It’s Secret Recipe Club time again….my favorite part of the month. I know I keep telling you, but I really love it when I get my assignment and can start pouring over a brand new blog to me! It’s so much fun. This month I was assigned the blog Making Memories with Your Kids. I really was impressed with all the neat crafts, activities and recipes Erin has on her site….so if you’re looking for something fun to do with your kids, you definitely want to head on over for a visit.
It just so happened that I had been craving soft pretzels, and she had a recipe for soft pretzel bites on her site. Jackpot! They are easy to make, but just make sure you have enough baking soda to put in the water. That part is a crucial step. I tasted the dough before boiling in the water/soda combination and after….and it’s what adds that pretzel taste. Who knew? Certainly not me! And I didn’t have quite the exact amount so I’m interested in seeing that helps me out next time. Mine came out good, but I think purchasing brand new baking soda and having the exact amount would definitely help improve the flavor. Can you believe I almost skipped that part!! I’m excited about trying them again.
If you pop over to Erin’s site, you’ll notice hers came out much prettier than mine did…so another tip is she had a mat that actually helps you measure the dough. And I love the uniformity of hers. I was eye-balling it! 😉 It worked but I guess I’m a bit of a perfectionist and hers look smaller than mine so that might help too. I also didn’t have the coarse kosher salt so that’s why they don’t look like the ones you buy.
Also, you don’t want them to touch on the baking sheet, but I wonder if I should have crowded them on one because 2 cookie sheets did not fit in my oven with both being flat. I’m sure that also affected their cook time and uniformity of doneness. For mine, some seemed done more than others. But the dough sure looked pretty, see…..
- 1½ cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar (I used regular sugar)
- 1 package active dry yeast (I used 2 heaping Tbsp instead)
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted (I used salted)
- 2½ tsp. Kosher salt
- 4½ cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose white flour but was going to try ½ whole wheat next time)
- vegetable oil (for dough greasing)
- FOR BOILING:
- 3 quarts water
- ¾ cup baking soda
- FOR BAKING:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbls. cold water
- Coarse sea salt
- Combine water, yeast, brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix until combined. Let stand for 5 minutes for the yeast to proof.
- Add the salt and flour. Mix on low speed until combined. Switch to dough hook and mix on speed 2 or 3 for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead into a ball.
- Place ball back into bowl and set aside to rise until doubled (about an hour).
- Right before dough is ready, put water and baking soda in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling low heat to keep water warm.
- Punch down dough and form back into ball. Pull out and with well greased hands on a flat surface. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each section into a long snake about 22 inches long. Then cut into small 1 inch sections for the bites.
- When almost done with that step bring your water back to a boil.
- Boil bites for about 30 seconds each batch (I put 15 in at a time). As you pull them out put them spread out on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. If you are making some to dip in melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture, then leave the salt off those.
- Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until well brown, puffed and done. Place sheets on cooling rack.
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I’ve always wanted to try these, so thanks for having the “courage” to do it and offer tips! I love pretzely stuff; will get these on the “must make” list. Great SRC pick!
sara recently posted..Crockpot Carnitas
Thanks so much for the kind words. So glad you liked them. We gobbled them up so quickly. Yours look fantastic!
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..{Secret Recipe Club} Puff Pastry Mini Apple Bites
Thanks!!
I have been seeing pretzel bites pop up everywhere. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will for suer give them a try.
Devon @ deli-cute-essen recently posted..Vegan Spicy Chocolate Pudding & Iced Chai Tea Latte
I have been wanting to make pretzel bites since I have been seeing recipes for them all over lately. These look delicious! A definite must try! Fabulous choice for SRC! 🙂
I have been wanting to make soft pretzels forever and I have no idea why I haven’t done it. Seeing your post reminds me, yet again, how much I want to bite into one of those chewy pillows of goodness! Hope yours hit the spot (:
This is a good idea, the bite size soft pretzels! I tried making the regular soft pretzels and they seemed to deflate after I turned them over in the water. I thought I had the right amount of baking soda in the water….I’ll have to try these next time. The SRC sounds like fun!
Lyndsey@TheTinySkillet recently posted..Cold Brewed Coffee and Okinawa Black Sugar
Pretzels are on my “culinary bucket list” and it doesn’t seem so hard anymore. Granted, if you ask any pretzel vendor here in Philly what is the secret, they won’t say baking soda – just the interesting science experiment better known as water from the Schuylkill River.
Great SRC choice Denise!
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos recently posted..Secret Recipe Club: BBQ Beef Sangies
Culinary bucket list….I love that term!
I’ve only made soft pretzels once and they were the pretzel-shaped kind. I think making bite sized ones would be easier so I’ll try that next time!
Christine @ Christine’s Kitchen Chronicles recently posted..Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cinnamon Buns
I love homemade pretzels. Yours look absolutely delicious, and they’re the perfect size!
It seems like pretzel bites keep popping up every time SRC comes around, and I have promised myself that I would try it soon. So thanks for reminding me again!
soft pretzels are by far one of my most favorite fair snacks. bite size makes them even better.
happy src reveal from a group D member!
These would be soooo good served with some homemade spicy mustard!
Eliot recently posted..Blueberry Flaugnarde for April’s SRC
Great pretzels!! I could eat quite a few..
Nice SRC post 🙂
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious recently posted..Creme Brulee with Blackberries and Cardamom…
Yes it looks pretty. The structure of the dough shows how skillfully made it was. I can already imagine the richness of its flavor judging from the recipe. I will enjoy making this as much as you did. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa recently posted..DTS Home
ah! We just bought a killer cheese spread that these will be wonderful with!
I’m a big fan of homemade pretzel bites! Yours look fantastic 🙂
Kristen recently posted..Project 365 2012 – Week 16 & 17 – A Photo a Day Journey
Thanks Kristen! It was SO great to meet you & hang out in NYC together.
Whenever I clean out my freezer, I inevitably find a few bags of bread ends that no one has bothered to finish using. Most likely that person was me, since I have this aversion to eating the end of a loaf of bread in a sandwich while it doesn’t even phase my husband. But those ends don’t go to waste. I thaw them and lay them on a cookie sheet. I bake them at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until toasted. Allow to cool.
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I am not seeing an oven temp anywhere. Did I just miss it???
Yes…at what temp do these bake?
Oops sorry! Bake these at 425 degrees. I’ve been craving pretzels so I need to make these again!