Chewy Pretzel Bites

I made these for Superbowl and they are Delicious! They aren't super difficult, but you may want to go to Melskitchencafe.com and check out the picture-by-picture tutorial if you make these. It was very helpful. I doubled this recipe and it made a TON. I would suggest making the recipe as is and it would be a great afterschool snack, poolside snack or movie snack. They are yummy dipped in a marinara sauce, too.

**** If you use active dry yeast (which I did), use 1 Tablespoon yeast and proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour & salt.

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites.

Dough:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 c. very warm water

Topping:
1/2 c. warm water
2 Tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a gallon ziploc bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500F. Don't be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 c. warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. You may have to lightly stir it before dipping each bite.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in width. Just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give them a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets, Sprinkle them lightly with coarse salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake pretzels for 6-8 minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time.