Soft Pretzel Bites with Smokey Sharp Cheese Spread
Happy National Pretzel Day, friends! Did you know that there’s actually a day honoring pretzels? Why yes there is, and it’s today, April 26th!
In honor of this day recognizing one of our favorite snacks, we present to you our take on soft pretzel bites with a made-from-scratch smokey cheddar cheese spread. What could be better than these little pillows of happiness, warm from the oven, with cheese? They are super easy to make and delicious with mustard as well as cheese. These can also be par baked, frozen and reheated if you want to prepare them in advance.
Enjoy!
Let the dough rise until it’s doubled in size.
Boil them in baking soda and water.
Bake until golden.
Try to grab some before they disappear!
Soft Pretzel Bites (Modified slightly from Two Peas & Their Pod)
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 3 oz unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
- 3 quarts water
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water
- Coarse sea salt for topping pretzel bites
Combine the 1 ½ cups water, sugar, yeast and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together and let sit for 5 minutes. Attach a dough hook to the mixer. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing with dough hook until dough is smooth and forms a sort of ball, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, oil a large bowl with the vegetable oil. Remove the dough from the mixer, shape into a ball with your hands and place in the oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise until the dough is doubled in size, about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot (we use a dutch oven) over high heat. Carefully and slowly add the baking soda. If you add it too quickly, the water will boil over and make a mess so proceed slowly.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide into 16 equal pieces and roll each piece out into a rope about 10 inches long. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.
Coat baking sheet with spray oil.
Boil the bites in the water and baking soda solution in batches of about 15 bites at a time. Boil for 30 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Make sure they’re not touching.
Brush the tops of the bites with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden on top*. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite cheese spread or mustard!
* If you are par baking them, cook them just until set but not yet brown, about 7 minutes. Let them cool completely and place them in a sealed container (we use two gallon size freezer bags) in your freezer. When ready to eat, bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Makes about 140
Smokey Sharp Cheese Spread
- 2 ½ oz smoked cheddar cheese, shredded and at room temperature
- 1 ½ oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and at room temperature
- 3 oz cream cheese, soft
- ¾ tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS Brandy
In a food processor or blender, combine the two cheddar cheeses, cream cheese, mustard. Garlic and salt. Pulse until well combined. With processor or blender running, stream in the olive oil and then the brandy. Continue blending for about 3-4 minutes until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down sides every minute or so. Transfer to a tightly covered container and refrigerate overnight. Let cheese spread stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
