Pretzel Bites Food

EASY PIZZA DOUGH PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• For the creamy mustard dip: Stir together the mustard, sour cream and honey. Season with salt. Transfer to a small serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the pretzel bites: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a tray with paper towels.
• Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Divide the pizza dough into four pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter. Cut each rope into approximately 1-inch long segments.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the baking soda and stir to combine. Add half of the dough to the water and boil for about 45 seconds. Transfer the boiled dough to the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining dough. Lightly pat the dough with a paper towel to dab off some of the foamy water.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg with 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a small bowl.
• Dip each dough bite into the egg wash, letting the excess drip off, then place it on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Sprinkle the tops of the bites lightly with salt and bake until deep golden brown all over, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Serve warm with the creamy mustard dip.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
• In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
• Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Warm the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter in the microwave until the butter is just melted, about 90 seconds; do not boil. (Alternatively, warm them in a small saucepan.) Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the warm milk/butter mixture to the bowl. When the dough forms a cohesive mass, switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, the dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand.) Shape the dough into a ball, place in a clean, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a 2-quart baking dish, combine the baking soda with 2¼ cups boiling water. Stir until the baking soda is dissolved; set aside and let cool to lukewarm (or cooler). (Before baking, you'll dip the pretzels into the solution, which will give them a rich brown crust and pretzel flavor.)
• Preheat the oven to 450°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. (If the dough feels sticky, you can dust it with a bit of flour as needed.) Shape the dough into a log, then cut into 6 equal pieces; cover with a damp dishtowel so the dough doesn't dry out. One at a time, roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 24-inch rope about ½-inch thick, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Cut each rope crosswise into 1¼-inch pieces. They will shrink a bit as they sit; that's okay.
• Working in batches, drop the pretzel dough bites into the baking soda solution, swish around, and let each batch sit for about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pretzel dough bites from the solution, letting any excess liquid drip off, then arrange the bites on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Sprinkle evenly with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, switching the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through cooking, for 8 to 9 minutes; watch the bottoms carefully as they can burn. Repeat with the remaining batches.
• Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and brush on the baked pretzels. The pretzels are best enjoyed warm out of the oven or fresh on the same day.
• Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the warm milk and butter, let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.
• Note: If you prefer a cinnamon sugar topping, omit the coarse salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar plus about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon)
• Make-Ahead Instructions: After the dough has risen, it can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for a few months. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator before using. The dough can be shaped into pretzel bites while still cool, but allow about 30 minutes for the bites to puff up a bit before dipping and baking.

BEER CHEESE AND SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Make the soft pretzel bites: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack covered with paper towels.
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. (It may seem like a small amount of water for a large pot, but once you add baking soda it'll foam up.)
• While the water comes to a boil, place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a long rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.
• When the water is boiling, add the baking soda and sugar. Cook the dough pieces, in batches, for 30 seconds. Drain on the paper towels.
• Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the pretzels in the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until the pretzel bites are nicely browned, 9 to 10 minutes.
• For the beer cheese: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture is smooth, then add the half-and-half. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and House Seasoning. Gradually add the cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste. Serve the pretzel bites with the beer cheese.
• Stir together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine 1 cup warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp granulated sugar, whisk to dissolve and allow to rest 10 minutes.
• Fit mixer with whisk attachment and mix in remaining granulated sugar (1 Tbsp + 2 1/2 tsp), brown sugar, vegetable oil and salt.
• With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in bread flour and mix until well blended.
• Switch attachment to the hook attachment and slowly add in all-purpose flour. Knead mixture on low speed until smooth an elastic, adding up to an additional 1/4 cup flour as needed (you want a soft dough and it may seem slightly sticky).
• Transfer to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down and divide into 6 equal portions. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dust tops of dough lightly with flour and cover the ones you aren't currently rolling loosely with plastic wrap.
• Roll each portion into a rope about 24 to 28-inches long, cut into bite size pieces.
• Pour hot water and baking soda into a mixing bowl and whisk to dissolve. Using a slotted spoon, dip several pieces of dough into the water mixture, then lift and allow excess water to drip off, then transfer to a Silpat lined baking sheet. Rewarm water as needed.
• Bake in preheated oven 8 - 11 minutes until tops are nicely golden brown. Remove from oven and using a slotted spoon, dip into melted butter, toss to evenly coat then lift and shake off excess. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest 2 minutes.