Hot Buttered Soft Pretzels

I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.  They have some amazing recipes.  I enjoy making bread, I love the feel of the dough and the smell of the dough as it rises. Not to mention the wonderful smell of bread baking.  These pretzel bites were easy and fun to make and they were a huge hit at our super bowl party.

Hot Buttered Soft Pretzels

* Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 7/8 to 1 cup warm water*
• Topping
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. To make the dough with a mixer; Place all the dough ingredients into bowl, and beat until combined. Knead the dough by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it’s soft, smooth and quite slack. Flour the dough ad place it in a bag, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
2. While the dough is resting, prepare the topping. Combine the boiling water and baking soda, stirring until the soda is totally (or almost totally) dissolved. Set the mixture aside to cool or lukewarm ( or cooler )
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3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with vegetable oil, or lining it with parchment paper. I sprayed my parchment paper a little.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll dough into 10″ ropes. Cut each road into 10 equal pieces. Dip the pieces into the baking soda solution, place on prepared pan and top with pretzel salt or kosher salt.
5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and roll the bites in melted butter.
7. Enjoy!!!

Notes

If you want to make a sweet pretzel bites: Remove from oven dip in melted butter and then place in a paper bag with cinnamon- sugar.
1/2 sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon.