What do I do for fun on a Friday night?  Movie night in the Covington square.

Sitting outside, watching Charlie Brown on a beautiful Friday night with my family - priceless!

We went through the process of wisdom teeth extraction over Fall break with my son.  I will spare him the humiliation of posting a picture of him with his puffy cheeks but take my word for it - he was really cute and resembled a chipmunk.  His recovery went remarkably well - he was eating grilled cheese sandwiches 8 hours after surgery!  The days following surgery were agonizing for him - not because of the pain but because I forced him to REST!   Torture - For both of us.   I can hardly blame him for not wanting to rest though - I think we are very much alike in that respect.  (Just ask my family who had to tolerate me for 2 weeks of bed rest!) 

The day after surgery, my son really wanted to get out of the house and it was all I could do to keep him home for the day.  I finally suggested that we make pretzel bites together to give him something to do to keep him busy.  My daughter, who is never one to be left out, got in on the cooking as well.  The three of us whipped up (and ate) a batch of soft pretzel bites that afternoon.  I adapted this recipe from Bobby Flay recipes for Soft Pretzels with Queso Poblano Sauce and Mustard Sauce.  I turned the pretzels into bites and skipped the sauces.  We decided to sprinkle half with sea salt and the other half we brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. YUM!

Soft Pretzel Bites

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 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
• 2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Coarse sea salt

For the Soft Pretzels:

Line 2 sheet pans with silpat liners.
Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter.  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.  (I put mine on top of the dryer to catch some residual heat.)

 

The dryer trick works every time. 

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 16 equal pieces.

 

Roll each piece into a long rope.

Cut rope into 1" pieces.

 

 
Boil the pretzels in the water solution, a few at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon.

Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider.

 
Place pretzels on baking sheet.

 

Brush the tops of half of the pretzels with the egg wash.  

Season liberally with the salt. 











Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

 

The bites that didn't get sprinkled with salt, get brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

 There you have it, a sweet pretzel bite and a salty pretzel bite - it's up to you. 

These pretzel bites were soft and chewy on the inside - perfect for those who had sensitive mouths.  It was a great afternoon activity to keep the kids busy on Fall break too.  If you've got an afternoon with your kids - why not spend it in the kitchen?

Ciao!

Soft Pretzels

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008

Soft Pretzels:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 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
• 2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Coarse sea salt

Line 2 half sheet pans with silpat liners.
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 16 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rope. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, a few at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place pretzels on each baking sheet, 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. Dip into desired sauces.