I found an awesome recipe on a blog for pretzel bites and tried it out this afternoon (I copied and linked below). The dough didn't look very pretty when I left it to rise so I was skeptical to say the least!

I used about half of it to try it out (in case I had to dump the whole thing and not tell my husband I messed up yet another recipe lol).

The only thing I would change is to bake them a bit shorter, I set my timer for 13 minutes and it was just a bit overdone (my oven runs hot). They taste soooooo good, I can't believe it!

I still have half the dough left, how long can I hold it until boiling/baking? Do you think it will be good for another few hours? Do I have to refrigerate it?

Thanks so much!

cathrugg

My picture (please excuse the tablet and potholder in the pic, I didn't realize it would be going online when I took it!):

Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

3 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil

3 quarts water

3/4 cup baking soda

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt

Directions:

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blog Where I Got Recipe (not mine)