Sally posted a description of these pretzel bites and I was sold. I make pretzels fairly often and received warm reviews on their texture and flavor. These definitely do not disappoint. They are easy to make (no need to master the pretzel swirl.)

The only change I made to Sally’s recipe was to add the light malt powder. I have been using Breiss Dry Malt Golden Light from when I used to brew my own ale.

Soft Pretzel Bites – Sally

Yield: 5 dozen
INGREDIENTS
• 350g (1½ c) warm water (lukewarm; around 100°F is great)
• 7g (2 ¼ tsp) instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 Tbl brown sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 14g (1 Tbl) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 470-500g (3 ¾- 4 c) all-purpose flour (divided) plus more for hands and work surface
• Coarse sea salt
Baking Soda Bath
• 5 Tbl baked baking soda
• 12 cups water
• 2 Tbl light malt powder

METHOD

1. Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle or dough hook attachment. (If you do not have a stand mixer, just use a regular large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.) Cover yeast mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, melted butter, and 3 cups (375g) of flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed, then add 3/4 cup (95g) of flour. Beat on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is extremely sticky after 1 minute of mixing, add remaining 1/4 cup (30g) of flour and continue to beat for 1 more minute.
2. Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 – 10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 -10 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 tsp of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the bounce back test.
3. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10-30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 1 large or 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Set aside.
5. With a bench scraper, cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Sprinkle work surface very lightly with flour. Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. If the ropes keep shrinking and stretching the dough becomes difficult, stop what you’re doing, lightly cover all of the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten can relax. Then, return to rolling it into ropes. Cut each rope into 1½–2-inch pieces to make bites.
6. Mix water and baking soda and malt powder together in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Place 8–10 pretzel bites into the boiling water for a quick 10–15 seconds. Using a slotted spatula or spoon, lift the pretzel bites out of the water and allow excess water to drip off. Place bites onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt while they are still wet, or leave plain if using cinnamon sugar topping listed in the notes. Repeat baking soda bath with remaining pretzel bites. If needed, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked bites for up to 24 hours before baking.
7. Bake for 15 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
8. Cover and store leftover pretzel bites at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F for 5 minutes.