Pretzel Bites

When I saw this recipe on @cloudykitchen Instagram page, I knew I had to make these! I tweaked the recipe slightly as I wanted this to be a dairy-free dish and she uses milk. She also serves it with a whipped feta dip, which looked amazing, but I decided to pair it with the traditional mustard. I found a really fun champagne and honey mustard flavour at Farm Boy (which is the Canadian version of Trader Joe’s).

The thing about baking breads, pretzels or anything doughy is that it looks so daunting but it is actually one of the easiest things to bake. The dough usually comes together so easily, especially with a stand mixer, and once it rises, you are ready to go!

Don’t let fear hold you back, try these recipes at home, you will be surprised at how easy they are and how much the results are worth gossiping about!

Pretzel Bites

Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup warm water
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp active yeast
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup beer
To boil:
1/4 cup baking soda
6 cups water
Egg wash - 1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water
Kosher or sea salt to finish
Mustard, for dipping

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the warm water, brown sugar, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl, and stir to combine. Leave for 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, place the flour and salt, and mix briefly to combine.
3. Add the yeast mixture, olive oil, and the beer to the dry ingredients, and mix on low for 2-3 minutes, until the dough begins to come together. Increase the speed to medium, and knead for a further 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450°f. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats, well greased parchment paper.
5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface (do not flour), and divide into 6 pieces.
6. Roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope. Using a knife or bench cutter, cut into 2 inch lengths to form your pretzel bites. It’s ok if they seem small, they will puff up. Space evenly on the baking sheet.
7. In a large, shallow pan , combine 1/4 cup baking soda and 6 cups of water. Heat until the solution is boiling and baking soda dissolves into the water, turn the heat down to simmer.
8. Place one tray's worth of pretzel bites into the warm water, and let boil for about 30 seconds, mixing them around as they rise to the top. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and arrange on the trays.
9. Brush each pretzel bite with egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.
10. Repeat steps 7-9 with the remaining pretzel bites.
11. Serve with mustard or any dipping sauce you like. Enjoy!

**Recipe adapted from @cloudykitchen