Soft Pretzel Bites

Delicious and makes a lot of bites. Just watch your baking soda water or it might end up down the front of your oven. Pretzels found at Two Peas & Their Pod and Honey Mustard found at Julie's Eats and Treats.

Ingredients

Pretzels

  • 1-1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 (2-1/4 tsp) package active dry yeast
  • 3 oz. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2-1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil
  • 3 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 1 whole egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
  • Coarse sea salt (or cinnamon and sugar)

Beer Cheese Sauce

  • 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

Honey Mustard

  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup honey mustard
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Frosting

  • 3 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
  • Powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Splash of milk

Directions

Pretzels

  1. Combine water, sugar, yeast, and butter and mix with dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Add salt and flour and mix on low to combine. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3-4 minutes. Add flour by the tablespoon if dough is too wet.
  3. Place dough on a flat surface and knead into a ball. Lightly coat a large bowl with oil and add dough, turning to coat with oil. Cover and let sit until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Place dough on a flat surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each section into a 22-inch rope and cut into 1-inch pieces to make bites.
  5. Preheat oven to 425°. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil over high heat and carefully add baking soda. Make sure to go slowly as the water easily boils over.
  6. Boil pretzels in baking soda water in small batches (roughly 15 at a time) for about 30 seconds each. Remove with a large slotted spoon and place on a greased baking sheet, keeping them spaced apart slightly on the tray.
  7. Brush tops with egg wash and season with salt (or cinnamon and sugar). Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on cooling racks. Rest for 5 minutes before serving with cheese and honey mustard.

Beer Cheese Sauce

  1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 minute.
  2. Whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until smooth and completed melted.
  4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Honey Mustard

  1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined and sugar has completely dissolved.
  2. Keep chilled until serving.

Frosting

  1. Whisk all ingredients together.
  2. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk and if it is too thin, add powdered sugar.

Yield: A lot! 5-6 dozen