incorporated (about 2-3 minutes) gradually add additional flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and isn’t as sticky. The exact amount of flour you will need will vary depending on how much moisture is in your flour, the environment etc. I usually need about 4 ½ cups.
- Turn the speed up to medium and allow to knead for about 5 minutes. Alternately you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand until smooth.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely, and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. The rise time may vary based on the temperature in the room.
Making the Bites
- Once the dough is raised it is time to make the pretzel bites.
- Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Take one piece of dough and roll it into a long rope, on a flat surface, until it’s about 15-20 inches long.
- Cut into segments, about one-inch pieces.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place the 10 cups of water and ½ cup baking soda in a large pot on the stove and bring it to a boil.
- Set your prepared baking sheet on the counter next to the stove.
- Working in batches gently place pretzel piece in the boiling water bath and cook for about 30 seconds. I did about 10-15 at a time. Using a slotted spoon gently lift the pretzel bites out of the baking soda bath, gently shaking off the excess water, then place them on the baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remainder of the pretzel bites. Spread them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. You may need to use 2 baking sheets or work in batches.
Baking the Pretzel Bites
- Once your pretzel bites are all boiled it is time to bake them.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg and 1 tsp water until well mixed.
- Using a brush coat the pretzels evenly with a thin coat of the egg wash. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt or kosher salt as desired.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes or until pretzel bites are a lovely golden brown.
Serve immediately.
How to Store Homemade Pretzels
You can store leftover soft pretzels bites in an airtight container or large zip lock bag at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze them after cooled completely. Just place them in a freezer bag and get out as much air as you can. When ready to reheat, place the bites in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes if frozen, or 5 minutes if thawed.
What Kind of Dipping Sauces Goes with Pretzel Bites?
Pretzel bites go with just about any kind of dip you like. They are the perfect game day appetizer served with this Beer Cheese Dip or this slightly sweet Copycat Chick-fil-a Sauce. But you can serve them with any of your favorite dressings too, like Ranch or Blue Cheese.
Why Do You Boil Pretzel Bites in Baking Soda Water?
By boiling the pretzel bites for just a few seconds in a baking soda bath, it basically gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel. This keeps the dough from fully rising as it bakes like bread does.
By stunting that process, it gives the pretzel bites that wonderful pretzel flavor, chewy crust, mahogany color, glossy sheen, just like you’d expect from authentic German style soft pretzels.
Variations of Easy Pretzel Bites
This homemade soft pretzel bites recipe is so versatile. Next time you make a batch, check out some of these tasty variations:
- Sweet bites: Make according to the instructions, leaving off the salt. Once they come out of the oven, brush them with a little melted butter and roll them around in a mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar and a touch of cinnamon.
- Bagel bites: After glossing with the egg wash, sprinkle a little bagel seasoning like you get at Trader Joe’s on the top of each one before baking.
- Italian bites: While the dough is still mixing in the bowl of your stand mixer, add a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs. When the bites come out of the oven, brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Want More Easy Appetizer Recipes?
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Crockpot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Sausage Balls
- Crockpot Meatballs
- Cowboy Caviar Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- For the Dough
- 2 ¼ tsp or One Packet of Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 4 Tbsp Butter melted
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 2 tsp Salt
- 4-5 Cups Flour
- For Cooking-
- 10 Cups Water
- ½ Cup Baking Soda
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp cold water
- 1-2 Tbsp Coarse Salt
Instructions
- First add a warm water and sugar the bowl of a stand mixer stir to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle yeast across the top of the water and leave it for about 5 minutes. The yeast will start to foam.
- Attach dough hook to mixer.
- Add in melted butter, salt and half of the flour. Mix on low speed until flour is incorporated (about 2-3 minutes) gradually add more flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and isn’t as sticky. The exact amount of flour you will need will vary depending on how much moisture is in your flour, the environment etc. I usually need about 4 ½ cups.
- Turn the speed up to medium and allow to knead for about 5 minutes. Alternately you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand until smooth.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely, and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough is raised it is time to make the pretzels.
- Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Take one piece and roll it into a worm shape about 15-20 inches long.
- Cut into segments about an inch long.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place the 10 cups of water and ½ cup baking soda in a large pot on the stove and bring it to a boil.
- Set your prepared baking sheet on the counter next to the stove.
- Working in batches gently place pretzel piece in the boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds. I did about 10-15 at a time. Using a slotted spoon gently lift the pretzel bites out of the water and place on the baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remainder of the pretzel bites. Spread them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. You may need to use 2 baking sheets or work in batches.
- Once your pretzel bites are all boiled it is time to bake them.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg and 1 tsp water until well mixed.
- Using a brush coat the pretzels evenly with a thin coat of the egg mixture. Sprinkle on coarse salt as desired.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes or until pretzel bites are a lovely golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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