Pretzel Bites with a Hot Honey Mustard

We had plans to go to a housewarming party to celebrate two of our good friends’ new place together and I wanted to bring a snack that was quick, easy, and could be made with whatever we already had in the house.  Pretzels it was!  I wanted to try a new recipe than from the last time I made soft pretzels and since Alton Brown knows all, I was pretty sure his was going to be even better than the last one I used.  And then, it hit me, Pretzel bites. Way better for a party finger food!  Win.

So instead of rolling the dough out and shaping it into a pretzel shape, I cut the dough ropes into little bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile, I brought a large bowl of water mixed with baking soda to par boil the bites before going in to the oven.

Then on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, a brush of an egg wash, and sprinkled with some kosher salt.

Baked in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 450° until they’re nicely browned and fluffy little bites of salty pretzels!

While the rest of the pretzel bites were baking to deliciousness, I whipped up a hot honey mustard dipping sauce!

Super simple. Just all the ingredients into a sauce pan to cook until all the flavors meld together and it’s thickened.

Once all the bites were cooked, we had ourselves a delicious party snack!  Soft pretzel bites with a delicious hot and sweet honey mustard sauce. So good that our LB declared that he needed more of the mustard in his life!

The perfect snack to also bring to Angie’s Fiesta Friday! 

Pretzel Bites (Adapted from Alton Brown‘s Soft Pretzel Recipe)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and break off pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 12 inch rope and cut into bit sized pieces.

Place the pretzel bites, about a dozen at a time, into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the tops with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Hot Honey Mustard

• 1/2 cup of ground mustard
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup of honey (to taste)
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of canola oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook at medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Lower heat and let cook until ready to use for flavors to meld.