Pretzel Bites Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Pretzel Bites Recipe

Easy homemade pretzel bites brushed with melted butter and sea salt. This easy pretzel recipe makes the perfect appetizer or snack! Always a big crowd pleaser and gone in minutes!

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pretzel bites

Servings:

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Jamielyn Nye

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 cups flour
1/3 cup baking soda (for boiling water)
1 egg , whisked
coarse salt (or kosher or sea salt)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, add warm water and yeast. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. Add salt and sugar and stir.
In a large bowl, add flour and then pour yeast mixture over top. Knead with bread hook in your mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes.
Separate dough into 6 sections. Roll dough into ropes about 15-20 inches long and 1 inch thick. Cut with scissors into 1 1/2 – 2 inch pieces. This should make about 25-30 pretzel pieces. Optional: cut a “t” or “x” on the top of the pretzel with scissors.
In a small pan, bring about 8 cups water + 1/3 cup baking soda to a boil. Once water is boiling, place about 8 pieces of dough into the water for about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and place pretzel bites onto baking sheet. Brush dough lightly with egg and sprinkle salt on top.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. You can turn the oven to broil for the last minute to brown the tops. Remove pretzel bites to a cooling rack and brush tops with melted butter if desired.
Enjoy homemade pretzels with your favorite cheese sauce.

Video

Notes

Variation: For a sweeter version, bake the homemade pretzels without salt. When they come out of the oven, roll them in melted butter and then roll the tops and sides in cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup granulated sugar combined with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon). Serve warm.

For cheese sauce:

You can use a store bought queso (Trader Joe's queso is good) or make this recipe below.

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
S&P, to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute (it should be a thick paste). Next whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from the pan from heat and slowly stir in the cheese until. Stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add a dash of hot sauce if you'd like to add a little kick.

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