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–+ servings

Homemade Pretzel Bites

Make these homemade pretzel bites for the ultimate snack! Soft, chewy, golden, and perfect for dipping, this easy pretzel bites recipe is great for parties, game day, or when you’re craving soft pretzels at home.
Make these homemade pretzel bites for the ultimate snack! Soft, chewy, golden, and perfect for dipping, this easy pretzel bites recipe is great for parties, game day, or when you’re craving soft pretzels at home.
Heather
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Serving Size 50 Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups warm water 110°F
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour + extra on hand if needed
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter for the dough
  • 8 cups water for baking soda bath
  • ½ cup baking soda for baking soda bath
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing after baking
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Coarse salt for sprinkling

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit 5 minutes until foamy (this means your yeast is alive and ready to party).
  • Add flour, melted butter and salt, then knead with a dough hook for 5–6 minutes until smooth and elastic. Start with 4 cups of flour and if you are in a humid temperature state, you may need to add a little bit extra flour until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl.
  • Leave dough in your stand mixer mixing bowl or move the dough to a separate greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. (I always move my dough to sit in our garage because its so warm and it makes my dough rise better than in my 71 degree house)
  • Punch down your dough and divide into 6 or 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 18–20 inches long, then cut into 1–2 inch bite-sized pieces. Personally, I find working on a glass cutting board with just a tiny sprinkle of flour works best for me .. the glass help the dough not to stick as much.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add ½ cup baking soda. Working in batches, drop pretzel bites into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Don't over crowd the pot. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.
  • Brush pretzel bites with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse pretzel salt. Don't worry if you lose some salt.. you will add another pass after baking.
  • Bake for 14-17 minutes, until deep golden brown.
  • Remove pretzel bites from the oven and immediately brush with melted garlic butter. Sprinkle generously with one more pass of salt while the butter is still warm and sticky.
  • Dunk into warm cheese sauce (included above in blog post), spicy mustard, or just eat them plain.. they’re addictive either way.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for the Best Homemade Pretzel Bites

    • Don’t skip the baking soda bath.. this is what separates pretzels from plain bread rolls.
    • If your dough feels too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until workable.
    • Want extra chewy pretzel bites? Use bread flour instead of all-purpose.
    • These are best eaten fresh, but you can reheat in the oven at 350°F for 5–7 minutes to bring them back to life.
    • Add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar instead of salt if you’re craving sweet instead of savory.
    • Before you forget, make sure to grab Pretzel Salt before starting this recipe. not just big chunky regular salt. Pretzel salt is white, not clear and it really does taste different.. it tastes right!
    • I find working on a glass cutting board with just a tiny sprinkle of flour works best for me .. the glass help the dough not to stick as much.