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American

Soft Pretzel Bites

Yeast dough boiled briefly in a baking-soda bath, then baked until deep brown. The bath is what makes them taste like pretzels instead of plain rolls.

Prep
25 min
Cook
14 min
Total
39 min
Servings
8
Difficulty
Medium
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Golden soft pretzel bites with coarse salt on a parchment-lined tray

Why you’ll love it

  • The boiling baking-soda bath is the pretzel flavor. Skipping it gives you plain bread.
  • The bath is boiling and alkaline. Use tongs and do not taste it.
  • A deep brown crust is done. A pale one tastes like dough.
  • They are best the hour they come out of the oven.

Ingredients

Servings8

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Stir the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Wait 5 minutes. It should look foamy. If it does not, the yeast is dead or the water was too hot. Start over.

  2. 2

    Mix in the melted butter, kosher salt, and flour. Knead about 5 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.

  3. 3

    Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan. Divide the dough into bite-size pieces.

  4. 4

    Bring the 8 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil. The bath is alkaline. Do not taste it. Boil the bites in batches for 20 seconds. Lift them out with a slotted spoon.

  5. 5

    Set them on the pan. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tbsp water, brush the tops, and sprinkle with coarse salt.

  6. 6

    Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until they are deep brown.

Pro tips

  • Water hotter than about 120°F kills yeast.
  • Do not crowd the boiling pot. They stick if they touch.
  • Serve with mustard. They dry out if you hold them for hours.

Easy substitutions

coarse salt
everything seasoning
egg yolk wash
a brush of melted butter after baking

Storage and reheating

Storage

Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze up to 1 month.

Reheating

Warm at 325°F for 6 to 8 minutes. A microwave turns them chewy.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
220
Protein
6 g
Carbs
38 g
Fat
5 g
Fiber
1 g

Budget friendly · Oven, Stovetop

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  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

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  • An air fryer with a real basket

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  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients