SOFT PRETZEL BITES

So once upon a time I went to the Bellevue Mall and saw a shop offering soft pretzels for sale. Being a sucker for soft pretzels I felt duty bound to help this struggling new business get a foot hold in an arena that caters to the terribly sophisticated Bellevue elite. (I only went there about 3 times after is became Bellevue Mall. I was simply not worthy. I felt much more suited to the old Bellevue Square. But I digress.)

So I ordered a plain pretzel and took my first bite. Now, I am not a sugar person. I like salt. And I like bread. And I like butter. And this chewy, salty, savory pretzel was just about the best thing I had ever tasted. And to this day, I simply can’t resist a warm, soft pretzel. So when I was preparing the Oktoberfest menu for our JazzVox (www.jazzvox.com) concert this past weekend, I decided to see if I could locate a recipe. Well not only did I find a recipe, I found the recipe. And through one of the best sites out there for all things baked – www.bobsredmill.com

I of course changed the instructions a bit to make them work for me, but the basic recipe is all Bob’s. Hopefully you too will enjoy preparing this simple recipe for soft pretzels. They are just unbelievably delicious.

  • 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast  
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 7/8 to 1 cup warm water*
  • 2 c. (or more) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. water
  • 2 T. baking soda
  • coarse salt, kosher or pretzel, opt.
  • 3 T. butter, melted
  • mustard for dipping, opt.

*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall.

Combine yeast, salt, sugar, and the warm water in heavy duty mixer bowl. Let proof for 5 minutes. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Pour a little flour in bowl, coat dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-40 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the water and soda bath. Pour water into a medium sized frying pan. Bring water to boil, turn off heat and stir in baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Allow to cool to lukewarm (or cooler). After the dough has risen for the allotted time, punch down and transfer to a lightly greased work surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces with a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Roll each piece of dough into an 8-9 inch thin rope and cut in 4ths. Working with a few pieces at a time, place them in the pan with the baking soda/water for 2 minutes, spooning the water over their tops. (This baking soda “bath” will give the pretzel bites a nice, golden-brown color. And yes, they will get a little mushy from their bath, but they will be just fine.)

Place the pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with vegetable oil. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and allow them to rest, uncovered, for about 10 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Bake the pretzels for about 6 minutes. If you have a convection oven, bake them for 4 minutes on the regular oven setting, and the last 2 minutes using the convection option.