Oh do we have a treat for you today! Seems like we have seen Soft Pretzel Recipes popping up everywhere over the last couple of months. And so since the Pretzel Stand at the Mall is one of our favorite stops, we just had to give these Soft Pretzel Bites a try along with a couple of dips for pretzels! I cant’ say they’re exactly like the Auntie Annes Pretzels Recipe but they are so close you’ll hardly going to notice the difference.
And while no one likes their pretzels plain though, Doug whipped up a batch of Beer & Cheddar Dip to go along with them. We did have those non-Beer loving folks, like me, in mind though, we made Honey Mustard Sauce too!
Little pillows of dough, puffed up and baked to perfection, with a sprinkle of coarse salt…yum! Oh and we can’t forget the dipping! The Beer Pretzel Dip is packed with flavor and the Honey Mustard Sauce goes together in a snap with just 3 ingredients.
Let’s chat a minute about the Soft Pretzels Bites first. The dough is a basic recipe with flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water and butter. After the pretzel bites are formed, you need to boil them in boiling water with baking soda.
Why? Well I could have Doug go into a very lengthy explanation, in his favorite “Science guy” voice, but essentially, the dip in the boiling water creates a puffiness in the dough and gives the pretzels a nice brown coating…making them extra delicious!
The process of mixing the dough, boiling the pretzels and then baking them does take a little time, which is definitely worth it. But just in case your time is limited, you can make the dough, cut into bite size pieces then freeze for later. We tried it this way and it worked beautifully.
Now let’s chat about the Beer Pretzel Dip. We followed the original recipe from The Kitchn, with exception of additional beer to thin out the sauce a bit. It went together really easy and reminded us of the cheese dips you get at many restaurants.
The Honey Mustard Sauce is very simple with 1/4 cup each Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard and 2 tablespoons Honey…give it a little whisk and you have a tangy sauce with a little kick.
The original recipe from Annie’s Eats has 3 recipes to enjoy these Soft Pretzel Bites.
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Soft Pretzel Bites
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Description
Little pillows of pretzel dough, puffed and baked to perfection. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110–115 F)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil for greasing the bowl
Boiling them
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- Kosher salt
Egg Mixture for brushing
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
To Make The Pretzel Dough
- Combine the warm water, sugar, salt and yeast in your stand mixer bowl. Mix together with a spatula to dissolve the yeast.
- Fit the paddle attachment to the mixer and add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together.
- Switch to your dough hook and knead on low until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Takes 50-60 minutes.
Cooking the bites
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil.
- Bring water and baking soda to a boil in a large stockpot.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Divide into 6 equal portions.
- Work with one piece at a time roll the dough into a rope 1″ in diameter, using a pizza cutter cut into 1″ bite size segments.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Boil the pretzel bites in batches so as not to overcrowd them. Boil each batch for 30 to 40 seconds, stirring a couple times to coat all the surfaces.
- Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheets.
- When all the pretzels are boiled whisk together the egg yolk and water. Brush the pretzel bites with egg mixture and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until browned to your liking.
Notes
Prep time includes rising time for the dough. Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Beer & Cheddar Dip
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Description
Cheese dip that goes perfect with Soft Pretzels. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 ounces amber beer
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (slurry)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat whisk together the evaporated milk, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Once the mixture starts to heat up add the beer and slurry, whisking them in to combine.
- Gradually add the remaining cheese whisking frequently and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Keep warm stirring frequently until ready to serve.
- Garnish with bacon crumbles and green onions.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
