Chewy Pretzel Bites

Yesterday, my mom and I took a trip down to Roanoke for apartment hunting. The school I'll be teaching at for the next year is in a small town, but I knew I'd prefer living in a bigger city. I considered living in my old college town, as it is only an hour away, but I didn't think I'd really enjoy commuting every morning on either I-81 or the really zig-zaggy hill roads. Roanoke is 20 minutes closer (a 40-minute drive) and there's much more to do in the city. It's time for a change of scenery.

I was supposed to take tours of 5 places, but only saw two. Rooms are filling up really fast and if I don't act within a day of an opening, it's someone else's. The second place my mom and I checked out felt stuffy and it was pretty dark, so I wouldn't get much sunlight. But the first building, I fell in love with. It's an old building that's been remodeled for residential purposes set to open this summer, so everything's completely new. It's also a historic landmark and in a great location. Hopefully, everything will work out and I will get that place.

Our plan for this trip was drive down, see the places, and drive back up the same day. We didn't think we'd have time to stop anywhere for lunch as we needed to arrive in Roanoke on time. (We were able to stop for dinner as we were done with apartment tours earlier than expected.) So I packed us a cold chicken pasta salad and made some pretzel bites as snacks for the road.



I don't know why I wanted to make these pretzels when it was 100F outside, but I did. It was worth it though. It was my first time making anything pretzel so when I bit into a piece, I was just really amazed it actually had that pretzel taste. I didn't think there was enough of it though. Maybe it's because the dough is only dipped into a baking soda bath and not boiled in it. Next time, I'd like to try making some with a harder exterior, but these softer ones are probably better for the jaw.



Chewy Pretzel Bites [Makes about 2 dozen bites]
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam – maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt.

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 cup (8 oz) very warm water

1/2 cup (4 oz) warm water
2 tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 tbsp 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 plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your 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 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6 to 8 pieces, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7 to 8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.