Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites (Sweet + Savory)
You only need 6 ingredients for these perfectly soft pretzel bites—make them sweet or savory with a sprinkle of coarse salt or cinnamon sugar, then serve them with your choice of dipping sauces!
‘Tis the season for March Madness, and though my bracket might be suffering, the game day food is making up for it, starting with these homemade pretzel bites! They’re easily a crowd-favorite, and you can make them either sweet or savory!
Ingredients for Homemade Pretzel Bites
Like most bread recipes, you won’t need very many ingredients to make these pretzel bites—technically, you only need 6 things:
- Bread flour. Like its name suggests, bread flour is best suited for bread recipes due to its high protein content, thus providing extra chew. If you don’t have any on hand, however, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour!
- All-purpose flour. A mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour will produce the perfect chewy texture.
- Instant dry yeast. I prefer instant yeast instead of active dry yeast since it can be used immediately and doesn’t need to be bloomed in water.
- Salt. To season and flavor the bread.
- Warm water. To hydrate the flour and activate the yeast.
- Light brown sugar or barley malt syrup. To feed the yeast and contribute a golden-brown exterior.
- Melted butter. For a richer, buttery flavor and soft texture.
- Water + baking soda. Similar to bagels, pretzels are boiled to create a chewy outer crust and to encourage browning.
- Coarse salt or cinnamon sugar. Depending on whether you want sweet or savory pretzel bites.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
There are a few common pitfalls when it comes to bread-making, but I’ve compiled a list of all my best tips and tricks so you get perfect pretzels every time!
- Kneading the dough. Luckily, all of the brunt work of kneading will be taken care of by the stand mixer, but knowing when to stop kneading is a different question. In most cases, you’ll know whether your bread dough has developed enough gluten if it passes something called the “windowpane test.” To do this, pinch off a golf-ball sized ball of dough and stretch it between your fingers; if it’s kneaded enough, you will be able to stretch it thin enough for light to pass through without the dough breaking. If the dough tears, continue to knead, then repeat the test.
- Proofing the dough. Another tricky point in this recipe is knowing when the bread is proofed enough. You can do this visually by checking if the dough has doubled in size, but you can also test if it’s ready by poking it; if the dough springs back and leaves a slight indentation, it’s ready to be shaped. If it springs back with no indentation, it needs longer. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it’s overproofed.
- Boiling the pretzels. Pretzels, unlike bagels, need a short boiling time. In reality, you only need to dip them into the baking soda solution for 10-15 seconds before baking them—any longer and the pretzels can take on a metallic taste.
- Making ahead of time. To make these ahead of time, follow the recipe up until it’s time to bake. Store the boiled, unbaked pretzel bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Storage instructions. Once baked, the pretzel bites will last stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, though they will lose some of their softness over time.
What to Serve Pretzel Bites With?
One of the best parts of this recipe is how versatile it is! There are endless possibilities, but here are a few serving suggestions to get you started.
savory serving suggestions
- Queso.
- Ketchup.
- Mustard or honey mustard.
- Ranch.
- Spinach-artichoke dip.
- Buffalo chicken dip.
sweet serving suggestions
- Cream cheese frosting.
- Chocolate ganache.
- Nutella.
- Maple syrup.
- Jam.
Wishing all of you luck for your pretzel baking (and your March Madness brackets, because let’s be honest, we all need it)!
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
You only need 6 ingredients for these perfectly soft pretzel bites—make them sweet or savory with a sprinkle of coarse salt or cinnamon sugar, then serve them with your choice of dipping sauces!
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Servings: 8 dozen
Ingredients
For the pretzel dough
- 2 cups bread flour, can substitute with all-purpose flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pack (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or barley malt syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
For boiling
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
To serve (for savory pretzel bites)
- Coarse or flaky salt,
- Queso/cheese dip, ketchup, mustard, and any other dips of choice
To serve (for cinnamon-sugar bites)
- 2-3 tablespoons melted butter, to coat
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, whisk together the bread flour, 1 cup of the all-purpose flour (reserve the other cup for later), instant yeast, and salt.
- Mix together the warm water and sugar in a liquid measuring cup until dissolved. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the water and the melted butter. Stir everything together until a shaggy dough forms.
- With the dough hook attachment, beat the dough on low speed while gradually adding the remaining cup of flour. Mix and scrape down the sides as needed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Once the dough comes together, continue to mix for around 5 minutes, or until it passes the windowpane test. To do this, pinch off a golf-ball sized ball of dough and stretch it between your fingers; if it's kneaded enough, you will be able to stretch it thin enough for light to pass through without the dough breaking. If the dough tears, continue to knead, then repeat the test.
- If the dough becomes too sticky while kneading, add more all-purpose flour as needed, one teaspoon at a time (try not to add too much flour, otherwise it will get too dry and tough). The dough is finished kneading if it is tacky* and springs back when poked.
- Lightly oil a bowl, then form the dough into a ball and place it inside. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the bread proof for around 60 minutes, until doubled in size (this may happen slower or faster, depending on how warm your kitchen is). Test if it is ready by poking it; if the dough springs back and leaves a slight indentation, it's ready to be shaped. If it springs back with no indentation, it needs longer. If it doesn't spring back at all, it's overproofed.
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fill a large Dutch oven with 2-3 quarts of water and bring to a boil.
- In the meantime, turn the dough onto a clean work surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Working one at a time, roll each piece into a 20 inch long log. As you work, keep the remaining pieces covered and only add flour to your work station if necessary.
- With a bench cutter, slice each log into bite-sized pieces around 1.5 inches long. Repeat with the remaining ropes of dough.
- Once the water comes to a boil, carefully and slowly stir in the baking soda (it will bubble up and foam violently if added too quickly). Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and, working in batches of 10-15, dip the pretzels into the baking soda solution for around 10-15 seconds.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the pretzels from the boiling water. Allow any excess water to drip off, then place onto the prepared baking sheets. If desired, top with coarse salt while still wet. At this point, you can cover the boiled and unbaked pretzel bites and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Once all of the pretzels are boiled, evenly space them onto the baking sheets about ½ inch apart. Bake for around 15 minutes until golden brown, rotating the sheet halfway through. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the pretzels warm with cheese dip, ketchup or other dipping sauces. For cinnamon sugar bites, dip the pretzels into melted butter and toss into cinnamon sugar. Serve with cream cheese frosting or another dip of choice.
Notes
*meaning, the dough may stick to your fingers but leave no residue.
