Soft Pretzel Bites with Sesame Seeds

I’m a huge fan of the big soft pretzels sold at the mall. I like to tear chunks off my pretzel and dip it into good ole yellow mustard. The chewiness of the pretzel and those big flakes of salt make my mouth and belly very happy.

I recently came across a copy cat recipe to Auntie Anne’s pretzels and thought, “Hey I could make those!” The recipe does take some time and planning due to the dough having to rise two times, but the wait is worth it. I decided to make pretzel bites rather than traditional pretzels.

I dunked mine in my homemade Hot Pepper Mustard, but yellow mustard would be perfect as well. I made mine savory this time around, using sesame seeds and kosher salt for the topping. These versatile little bites would be delicious as garlic, sour cream & onion, or jalapeno flavors as well. Dip them in cheese, marinara sauce or sweet mustard for a fun twist.

These pretzel bites could easily be made sweet using a cinnamon sugar blend on top, crushed almonds, powdered sugar, or add raisins to the dough! Then dunking them in caramel, fudge, or cream cheese dip.

Adapted very slightly from A Beautiful Mess

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 48-60 bites

Dough:

• 1 and 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bread flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

For dipping bites:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon baking soda

Topping:

• 3-4 tablespoons melted butter
• Coarse salt
• Toasted Sesame Seeds

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water, allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir sugar and salt into the yeast mixture.
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine bread flour, all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Add the yeast mixture. Knead for 4-6 minutes, adding flour if the dough seems very sticky. The dough should feel elastic, soft and smooth.
4. Place dough ball in a greased bowl (use butter or non-stick spray), cover with dish towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. (I like to turn the oven to 200° F, then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven.)
5. When dough has doubled in size, turn out onto counter dusted with flour.
6. Cut dough into 8-12 portions. Roll portions one at a time into a rope, about 12 inches long and one inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 8-12 pieces, depending on how big you want each pretzel bite.
7. In a shallow bowl, mix 1 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon baking soda.
8. Dip each pretzel bite quickly into the water & baking soda solution then transfer to a parchment lined baking pan.
9. Place pans of pretzel bites back into a warm place and allow to rise another 45 minutes to an hour.
10. Preheat oven to 375° F
11. Brush pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt and toasted sesame seeds.
12. Bake pretzel bites for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden on top.
13. Remove pretzel bites from oven and allow to cool (although they were pretty damn tasty warm from the oven!)
14. Store in a sealed container for 3-4 days.