Hot Buttered Pretzel Bites

• annokset: 6 dozen pretzel bites
• aktiivinen aika: 25 min
• kokonaisaika: 40 minutes, plus rise

Ainekset

FOR THE DOUGH:

1 cup (227 grams) water, at room temperature

1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast

2-3/4 to 3 cups (330 to 360 grams) unbleached bread flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

FOR THE WATER BATH:

2 cups (454 grams) boiling water

1/4 cup (72 grams) baking soda

Pretzel salt or kosher salt, for topping

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Ohjeet

MAKE THE DOUGH: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt and mix on low speed until you have a soft dough.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 8 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it's double in size, about 1 hour.

PREPARE THE WATER BATH: In a large bowl, combine the boiling water and baking soda and stir until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm (or cooler).

Toward the end of the rising time, arrange one oven rack in the top third of the oven and one in the bottom third, then preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease two 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray or butter.

Lightly flour your work surface, then transfer the dough to it. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a snake between 12 and 15 inches long. Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, cut each snake crosswise into 12 bite-size pieces.

Place the bites in the prepared water bath, gently swish them around, and leave them there for a couple of minutes. Using your hands or a slotted spoon, remove the bites from the water and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly in a single layer. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Bake both sheets for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and turning them from front to back halfway through the baking time, until the pretzel bites are well browned. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, brush with melted butter.

Leftover pretzel bites will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Muistiinpanot

If you want to make classic twisted pretzels instead of pretzel bites, here's how to do it: After you roll each piece of dough into a long rope, instead of cutting the rope into bite-size pieces, place it on your work surface so it looks like the letter U. Bring the ends of the rope together and twist them twice, then fold the twist down toward you, separate the ends, and press them into the bottom of the U, creating the classic pretzel shape. Set each shaped pretzel on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining ropes of dough, spacing them evenly on the baking sheet, and bake on a rack in the center of the oven until well browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Recipe source: King Arthur Baking's Sweet and Salty kid cookbook

Suggest serving with cheese sauce