Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Soft Pretzel Bites made with a homemade yeast dough, boiled and baked so the dough is soft and delicious. Serve with spicy mustard or your favorite dipping sauces. Perfect for snacking with the family or as an appetizer for guests. 

Like a good part of the country, we have had so much snow this winter.  Last week alone we had three different snow storms.  During the snow storm on Thursday, I put together this yummy recipe for Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites.  

We were all snowed in, so I had some help from my daughter, Olivia.  The pretzel bites came out amazing.  They were the perfect snack for a snowy day or any day of the year…they were that easy!

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

My family loves soft pretzels and we often get these if we’re out shopping or when we go to the movies.  I loved that we were able to spend time together in the kitchen and make these.  

Please don’t let the yeast in this recipe scare you away from making the pretzel bites. They are so incredibly easy. There’s step-by-step photos to help guide you through the entire recipe. 

Helpful Kitchen Tools

This post contains affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but I earn a commission when you shop through them. For more information, click here.

• Spider Strainer – I use this tool for so many things but it’s especially great for this recipe. 
• Silpat Silicone Baking Mat – you can use parchment paper as well. I love to use parchment baking sheets for so many recipes. 
• Pretzel Salt – this is the salt I use for pretzels. 

How to Make Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Make sure you print out the recipe below and save it for later!

Ingredients: 

Pretzel Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water; 105 to 110 degrees
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or one package
• 6 TBS. butter; melted
• 2 TBS. brown sugar
• 4 to 5 cups flour

Ingredients to Boil the Pretzel Bites:

• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup baking soda

Pretzel Glaze:

• 1 egg mixed with 1 TBS. water
• Coarse salt. 

Directions: 

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, yeast and melted butter. Let sit for 10 minutes for the yeast mixture to get foamy.
2. Using the dough hook of your mixer, begin adding four and a half cups of flour; one cup at a time.
3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and begin letting the machine “knead” the dough; adding more flour as necessary. (I added almost another 1/2 cup of flour while the dough was kneading.)
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board and form into a ball.
5. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Once the dough has doubled in size, break off pieces of the dough and start forming long ropes.
7. Cut the long ropes into one inch pieces and place on a baking tray; trying not to let the pieces touch each other.
8. Place the 3 quarts of water into a large pot and bring to a boil.
9. Once the water is boiling, slowly add in the baking soda; a little at a time. Do NOT pour all the baking soda in at once or you will have a huge mess.
10. Begin adding your pretzel bites into the boiling water/baking soda mixture – about 10 to 15 at a time.
11. Let the bites boil for about 30 to 40 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray that’s been lined with parchment paper or a slipat mat.
12. Brush the pretzel bites with the egg wash and then add the salt.
13. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
14. Remove the pretzel bites from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Let’s Get Baking! 

You can see the yeast is bubbly and foamy. This is exactly how you want yeast to look before you start adding the flour. If it doesn’t look like this after 10 minutes, start over. Your dough will never rise correctly and the recipe will not turn out properly.  

This is what the dough should look like before you set it aside to rise. It’s a beautiful dough, right? Remove it from the bowl and shape it into a ball on a floured surface.

Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured surface. Shape it into a log as pictured below. 

Break off pieces of the dough and start forming long ropes. Cut the long ropes into one inch pieces and place on a baking tray; trying not to let the pieces touch each other.

How to Boil the Pretzel Bites

Place the 3 quarts of water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, slowly add in the baking soda; a little at a time. Do NOT pour all the baking soda in at once or you will have a huge mess.

Begin adding your pretzel bites into the boiling water/baking soda mixture – about 10 to 15 at a time.

Let the bites boil for about 30 to 40 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray that’s been lined with parchment paper or a slipat mat.

Brush the pretzel bites with the egg wash.

Then add the salt. If you’ve never used pretzel salt, be careful…it is very salty! 

How to Bake Homemade Pretzel Bites

1. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
2. Remove the pretzel bites from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

How to Serve Homemade Pretzel Bites

Serve the pretzel bites while they’re still warm with a bowl of spicy mustard. Or you might enjoy trying our family’s favorite ranch dipping sauce or fry dipping sauce. 

Here’s a few more Yummy Snack Recipes for YOU:

• Sweet and Salty Candy Popcorn
• Tailgating Finger Food
• Teddy Graham Snack Mix – featured recipe
• Four Different Cake Mix Cookie Recipes 
• M&M Cookies

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Yield: 5 dozen pretzel bites

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rise Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Print

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water; 105 to 110 degrees
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or one package
• 6tbsp. butter; melted
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 to 5 cups flour

Ingredients to Boil the Pretzel Bites:

• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup baking soda

Glaze:

• 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp. water
• Coarse salt

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, yeast and melted butter. Let sit for 10 minutes for the yeast mixture to get foamy.
2. Using the dough hook of your mixer, begin adding four and a half cups of flour; one cup at a time.
3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and begin letting the machine "knead" the dough; adding more flour as necessary. (I added almost another 1/2 cup of flour while the dough was kneading.)
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board and form into a ball.
5. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Once the dough has doubled in size, break off pieces of the dough and start forming long ropes.
7. Cut the long ropes into one inch pieces and place on a baking tray; trying not to let the pieces touch each other.
8. Place the 3 quarts of water into a large pot and bring to a boil.
9. Once the water is boiling, slowly add in the baking soda; a little at a time. Do NOT pour all the baking soda in at once or you will have a huge mess.
10. Begin adding your pretzel bites into the boiling water/baking soda mixture - about 10 to 15 at a time.
11. Let the bites boil for about 30 to 40 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray that's been lined with parchment paper or a slipat mat.
12. Brush the pretzel bites with the egg wash and then add the salt.
13. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
14. Remove the pretzel bites from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Recommended Products

• 
  Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle for Everyday Frying Steaming and Scooping
• 
  Silpat Silicone Baking Mat
• 
  Hoosier Hill Farm Coarse Pretzel Salt (5 pounds)

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 60 Serving Size: 10
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 51 Total Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 6mg Sodium: 778mg Carbohydrates: 8g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Protein: 1g

The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.