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- Makes 80 pretzel bites
- Serving size: 10 pretzel bites
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Pretzel bites may just be one of the fastest, easiest yeast-bread projects around. First you make the yeast dough and let it rise. Then you shape the dough into ropes and cut them into bite-size pieces—no tricky twisting needed. After that, you boil the bites in a baking soda solution. (Don’t panic! It’s as easy as cooking pasta.) The boiling step lets you skip the second rising time most yeast breads require—and gives the bites that crunchy-chewy, pretzel-brown crust.
Serve the pretzels on their own, or with a tasty selection of mustards for dipping. We love Koops’ Dusseldorf and Organic Spicy Brown Mustards, but French’s classic yellow mustard is also a tried-and-true option. Let us know your favorite mustards in the comments!
Making these pretzel bites for a Super Bowl party? Find our full selection of vegan Super Bowl recipes here, and build a championship-worthy game-day menu!
Tips
Make-ahead: For the best taste and texture, we recommend baking the pretzel bites the day you plan to serve them—but you can prep the dough a day in advance. In Step 2, cover the kneaded dough ball with a kitchen towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator, rather than setting it in a warm place.
Reheating pretzel bites: Like most soft pretzels, these pretzel bites are best served warm, the day they’re made. The next day, their texture gets more bread-like, but a little time in a warm oven fixes this: To reheat and recrisp the pretzel bites, spread them on a baking sheet and warm them in a 275˚F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make hard pretzels: You can turn day-old pretzel bites into hard pretzels. To do so, preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread pretzel bites on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place them in the oven; turn the oven off. Let them dry in the oven’s residual heat.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk or water
- 1 .25-oz. pkg active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons pure cane sugar
- 3½ cups white whole wheat or spelt flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- Cumin seeds and garlic powder, for seasoning (other options: caraway seeds, granulated onion, or red pepper flakes)
- Mustard of your choice, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the milk or water until just warm to the touch (105°F–120˚F), then stir in the yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes to activate the yeast; the mixture will become cloudy and have small bubbles on the surface.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon, adding a little more liquid if necessary for the dough to come together and feel stretchy without being sticky. Knead the dough on a floured work surface, or on low speed in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Dust dough with flour, shape into a tight ball, and return it to the bowl. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel, then set it in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the dough has nearly doubled in size and springs back when you touch it with your finger. (Alternatively, place covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight.)
- Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Transfer the risen dough to a floured work surface, then divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ¾-inch-thick rope, flouring the work surface and dough as you go, so that the dough is easy to handle. Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into 10 pretzel bites, then carefully transfer the bites to the prepared baking sheets.
- In a medium non-reactive (stainless steel) saucepan, combine the baking soda with 4 cups water, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, and drop 10 pretzel bites into the water, one at a time. Let simmer 20 to 30 seconds, or until they float to the top. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bites from the water, shake off any excess liquid, and return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzel bites.
- When pretzel bites are cool enough to handle, gently nudge them apart from each other so they have room to bake. Sprinkle each pretzel bite with cumin and garlic or seasoning of your choice. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until deeply browned. Remove from oven. The pretzel bites will stick slightly to the silicone mat or parchment paper; use a spatula to gently loosen them. Serve with mustard immediately, or cool and store in a paper bag for up to 2 days. To reheat and recrisp the pretzel bites, spread them on a baking sheet and warm them in a 275˚F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Per serving (10 pretzel bites): 190 calories, 41 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 1.5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 7 g fiber, 1 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
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