SUPER BOWL SUNDAY IS THE #1 Appetizer Day and I found a great one for this year! You can't go wrong with a batch of these Pretzel Bites. Easy to make and with a choice of dips you'll have something to suit everyone's tastes.
Need your Ankarsrum Mixer with the Stainless bowl and Roller scraper attachments.
Quantity: about 6 dozen bits
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 cups white flour
- vegetable oil
- water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- Course Sea or Himalayan salt
- 1 egg and 1 tbsp cold water mixed together for glaze
- Mix together the hot water, sugar and butter in your stainless bowl. Once the butter has melted add the yeast.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes and add 2 cups of flour and the 2 tsp salt. With your speed at about 2 o'clock mix in the remaining flour, adjust flour a bit more or less to make a soft but no longer a sticky dough.
- Knead at 3 o'clock on your dial for 6 minutes. Remove the dough ball and coat in vegetable oil and return to bowl or another bowl and allow to raise for 1 hr or till double in bulk.
- Once ready to start shaping your pretzels preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat the water in a frying pan or large open pot, once boiling add the baking soda SLOWLY, if to fast it will bubble over and keep at a slow boil
- Now divide the dough into workable pieces, I divided it into about 6 smaller sections. Take each section and roll into a long thin strip about 3/4 to 1 inch round. Cut these into about 1 inch long pieces, I found a scissor the easiest way to do it.
- Drop about 20 "bites" at a time into the soda water and boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain for a few seconds before placing on a greased pan. Do this with the remaining strips till all are boiled and drained. Spread the bites apart to ensure none are touching.
- Brush the tops with the egg/water mixture and sprinkle liberally with the salt.
- Bake for 12 - 15 minutes till golden brown and baked through.
- To serve prepare or purchase an assortment of dips
DIPS
- I made a Cheese Dip with 2 tsp melted butter, 2 tsp flour, 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Melt butter and flour, add milk and heat. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese till melted
- I also made a Grainy Mustard Dip with 1/2 cup grainy mustard, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp honey (depending on the crowd "my dad" sometimes I add a tsp of horseradish)
- The 3rd dip shown is a store bought Marinara sauce
These sauces were placed in a dish that has a tray under where I could place hot water to keep the dips warm. This is great if possible but can be served cold as well. The Pretzels freeze well to serve another day.
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod)
ENJOY THE GAME MY FRIENDS!