I have been craving soft pretzel bites with cheese dip for awhile now. There is something so nostalgic about a warm, buttery, soft, salty pretzel that reminds me of my childhood.

I wanted to introduce my kids to this same feeling and thought this was the perfect week to do so, as we gear up for the Super Bowl this weekend. This is a great appetizer to serve if you are hosting or attending a party this weekend.

I experimented in the kitchen yesterday afternoon and by early evening, all of these pretzel bites were gone. If you are planning to serve these at a Super Bowl gathering or any family event, I would absolutely double this recipe. This dough can also easily be frozen or refrigerated for 12 hours before baking.

If you’re in a rush for the dough to rise, like I was yesterday, place the dough in a glass bowl and cover with a damp towel. Store the covered dough in the microwave next to a boiling cup of water for 30 minutes and dough should rise quickly.

Make the cheesy dipping sauce at the tail end of the pretzel baking process so it’s warm and cheesy. If you want a little spice to your cheese dip, you can add RoTel and some red pepper flakes. I kept mine mild, for the kids.

Let me know if you try these…. Enjoy!

Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheesy Dipping Sauce

PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
MAKES: 30 bites
CLEANUP TIME: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cup warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons instant rise yeast
5 cups flour
3 tablespoons butter melted
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup baking soda
1 egg beaten until frothy
coarse sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine warm water and instant yeast rise in large mixing bowl, whisk until frothy
Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and some salt to the yeast mix
Slowly stir in 5 cups of flour…add the flour one cup at a time, slowly. If the dough is getting hard, stop adding flour. I recommend using an electric mixer here
When dough is firm and not sticky, fold dough with your hands until formed into a large ball. Place dough in glass bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. You can let your dough rise for 1-2 hours, but if you’re in a hurry…place the bowl in the microwave next to a boiling cup of water, close microwave door and check on dough again in 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 450°
When dough is finished rising, boil 5 cups of water and the baking soda, keep boiling on burner
Divide the dough into 4 sections and then roll the dough into bite sized balls (mine were golf ball sized) you might need to add some extra flour to the cutting board and your hands, the dough might still be a little sticky
Whisk egg until frothy
Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper
With a large skimmer, drop dough balls in boiling baking soda for about 30 seconds, pull out of water and place on baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and then sprinkle sea salt generously, you can really use as much salt as you’d like here
Place baking sheet in oven and bake pretzel bites for 12-15 minutes, until golden on the tops
Remove baking sheet, melt final tablespoon of butter and brush on warm pretzel bites with a basting brush
Serve with cheesy dipping sauce, enjoy!