A few weeks ago, my husband had a craving for soft pretzels. He was so intent on having those billowy, soft morsels that he decided to make a special trip to the grocery store to find some. He came home empty-handed.
The store was out of soft pretzels, so he proceeded to eat other things to satisfy his cravings, which everyone knows won’t work.
Last week I decided to try my hand at making some soft pretzel bites so the next time he acquired a craving, I would be able to make some versus counting on the store.
These little, soft pretzel bites were not only perfect to satisfy my husband’s cravings, but this recipe also made an abundance of these little guys. They’re perfect for football season games and parties, the holidays, New Year’s or any other gathering where you’re serving a crowd.
If you’ve ever considered making these at home but have held back for whatever reason, don’t anymore! They may seem intimidating, but the recipe is actually easier than it sounds and they don’t take a long time at all.
Like most baked goods you want to make these and eat them the same day. They are best when warm and freshly baked.
Also, like most baked goods, this recipe is easiest if you have a free-standing mixer. If you follow me regularly you know that I generally don’t break out my free-standing mixer and tend to use the hand mixer a lot. I do this because:
- The free-standing is heavy as can be.
- It’s a pain to get out because it’s so heavy.
- No. 1 and No.2 make me lazy.
That said, here it is helpful, and I appreciated having one. It just allowed me to do other things and prep for the next part of the recipe while it took care of the dough.
Also, while I used foil paper to line my cookie sheets, it’s best to use parchment paper. I just happened to be out. 🙂
Grab the full recipe below and make them this weekend for an appetizer or football game!
- Pretzel Dough Ingredients:
- 4 ½ cups of flour
- 1 ½ cups of warm water
- 1 Tbsp. of sugar
- 2.5 tsp. of kosher salt
- 1 package of dry yeast
- ¼ cup of butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil
- Additional Ingredients:
- Spray cooking oil, vegetable oil or olive oil for the cookie sheets
- 10 cups of water
- ⅔ cup of baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp. of water
- Additional Kosher salt or pretzel salt
- To make your pretzel dough, combine your 1 ½ cups water, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl and then sprinkle the yeast on top.
- Allow this to stand for five minutes or so until it starts to foam.
- Add your butter and flour and let the mixer mix on low speed until everything is well combined. Once combined, increase the speed to medium for 5 minutes. The dough will begin to ball and no longer stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Remove dough, clean the bowl and then use your 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil to wipe down the inside of the bowl.
- Put the dough back in the bowl and tightly cover it with plastic wrap. Sit it on a window sill or in another warm spot for 1 hour.
- Once the hour is up preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line your baking sheets with the parchment paper and spray them with the cooking oil or wipe down with your choice of oil. You want to make sure that they are well oiled, so your pretzels don’t stick.
- Boil your 10 cups of water and baking soda. While that’s begins to boil, remove your dough from the mixing bowl and begin to roll it out.
- Initially, I rolled it out to make the pretzel shapes but decided that bites would be better and serve more. Once it’s rolled, break off about 2-inch pieces and roll them into a ball. Add these to your parchment paper.
- After you have all your pretzel bite laid out, mix together your egg yolk and 2 Tbsp. of water. Set near your boiling water.
- Use a slotted spoon to lower the dough balls into your boiling water and baking soda. Let them boil in there for 30 seconds. They will start to float when you should take them out. Do these in batch if you need to. I did mine in two or three batches at a time.
- Add them back to your parchment paper and brush with the egg wash. Then sprinkle with additional salt.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep in mind oven times will vary so you just want to make sure they are brown on the top before pulling them out, but don’t over bake.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve.
I will tell you that I make the cheddar, bacon and ale cheese dip to go with my pretzels, but I’m actually not a huge fan of melted cheddar cheese due to the texture. I liked the taste, but the texture was just getting to me so I’m going to work on that more before I give you the recipe. Or, I’ll make a cheese dip I like better.
If you’re a fan of cheddar though, I’d love to hear. I’d consider putting it up if enough people are fans. 🙂
Happy eating, friends.
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Those sound beyond amazing! I can’t wait to make these and dip them in some honey mustard sauce. Om nom nom.
Ok, these look absolutely delish! I definitely prefer soft pretzels to hard, duh! Will have to try this recipe!
I love pretzel buns but have never tried making them. I am definitely saving this recipe!
My husband (and kids) would love these! Perfect for Sunday football games! Thank you for sharing.
Pretzels are my number 1 favorite snack and I really like the sound of these bites. I’d love to make a bunch!
These would be perfect for party dipping! Thanks!
I’ve totally been wanting to make pretzels! This recipe looks super easy and really fun to make, too! YUM!
Omg I love soft pretzels!! We make them all the time here and serve them with homemade beer cheese dip 🙂
There is just something about homemade pretzels. What makes this even better is they are bite size. Thank you for the recipe.
This looks so good! You’re torturing me- I’m allergic to gluten and dairy:)
I need to make these. I love soft pretzels and these bites are so much easier to make. I can almost taste them.
These look awesome and I would definitely make the dip to go with them. I’m saving this recipe for later.
My husband is obsessed with making pretzel buns! I can’t get him to stop making them lol
Yum! These would be an instant hit with the crew at my house. Perfect for snacking on while watching the game on Sunday!
Wow, this look so delicious and look so easy to make. I will def try this on this weekends for my kids.
Oooh gurl…my mission of a carb free september might be well and truly out the window now!
I am obsessed with pretzels this time of year – hello oktoberfest – but I have never made my own. I’ll try your version!
I haven’t had a lretzel in so long, I can’t honeatky remember the last one I had! These look so delicious. With dipping sauces, I bet these would be a hit with my boys as a Saturday night treat! Thanks for the idea!
Yummy!! These look delicious! I know my boys will love them. Adding them to the list to try out.
Omg these look so delicious! I love pretzels!
Oh my! My daughter will love you forever! Pretzels are her thing and now I have no excuse to make them! 😉. Thank you!
I do love pretzels but they are not easy to find where I live. I didn’t think that I could make them at home, to taste exactly as the German ones do. I like the pretzels to be soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
These Soft Pretzel Bites are a great idea for any party but also are perfect for my kid’s snack or lunch box. I am sure he will love this idea. And this way everything you put in that lunch box will be more delicious!
Those pretzels look amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing this!
My kids love getting something like this at the mall every time we visit. I totally need to try this recipe to make the homemade version.
I love soft pretzels! Homemade ones would be sooo yummy!
Mouthwatering pretzels I’m so sure! These looks crispy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. And your cheese sauce for dipping looks absolutely perfect! I so cannot wait to make these.
OH! These look so delicious!!! I need to make these for my son!
I am not even a pretzel fan, but I’d finish a dozen of this in one sitting. They look oh so delicious!
This looks so delightful and tasty. I just love everything about this!. This would disappear in no time at our house!.
oh my, these look so good! I love to eat these with cheese. I’ve never tried to make them but there’s a first for everything. I’m adding this to grocery list wish me luck. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Wow, this is a home run of a recipe! Soft pretzel bites are the perfect appetizer for all occasions. These look delicious!
Your husband is a lucky man 🙂 these pretzels look absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I will surely try to make them myself 🙂
They look yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Will try this soon! 🙂
These are so easy to mix up. I would make them for family movie nights as a change from our normal popcorn movie treat.
Every time I hear about pretzels, I always think of the ones from Auntie Anne’s! The soft pretzels look yummy! You should definitely share your cheddar, bacon and ale cheese dip 💖
I was totally craving soft pretzels last weekend!! I’m going to make these today to eat when we watch the game later!
These pretzels looks so cute and soft, looks yummy too. thanks for sharing the recipe.
xo Corina
https://unbouquetdamour.com/body-and-sexuality/
Wow..This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try this. Will try it soon.
These look so delicious! I’m all about pretzels especially in the fall to eat during all the football games!
Wow! I’m beyond impressed! Not only did you do a great job with your pretzels, but the fact that you can satisfy your husbands’ cravings at home is super cool! He is a lucky man 🙂
I love pretzel bites! So delicious and hit the spot when you need a little something salty. Plus, you can dip them in a lot of sauces.
Thanks for the recipe. My husband would love for me to make some.
These sound delicious. I know my boyfriend would love them so I may have to try this recipe.
This looks really delicious
I prefer the soft ones to the hard ones.
I prefer to eat them with honey
I’m ready. I’m making these asap. These look soooo good! I want to dip them in cheese!
These look so good and your pics actually make my mouth water. All I can think about is eating these warm with your dip. I have saved this recipe for when I get back from my beach vacation so I can indulge in these beauties!
I love soft pretzels and cheese! I have never tried to make them, but I will have to. These look amazing!
my husband would love these! he’s a soft pretzel fan!
Ironic I got mall pretzel bites yesterday! This is so cool never thought to make my own yum!
Just tried this recipe and it is so good. My husband loves them. Really quite easy to make and will definitely make these again. Thank you!