SUPER EASY Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe - Only TWO ingredients! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient which makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel? ›

On the one hand, lye gives pretzels their distinctive flavor, kind of a sharp flatness, if that makes sense. It's what keeps a pretzel from tasting like pretzel-shaped bread. On the other hand, lye is ridiculously dangerous. It will burn you if it gets on your skin and blind you if it gets in your eyes.

Dough for Soft Pretzel Bites

You need just 6 basic ingredients to get started including warm water, yeast, a little sugar to feed the yeast, melted butter, salt, and all-purpose flour. (If you have it, the same amount of bread flour works too!). You can use either instant (quick rise) or active dry yeast in this dough.

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust. It also gives them their unique and indelible “pretzel” flavor.

Baking Soda + Boiling Water Pretzel Bath

Slowly pour in your baking soda and whisk until completely dissolved. Dip your pretzels in the bath using a slotted spoon for 30 seconds, flipping once during this time. Drain and place back onto your greased parchment lined baking sheets.

If pretzel is frozen, allow it to thaw. Wrap pretzel in foil and bake approximately 3 minutes. Microwave Oven: If pretzel is frozen, allow it to thaw. Microwave pretzel for approximately 10-15 seconds on medium setting.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.

Soft pretzels can usually be baked in 15 minutes; hard pretzels, meanwhile, must be baked for up to an hour. The longer baking time further dries out the pretzel. And, as we have discussed, the lack of moisture is what gives the hard pretzel its brittle texture.

Lye. The dough is simple; take a basic yeast-risen dough that can be readied in an afternoon. But the trick to great pretzels is dipping the pretzels in a liquid wash before baking — and not just any wash, but a combination of water and lye. That's what gives pretzels their terrific color, texture and flavor.

Room Temperature: The best way to store your pretzels at room temperature is by using a bread box. Bread boxes let the right amount of air circulate so your bread (or pretzels!) remain moisture-free without going stale. If you don't have a bread box, you can opt for a paper bag or a storage container.

If you think pretzels are the “safer” of the traditional snack items, think again. “While this salty treat can be low in fat, they hold no redeeming nutritional value whatsoever,” Grotto says. “In a side-by-side comparison, 1 ounce of pretzels raised blood sugar higher than 1 ounce of potato chips.”

Are soft pretzel bites healthy? ›

Pretzels don't have many downsides as an occasional snack. Soft pretzels and flavored pretzels are usually higher in calories, salt, sugar, and fat than hard pretzels, so you may want to limit your intake of those varieties.

The origin of pretzels is in Germany, in particular around Stuttgart, although the Bavarians claim having invented the pretzels, and they are sold with crumbles of salt. Salt is the standard. You can also get them with butter additionally, or with lunch meat, ham, cheese, spread cheese.

If your pretzels have any sort of a metallic, bitter taste, it all comes down to the baking soda bath.

Bread flour provides more structure

Gluten helps provide structure, allowing a baked good to have more body and sturdiness. As a result, bread flour will make it easier for a pretzel to hold its shape. This can be an advantage to beginner bakers, especially since the shape of a pretzel is so important.

Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes. It turns out that most pretzels are boiled, often in a lye solution, before baking to ensure that the exterior comes out just right.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce. Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time.