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But. You have to try this!!! That was 3 exclamation points; did you see that? That's how serious I am. You don't have to let the dough rise, you don't have to struggle through making those bagel shapes with a neat hole in the center. They're easy but look fancy and are all I will be eating for the next.......rest of my life.
Other snack recipes: Dairy-free chocolate chip cookies | Black bean + corn summer dip
I tried making real soft pretzel twists (too hard) and then I tried making soft pretzel rods like you'd get at a happy hour with a side of dipping cheese. Mine came out more looking like knots and things that rhyme with schmenis. I'm including my attempt at those things here because don't we all need to laugh a little? That's ALSO why I gave up and then tried making pretzel bites. Way easier.
What you need:
- 1 packet yeast (regular or rapid rise, whatever!)
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup baking soda, for boiling
- everything bagel seasoning or a little extra salt
- baking sheet, lined with silicone or parchment paper
- medium-large pot for boiling water
Make the dough:
- Mix the warm water, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit about 5 minutes until the watery mix is foamy...meanwhile, you can prep the 1/2 cup baking soda boil, preheat the oven to 425, and beat the egg in a small-medium bowl.
- Slowly stir in the 3 to 4-ish cups of flour.
- When the dough isn't sticky anymore, take it out of the bowl and knead it for about 5 minutes.
- Then, start pulling the dough apart and rolling it in your hands until it's in a little ball.
Boiling + covering with egg:
- In a medium-large pot, bring about 8-9 cups of water to a boil and stir in 1/2 cup of baking soda. (This is all an estimation. If you have almost a half cup of baking soda, that'll be fine.)
- Using a wooden or metal slotted spoon, boil a few dough-balls at a time and count to ten. Remove them, and set them right into the small bowl of beaten egg.
- Turn each boiled dough-ball over in the egg so that it is coated, and then set them on the silicone mat on a baking sheet.
- Repeat this process until all the dough-balls are boiled, dipped in egg, and ready to be baked.
- Now's the time to decide if you're going to make "everything pretzels" or peasant pretzels. OBVIOUSLY I RECOMMEND THE EVERYTHING PRETZEL.
- Sprinkle either Everything Bagel seasoning or salt on your pretzels. Or leave them plain! My kids LOVED the plain ones, so they'll still be good, I promise.
Baking the pretzels:
- Bake the tray of pretzels in the 425-degree oven for 5 minutes.
- IF YOU ARE MAKING PLAIN/SALTED PRETZELS: After 5 minutes, flip the pretzels over.
- IF YOU ARE MAKING EVERYTHING PRETZELS: Don't flip them over after 5 minutes.
- Change the oven to the Broil-high setting for 5 minutes.
- When the top of the the pretzel bites are a deep golden brown, they are done! Otherwise, continue broiling for 1-2 extra minutes and recheck.
- It's easy to burn your pretzels, so check frequently.
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What are you baking these days? What is your all-time favorite snack?
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