These soft, chewy and crusty pretzel bites make the perfect snack! Whether it is game day, appetizers for a party or just an afternoon snack, these are the ultimate satisfying bite! You can eat these puppies on their own or dip into a sweet and spicy honey mustard sauce. Whichever you choose you can't go wrong!
Serves 8
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp kosher salt
4-5 cups whole wheat flour
Canola oil, vegetable or avocado oil
3 quarts water
1/3 cup baking soda
1 whole egg beaten with 1 tbsp cool water
Malden Sea Salt or Coarse Salt for topping
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup dijon mustard
2 tbsp non fat greek yogurt
1 tbsp honey
In a large bowl add warm water, brown sugar, yeast, melted butter and apple sauce. Whisk to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. You should see the yeast start to foam
Add in 2 tsp kosher salt and flour, starting with 4 cups and adding more as needed. Start mixing with a wooden spoon and when this gets too hard to mix start getting in there with your hands! Mix and knead the dough until it is pliable and no longer sticking to your fingers. You will achieve this by gradually adding the remaining cup of flour until you achieve your desired consistency. Knead for 3 minutes once you get the dough right. Form into a ball
Remove the dough from the bowl and lightly grease the bowl with oil. Place dough back in bowl and flip around a few times so all is lightly greased
Place a damp kitchen towel over the bowl and set in a warm spot in your kitchen or in the oven with the setting to proof or 95 degrees. Let rest and rise in warm spot for 45 mins to 1 hour until the dough rises
Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
Start to boil the water and add the baking soda
In a small bowl beat eggs with water and set aside
Remove dough from bowl and place on a flat surface such as clean counter, large cutting board or silicone mat.
Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and then roll out each piece into a 12" long snake. You want to make sure the ends of the snake are squared off, and not pointy. Cut each snake into equal bit size pieces, about 1.5"
Once water is boiling very carefully drop in about 10 nuggets at a time. Have a spider or large slotted spoon ready to go. After 30 seconds remove pretzels and place directly onto parchment lined baking sheet, make sure to shake off excess water
Continue process until all pretzels have been dunked in the boiling water. You will have them spread out among the two sheets, make sure the pretzels don't touch
Using a brush paint the top of the pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt
Bake for about 12 minutes or until the pretzels look golden brown
Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature
To make dipping sauce mix all ingredients together and set aside
You can store leftover pretzels in an air tight container for up to 3 days. These are definitely best served the first day but are still delicious the following
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