Shut Up, Let's Cook!: Pretzel Bites

With the Super Bowl coming up, it is no surprise that my thoughts do not go to football, but directly to food. Dips? Chili? Chicken wings? Pizza? A day where there is an excuse to make food that is acceptable to eat solely for the purpose of a 4 hour game.

The best part about Pretzel Bites is that they are very easy to make, and the ingredients are a staple in any pantry, so no need to grocery shop!

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Package Active Dry Yeast
6 Tablespoons Butter, melted
2 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
4 1/2 - 5 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Quarts Water
1/4 Cup Baking Soda
1 Egg, beaten plus 1 tablespoon water
Coarse Sea Salt

In a bowl combine brown sugar, yeast, melted butter and water. Give a quick mix, then let sit for 5 minutes or until slightly puffy.

Add salt and flour to wet mixture. Mix on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium. Continue mixing until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add additional flour until the flour pulls away from the bowl and is no longer sticky. Transfer dough to a clean work area, knead by hand for 3-5 minutes, shaping into a ball.

Grease a medium bowl with oil. Toss dough into bowl, then flip to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm location for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Carefully and quickly add baking soda (this may splatter).

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Repeat with all the remaining dough.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk one egg together with one tablespoon of water, set aside.

Boil 10-15 pieces of cut dough at a time for 30-45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough pieces. If making the entire recipe, you will need 3-4 baking sheets.

Brush egg wash over dough pieces. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Serve warm with dipping sauces. We used honey mustard!

This is when Paul and I got a little creative. We had dough left over, so we decided to experiment and make Pizza Pretzel Bites.

To do this, prepare the dough the same way into a long rope. Except now, take a rolling pin and flatten it out to about 3 inches wide. Spread pepperoni and mozzarella onto the dough.

Roll the edges of the dough up and pinch very firmly to seal.

Now, repeat same steps as before. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces.

Since they are slightly bigger, boil only 6-8 at a time, still for 30-45 seconds. Removing with slotted spoon and placing onto a lined baking sheet.

At this point, we realized we may have used a bit too much cheese. Also, using the shredded cheese got a little messy. I would recommend using non shredded mozzarella.

Next, still brush the egg wash over the pieces and immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. It is visible now that the amount of cheese we used was ...a bit too much. But don't they look delicious???