Easy Soft Pretzel Bites

These Easy Soft Pretzel Bites recipe has only 3 basic ingredients and are done in under 30 minutes! They’re delicious with salt and butter and if I’m not careful I can eat the entire batch!

Starting these with canned biscuits  makes them an easy and delicious way to enjoy your favorite soft pretzels – FAST.

Soft Pretzel Bites are easy to make and fun to eat. Serve them with all the dipping sauces and cheese dips you can think of!

Pretzel Bites are one of those things that I really love, but always seemed too complicated for me to make myself. But I did it, and I’m so proud of this tasty little Soft Pretzel Bites recipe!

Learning to cook is a process. There are still lots of recipes I look at and think “I bet I can’t make that”. Just like before I started getting my feet wet in the kitchen, some recipes still intimidate me. I should have learned by now, most recipes are SO MUCH EASIER than you might think, but baking and breads are still the types of things that give me pause. My insecurities get the best of me, and there are still so many times I just don’t even try. But like I said, easier than you would think! I never imagined I would be making pretzel bites, but I’m just so glad I tried. EASY, delicious, and fun!

And you can make these delicious soft pretzel bites too! Serve them on game day or at a kid’s birthday party. Make all kinds of cheese sauces and dips and dig into these perfectly salty, flavorful bites.

Soft pretzels are a huge weakness for me; I can’t even walk by Wetzel’s at the mall and not stop. There’s something intoxicating about the way they smell and the texture of the soft inside and crusty outside, bonus points when they take a post oven bath in butter and salt.

One of the things I hate is when a store or restaurant (*cough* Target) sells soft pretzels in their cafe but they don’t taste a thing like an actual soft pretzel. Don’t get me wrong; they’re good, but they’re more of a breadstick folded to look like a soft pretzel. A good soft pretzel needs to have that telltale pretzel flavor to qualify as a good one (and be worth the calories).

These easy soft pretzel bites recipe actually taste like a real soft pretzel and rival the ones you can get at the mall at a fraction of the cost. Plus, they’re SO super easy because these soft pretzel bites start from biscuit dough so there’s no yeast, no mixing, and no rising time. In under 30 minutes you’re going to be able eat your heart out!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups (300ml) warm water, plus 9 more cups for step 5
• 1 packet Red Star Platinum instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon (8g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter, previously melted and not scorching hot
• 3.75 - 4.25 cups (470- 530g) all-purpose flour + more for the counter surface
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg, beaten
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling
• Spicy Nacho Cheese Sauce for serving

Directions:

1. Whisk the yeast into 1 and 1/2 cups warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast may remain. Add salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Whisk until fairly combined. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger - if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes, then shape into a ball. Place in a large greased mixing bowl. I usually use nonstick spray to grease it, but olive oil works too. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm area for about 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
4. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 6 sections. Roll the dough into six 20-inch long ropes. Cut the rope into 1.5 inch pieces to make bites.
5. Combine 9 cups of water and the baking soda in a large pot and bring to a rapid boil. Drop 8-10 pretzel bites into water and let sit for 20 seconds. Remove with a spatula and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the bites aren't touching.
6. Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake batches for 15 minutes each, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve with spicy nacho cheese sauce or honey mustard. Pretzel bites remain fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container, though they will lose some softness.

Make ahead/Freezing: The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for three months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzel bites while still cold, but allow some extra time for the bites to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking. Baked pretzel bites freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven at 300°F (149°C) until warm.

Share this post