soft pretzel bites

Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip are the perfect snack for tailgating. Soft, chewy and bite size with a golden crust, they're perfect for dunking into a rich cheese dip that can be customized 3-ways.

Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip

water (lukewarm)

instant rise yeast ((1/4 ounce packet))

butter

brown sugar

salt

flour

baking soda

egg (beaten)

salt (for sprinkling)

milk

unsalted butter

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

salt + pepper

Cheese Dip (recipe above)

jalapeno (ribs & seeds removed, diced)

hot sauce

cayenne

Tablespoon mustard

horseradish

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Whisk well until combined, about 1 minute. 

To a mixing bowl add the butter, brown sugar, salt, and yeast mixture. Stir until combined. Slowly add in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix by hand or use mixer fitted with dough hook, until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour and stir. If dough is still sticky, add flour, and additional 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer sticky, and dough bounces back when poked with your finger.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes and shape into a ball. Place in a large mixing bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil with the baking soda, preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Section dough into six equal parts and roll each section into long ropes. Then, cut into 1-1/2 inch bites.

Once water is boiling, drop 10 pretzel bites into water and boil 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto prepared baking sheets, making sure that pretzel bites do not touch. Repeat with remaining pretzel bites.

Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the sheet pans once halfway through cooking.

Pretzel Bites

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles form on the top.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.

Add the warm milk to the flour butter mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cheese Dip

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/75dKyZCm.mp4

Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip are the perfect snack for tailgating. Soft, chewy and bite size with a golden crust, they’re perfect for dunking into a rich cheese dip that can be customized 3-ways.

Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce

Hot, buttery little bites of chewy pretzel goodness are an amazing homemade snack for your kids.  These are easy to make and this recipe is totally allergy free!

Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe {Allergy Free}

water

sugar

yeast, active dry

flour, gluten free

baking powder

sea salt

In a small bowl, add the water, sugar, yeast. Let sit for a few minutes until it starts to bubble. Meanwhile, in a mixer add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until blended.  And oil and yeast mixture. Mix until ball of dough forms, then mix for 1 more minute to knead the dough.

Brush top of dough lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an wide 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 4-5 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope. Slice each rope into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

Using a slotted spoon lower a handful of the pretzel pieces into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds, flipping them around in the water with the spoon a couple of times. Remove the pretzel pieces from the water using the spoon, drain as best you can, and place them on the baking sheets.

Brush the top of each pretzel with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 10 - 12 minutes.  Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

These soft pretzel bites are always a crowd favorite! The easy dough requires just 6 ingredients and there’s hardly any rise time, so this is a wonderful recipe for yeast beginners. Have fun shaping the bites (they don’t need to be perfect!) and enjoy warm flavorful homemade pretzels within an hour. Review recipe notes and watch the video tutorial before starting.

Soft Pretzel Bites

(7 grams) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)

brown sugar or granulated sugar

teaspoon salt

butter,

cup (120 grams) baking soda

cups (2,160 milliliters) water

spicy cheese sauce mustard

Make the dough

Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle or dough hook attachment. (If you do not have a stand mixer, just use a regular large mixing bowl.) Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add 3/4 cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute. (You can see in the video that I add the remaining flour.)

Knead the dough

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat on low speed for an additional 2 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 5.)

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.

Shape

With a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, cut dough into 6 equal pieces (just eyeball it, doesn&#8217;t have to be perfect). Sprinkle work surface very lightly with flour. (Tip: The heavier you flour the work surface, the harder it is to roll the dough. A little stickiness actually helps. You only need *a very light* dusting of flour.) Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you&#8217;re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1.5 &#8211; 2 inch pieces to make bites.

Baking Soda Bath

Mix water and baking soda together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place 8-10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10-15 seconds. (Any longer and your pretzels could take on a metallic taste.) Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping listed in the notes. Repeat baking soda bath with remaining pretzel bites. If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.

I used bread flour to make them extra fluffy! I prefer sweet pretzels over salty ones so I put less salt in the dough and did not sprinkle sea salt before putting them in the oven.  Made a cream cheese glaze to accompany them... AMAZING! Definitely will do this again! Thank you!

This recipe worked for me!! (I even accidentally doubled the butter.)  I was worried since I have little yeast experience. 
Fresh baked pretzel recipe for the win. Thanks for sharing Sally.

These were so tasty and super easy to make! My dough was a little sticky even after adding the max amount of flour because of the super high humidity where I live. Just made shaping and cutting them up a little difficult but once I did the baking soda/boiling water dip and the baking, they turned out great! Also, this is so much cheaper to make them yourself rather than go out and spend $10 for a little box of them—definitely a bonus! Thanks, Sally!!

I made these today. They are fantastic! We are eating them with your beer cheese dip. Everything I have made from your site has  turned out very well. Thank you for all the recipes and easy to follow directions!

The pretzel bite recipe was easy, delicious, and turned out right on the first try! I will definitely be making these bites again.

Another great addition to our go to recipes. Son having a no Covid birthday celebration for four college buds. Wanted the boys to have some post dinner nibbles. Big hit!

Bad news is I made a huge mess in the kitchen. Good news is they turned out so good. I didn’t think they would work because the dough seemed so sticky. I rolled one batch in cinnamon and sugar. My hubby loved them too. Thanks so much for the recipe.

Sally, you've done it again! Every recipe of yours that I make is INCREDIBLE! You are my go-to source for baking, and these pretzel bites were no exception. Thank you for all the hard work, time and effort you put into perfecting these recipes for us. You're the best!!!

These came out great!  I didn't make the cheese sauce as I didn't have the ingredients on hand but will try that another time.  I skipped the egg wash as one household member doesn't eat eggs.  Still came out looking and tasting like ones you'd get while out.  In fact probably tasted better!  It makes a lot, so will be freezing some to enjoy later.

I have made another pretzel recipe from Sally, I think it is the same dough but it tastes so much better in bite form!! My recipe made 74 bites because I rolled the ropes a tad too long, so I baked them for 12 minutes. The tray that I did 13 came out crispy but still yummy! Definitely  recommend using the egg wash. Will be making again!

Great recipe! My fellow Vegans… works great with vegan butter and brushing with Just Egg! So yummy! (Wish I could post my pic).

Love this recipe. I’ve tried shortcut pizza dough pretzel bites but they weren’t that great. These were amazing with a little honey mustard dipping sauce, or just lightly buttered! Thanks!

Hi Sally, 
2 questions for you.
1.  Can I substitute honey for the sugar.  (dietary restrictions)
2.  Everything bagel mix seems like it might make a good variation on the salt to reduce sodium.  Thoughts?

This recipe sound amazing! I can't wait to try it! 
I have one question: Could I dip the pretzel bites in cinnamon sugar when they're still wet after the baking soda bath? Or do you have to add the cinnamon sugar After baking? If so, could you wet them with water instead of butter? 

Thanks!

Hands down, THE BEST pretzel recipe with tips attached. The recipe was easy and turned out amazing. I ended up only using 3 1/2 cups of flour, but they are AH-MAZING. Couldn’t have satisfied this pretzel bite craving in any better way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSLm-zce-P0

These soft pretzel bites are exactly like regular homemade soft pretzels, but shaped into smaller pieces. The dough requires just 6 ingredients and there’s hardly any rise time, so this is a wonderful recipe for yeast beginners.

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-pretzel-bites/

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#baking #recipes #softpretzelbites

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Soft Pretzel Bites | Sally's Baking Addiction

Move over, Auntie Anne’s, because these homemade soft pretzel bites are ridiculously soft and chewy with a wonderfully crispy golden outer crust. Yum!

Soft Pretzel Bites (Easy Recipe)

lukewarm water or milk (110 degrees Fahrenheit)

butter, melted

(.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast

all-purpose flour,

vegetable oil

Non-stick spray, for greasing

Place 1 1/2 cups warm water, melted butter, brown sugar, yeast, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix until well-combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until it starts to form bubbles.

Add 4 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, beating at low speed after every addition. Add 1/2 cup more flour if the dough is too sticky. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 4-5 minutes. Add a small amount of flour if the dough is still too tacky.

Grease a large mixing bowl with vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour in a warm place, or until it doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a sheet pan with non-stick spray.

Bring 12 cups of cold water to a boil. Stir in the baking soda as it continues to boil.

Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a flat disc. Slice it into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge into a 24-inch rope. Slice the ropes into 1-inch pieces.

Drop 8-10 dough pieces into the pot of boiling water. Cook for 35 seconds. Place them on the greased sheet pan. Repeat until all pretzel bites are cooked.

Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg mixture over the tops of the pretzel bites.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Buttery, fluffy soft (baked) pretzel bites are dipped into a lusciously smooth and creamy smoked gouda cheese dip. So simple, and much better than the frozen store-bought pretzels.

Soft Pretzel Bites with Smoked Gouda Cheese Dip.

cups all-purpose flour

(2 1/4 teaspoons) Fleischmann’s instant yeast

fine sea salt

coarse kosher salt,

avocado oil cooking spray, to prevent sticking

cup milk

teaspoon cumin

teaspoon garlic powder

teaspoon cayenne (depending on heat preference – you can also omit)

cheese

smoked gouda cheese, shredded

Rotel,

PREPARE THE SOFT PRETZEL DOUGH

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk, three tablespoons of butter, and brown sugar until the butter is melted, and sugar dissolved. In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer, add the flour, yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center and attach the dough hook. Turn to speed two and slowly stream in the warm milk mixture. The dough should form into a ball and start hitting against the sides of the bowl. Turn your KitchenAid to speed 4 and let it run for 8 minutes. Once finished, form the dough into a rounded ball with your hands. It should be quite easy to form. Place the dough back into your KitchenAid bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest on the counter for at least an hour.

BOIL WATER

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and a half-cup of Arm &amp; Hammer baking soda to a boil.

ROLL, CUT, AND SOAK THE DOUGH

Divide the dough into four equal parts and (with your hands) roll each into a long rope shape. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut the dough into bite-sized pieces. Drop your soft pretzel bites into the boiling water in batches, approximately 20 at a time, and swish them around periodically; I use a fine mesh strainer to swish and to remove them from the water (after about a minute of soaking them). Transfer the soft pretzel bites to a cooling rack to allow them to air-dry for a minute or so, then onto an oiled baking sheet (you can line the baking sheet with parchment paper then spray with oil if you prefer). These steps help the pretzels release from the pan a bit easier, as they tend to stick because of the baking soda.

PREHEAT THE OVEN, THEN 

BUTTER, SALT, AND BAKE THE PRETZELS. Set your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius). Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in the microwave, brush each pretzel bite with butter, then sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size you cut your pretzels. Also, every oven is different! Cook the pretzels until golden brown and fluffy on the inside.

PREPARE THE SMOKED GOUDA CHEESE DIP

While your pretzels are baking, in a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted. Tear the American cheese and add to the pan, followed by the smoked gouda cheese; stirring in between. Stir until fully melted, then add Rotel. Serve, and enjoy!

These are just like the ones all my children loved in the mall only homemade and so much better. So delicious!!

Hi Jenna. These homemade  pretzels dipped in your smoked gouda sauce looks heavenly . Your blog pictures are very sharp and stunning. Came across your blog on Instagram. Let's keep connected.

i love home made pretzels, definitely want to try making them bite sized

These look just like the ones I sometimes purchase at the mall. The smoked gouda cheese dip looks heavenly spiced and loaded with flavors. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Made these today and they're absolutely divine. Thank you so much for hooking me up with the recipe :)

Louise x

Ok these look AMAZING! My stomach is actually growling now, definitely going to try these!

LOOKS SO GOOD!! Oh my goodness wow! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I love pretzel bites!!

Oh my goodness! This has me daydreaming of eating them. Can't wait to try it.

Oh my goodness, I love pretzel bites, and the gouda dip sounds perfect! Saving this for a cold fall day.

Sounds delish...I keep saying I need to work on ny baking more!

Yum! These look amazing. Thank you for the detailed instructions to make it look easy!

This looks so yummy and we tried something similar to this one. I will share it with my family so we can try this. Thank you for sharing

i love home-made pretzels will have to try the bites to switch things up

I love the photos - this is such a tasty recipe. Thanks for sharing! I would love to try it out next time I'm in the kitchen.

Love this recipe. I recently stopped eating in bakeries because of so many additives and acids they put in their doughs. Sugars also. So I am preparing to make and bake myself. This recipe will come in handy :)

This looks so yummy! Can't wait to try it!

This sounds amazing! Just like pure happiness :)

Tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool

Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle or dough hook attachment. (If you do not have a stand mixer, just use a regular large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.) Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add 3/4 cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute. (You can see in the video that I add the remaining flour.)

Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.

Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 5.)

These are GREAT! They literally bounce in your mouth when you chew—not sure how else to describe. Would definitely make again and highly recommend.

I made these for our superbowl party and they were a hit. Easy recipe and they turned out great!

These pretzels are a staple in my house. I make a huge batch every Sunday so my husband and toddler can snack on them throughout the week. They bot LOVE these.

The simplicity is appealing, and I had a successful test run.  A couple of friends are gluten intolerant.  Have had success with substituting 1:1 GF blend that contains xanthum gum for AP flour on recipes, but not sure if a straight substitution is sufficient for yeast breads.  Your thoughts?  Thanks.

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Top 6 soft pretzel bites recipes from across the web

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Soft Pretzel Bites

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