Recipe: Easy Pretzel Bites with Everything Bagel Seasoning or Course Sea Salt!

Recipe: Easy Pretzel Bites with Everything Bagel Seasoning or Course Sea Salt!
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 8 cups of water
• Optional: Either Everything bagel seasoning, course sea salt, or course truffle sea salt

Directions
1. Whisk the yeast into the warm water for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure that all clumps dissolve.

2. Whisk the brown sugar into the mixture.

3. Melt the butter and whisk it into the mixture.

4. Whisk the salt into the mixture.

5. Pour the mixture into a bowl for your mixer. (We use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a dough hook because it's easier. If you try to do the next steps by hand, it's exhausting and mess, especially since the dough is a little sticky.)

6. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of flour at a time until all four cups are mixed in and your dough is well formed and no longer sticky. (I use a medium speed for approximately 3 minutes. Then I turn it off and pull the dough off of the hook and add it back to the bowl to run it for another 3 minutes. Then the rest of the steps are manual without the mixer.)

7. I then take the dough in the bowl, form it into a ball, and add it back to the bowl . Cover the bowl with a clean towel that is damp from hot water and place it in a warm area to rise.

8. Roll the dough out and cut into 1" to 1.5" pieces to make your pretzel bites.

9. Add the 8 cups of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda to a pot and bring to a boil.

10. Preheat the over to 425 degrees.

11. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

12. Carefully add small batches of pretzel bites to the boiling water and baking soda for approximately 10 seconds.

13. Remove the pretzel bites from the boiling water and baking soda after 10 seconds. (We use a slotted spoon to remove them.) Place them in a shallow dish and brush the beaten egg over the pretzel bites.

14. Move the pretzel bites to the parchment paper after they are brushed with egg.

15. Add your favorite topping - Everything bagel seasoning, course sea salt, course truffle salt, or any other variety of course salt.

16. Bake for approximately 14 minutes or until golden brown.

17. Allow to cool and enjoy! Optionally, we freeze some of the pretzel and pull them out later. We allow them to defrost and then warm them up in the microwave or toaster oven.