recipe: pretzel bites

taken from: Two Peas & Their Pod

changes: none - i halved the recipe but kept everything else the same, apart from reducing the cooking time (full recipe posted below) 

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 & 1/4 tsp)
- 3 oz unsalted butter, melted
- 2 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 & 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- vegetable oil
- 3 quarts water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water
- coarse sea salt or seasoning of choice for topping (I used Trader Joe's "Everything but the Bagel" seasoning) 

to make: 
combine the 1 & 1/2 cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and and mix with the dough hook until combined. let sit for 5 minutes. 

add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3-4 minutes. if the dough appears to wet, add additional flour 1 tbsp at a time. remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface, and knead into a ball with your hands. 




oil and bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough, and turn to coat with the oil. cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. 

preheat oven to 425 degrees F. bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat, and carefully add the baking soda (it will boil over, so add slowly)

remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, and 4 & 1/2 oz each. roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches. cut the dough into 1 inch pieces to make into pretzel bites. boil the pretzels in the water solution in batches, about 15 bites at a time, for about 30 seconds. remove with a large slotted spoon. place bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, making sure they are not touching. brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with salt. place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. 

remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating.

results:
the original recipe called for them to be cooked about 15-18 minutes -- i put mine in for 13, and sadly they were a little burnt on the bottoms. the flavor was good, the texture was good, but the burnt spots were a bummer. this recipe was easy enough that i would make it again, but will take them out probably around the 10 minute mark to keep em nice & doughy.