So I mentioned on my Thanksgiving recap that I would post the soft pretzel recipe I made for an appetizer.  I pinned the recipe for the pretzels when I saw them on Food Gawker a couple months ago, and I knew they would be great for the Thanksgiving crowd at my house.  Let me tell you something.  Re-prioritize your life today and make these now.  Your family and friends will thank you.

I’m still trying to get the hang of dealing with yeast, but this time it worked out for me.  The recipe has a few different steps but each step is pretty easy.  Just remember to budget an hour to let the dough rise.  It was the toughest hour of my day, I was chomping at the bit to get those pretzels in the oven!

Soft Pretzel Bites

Yields about 100 bites depending how big you cute them, recipe from Snixy Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 Tbs light brown sugar
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 3 oz melted unsalted butter (3/4 of 1 stick)
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• 12 cups water
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt for the top of the pretzels (I just used kosher because I couldn’t find pretzel salt in the store)

Method

1. Put your dough hook on your stand mixer or hand held electric mixer.  Mix together warm water, brown sugar, yeast, and melted butter.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add salt and flour and mix until dough starts pulling away from the bowl. About 3-4 minutes.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead with your hands into a ball.
3. Coat a bowl with Vegetable oil, place dough in bowl, and turn over to make sure it is coated with oil.  Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour.  It should double in size.
4. Preheat oven to 425.
5. Bring a the 12 cups of water to a boil and add the baking soda.  Divide dough into 8 portions.  Roll the portions into long skinny strips and slice into small nuggets.  They will puff when you boil them so you can be conservative when you cut them.
6. Drop the nuggets about 15 at a time in the boiling water for about 30 seconds.  Push them a little to make sure they get wet on all sides.  After 30 seconds pull them out with a slotted spoon or strainer.
7. Put the boiled nuggets on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle them with salt.  Pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are a medium brown.  Careful they don’t burn on the bottom!
8. Grab some mustard and enjoy!