Best Soft Pretzel Recipes

EASY SOFT PRETZEL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, water and butter; beat until smooth (mixture will be slightly sticky). Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons water if dough is dry. Cover and let rest in a warm place 30 minutes., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly greased surface; divide into six pieces. Roll each piece into a 24-in. rope. For topping, combine water, sugar and baking soda in a shallow bowl. Shape each rope into a pretzel and dip into the baking solution. Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt or coarse sugar., Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Dip in cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve warm.,

SOFT PRETZEL STICKS WITH HONEY MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, and yellow mustard in a small bowl, and store in the refrigerator while preparing pretzel sticks.
• Mix yeast and brown sugar in a small bowl; add warm water, and whisk until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add canola oil and gradually pour in the yeast mixture, kneading until smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in more flour.
• Shape dough into a ball and transfer to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten into a rectangle and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a stick about 7 inches long. Place sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; let rest uncovered for about 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Pour about 5 quarts of water in a large, deep pot; stir in baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Carefully place pretzel sticks in the simmering water in batches for 30 seconds, flipping after 15 seconds. Remove from water and let drain on paper towels.
• Transfer the sticks back to the baking sheet. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with the honey mustard dipping sauce.

SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Place 1 1/2 cups water, butter, brown sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix until well combined. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
• Turn mixer on low speed and add 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Add additional 1/2 cup flour if dough appears sticky. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in more flour if dough still seems a little tacky.
• Oil a large mixing bowl. Add the ball of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a sheet pan with cooking spray.
• Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly add baking soda and return to a boil.
• Meanwhile, remove dough from the bowl, flatten into a disc shape, and cut into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge into a 24-inch rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.
• Drop batches of dough pieces into the boiling water for about 35 seconds. Remove to the prepared sheet pan. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush over the tops of each boiled dough piece. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

SOFT BEER PRETZEL NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 8 balls. Roll each into a 12-in. rope. Cut each rope into 1-in. pieces., In a Dutch oven, bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a boil. Drop nuggets, 12 at a time, into boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels., Place on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pretzel nuggets in airtight containers. To use, thaw at room temperature or, if desired, microwave on high 20-30 seconds or until heated through.

BEER CHEESE AND SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Make the soft pretzel bites: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack covered with paper towels.
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. (It may seem like a small amount of water for a large pot, but once you add baking soda it'll foam up.)
• While the water comes to a boil, place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a long rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.
• When the water is boiling, add the baking soda and sugar. Cook the dough pieces, in batches, for 30 seconds. Drain on the paper towels.
• Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the pretzels in the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until the pretzel bites are nicely browned, 9 to 10 minutes.
• For the beer cheese: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture is smooth, then add the half-and-half. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and House Seasoning. Gradually add the cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste. Serve the pretzel bites with the beer cheese.
• Stir together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

SOFT PRETZEL KNOTS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the yeast and warm water. Allow to rest until bubbles begin to form. Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat with the hook attachment on low until soft dough begins to form. Turn up the speed to medium and knead the dough for five minutes. Cover the bowl and place in a warm area to rise for one hour. When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and form into a long log shape. Cut even strips from the dough. Cut each strip in half and roll out into a thin strip. Twist the strip into a knot and set aside. When all the knots are formed, bring the four cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Dip each pretzel knot into the baking soda water, then transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Move all the dipped pretzels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread melted butter over each knot. Top all the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pretzels are golden brown.

GIANT MULTI-STUFFED SOFT PRETZEL RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the water and sugar. Add the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes, until it starts to foam.
• Add the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil, and mix thoroughly until the dough comes together.
• Remove the dough, grease the bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then return the dough to the bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using your fingers or a rolling pin, stretch or roll the dough out into a long, thin strip, about 30 inches (76 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
• Spread the softened cream cheese down the middle of the dough strip, leaving a 1-inch (2 cm) border on each end.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan, chives, and black pepper over the first third of the cream cheese on the dough strip.
• Spread the pizza sauce over the middle third of cream cheese. Place the mozzarella and pepperoni over the sauce.
• Sprinkle the bacon and cheddar cheese over the cream cheese on the last third of the dough strip.
• Fold and pinch the dough around the cheese fillings along the entire strip, ensuring the ends are closed. Roll slightly to seal and lengthen.
• Carefully form a pretzel shape by taking the ends of the strip, making a "U" shape, twisting the ends around each other, and connecting the ends to the bottom of the "U" shape.
• Transfer the pretzel to the prepared baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then brush with melted butter before serving.
• Enjoy!

SOFT JUMBO PRETZEL STICKS (SUPER EASY)

Steps:

• 1. Roll each piece of dough into a 5" rope. Place on a large prepared baking sheet. Cover with saran wrap sprayed with non-stick spray, place in a warm spot and let rise for about an hour.
• 2. Place 2 quarts of water in a large saucepan. Add baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Gently place each stick in the soda water and simmer gently for 15 seconds per side.
• 3. Drain on a wire rack and return to prepared baking sheet. (I use parchment paper.) Score lightly every inch or so, if desired. Combine egg with 1 TB. water to make an egg wash. Brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with course salt.
• 4. Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
• 5. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like mine with honey mustard or yellow mustard, but a melty cheese sauce is also delicious. On game day, I serve with my Wisconsin Beer Dip. (Recipe in comments section.) Also excellent served with Cheddar Potato Soup.

SUPER SOFT PRETZEL ROLLS- EASY TOO!

Steps:

• Mix together brown sugar, salt, and yeast in big bowl.
• Mix together oil and water and add this to the sugar and yeast mix.
• Add the flour and mix to a nice doughy (not sticky) consistency. Knead with mixer a few minutes.
• Divide dough into 12 balls and shape into rolls (I like long oval shapes) and let rise on greased foil cover sheet for 20-30 minute until nice and puffy. (I raise mine in a warmed oven--preheat to lowest setting then turn OFF, THEN put in the dough to rise).
• Meanwhile, bring water and baking soda to a SIMMER in a wide pan with straight sides and preheat oven to 375.
• Place 4 rolls in the water and simmer 1 minute then flip and simmer 1 minute more.
• Drain and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining rolls.
• Brush rolls with egg white and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Slash decoratively with a SHARP blade.
• Bake until 'pretzel' brown, about 12-15 minutes.
• Enjoy!

GERMAN STYLE SOFT PRETZEL

Steps:

• To make in food processor or large mixer: combine flour, gluten, brown sugar, salt, yeast. Add water until dough ball is formed. (This will take much longer in a mixer than a food processor.) Remove from bowl and knead by hand for 2-5 minutes until dough ball is smooth.
• If you have an extra day, place dough in covered bowl into refrigerator for 8-24 hours; bring to room temperature before rolling out (approximately 25 minutes).
• If making the same day, allow dough to sit on counter top for 5-10 minutes before proceeding.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water for dipping pretzels.
• Divide dough into six pieces and roll each piece into long thin pieces approximately 24" long. Take each piece and shape into upside down U. Lift up the ends and form a twist in the middle section of the piece. Bring the ends to the top of the pretzel and press into the dough. Proceed with shaping each piece.
• Add baking soda and sugar to boiling water. With large slotted spoon, dip each pretzel into the water solution for 5 seconds. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with coarse salt. Place baking sheet in oven and reduce heat to 425 deg F and bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the sheet and bake for another 10-15 minutes until all pretzels are nicely browned.

SOFT PRETZEL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cut each into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 20-in. rope. Shape into a pretzel. , Place on greased baking sheets. Beat egg yolk and cold water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

HATCH CHILE AND CHEESE STUFFED SOFT PRETZEL NACHOS

Steps:

• For the pretzels: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Stir in the melted butter, egg yolks and warm water, then knead the dough until smooth, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl, add the dough and brush the top of the dough with some more olive oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then put in a warm spot, such as the top of the fridge, until the dough has doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
• When the dough is almost ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place 6 cups water in a wide, shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
• Meanwhile, punch down the dough and lightly dust your work surface with flour. Flatten and stretch the dough into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. Line up 4 pieces of the cheese lengthwise on one half of the dough, spacing them out evenly. Cut the dough in half crosswise and set aside the 8-by-6-inch half without the cheese.
• Place a scant tablespoon of the chiles along the top of each piece of cheese. Cut the dough evenly between the pieces of cheese so you end up with 4 rectangles of dough with the cheese in the middle of each. Dab the edges of the dough with a little water. Fold in the ends, then stretch the bottom edge over the center, roll over and seal shut, like a burrito. Repeat with the remaining dough half, cheese and chiles.
• When the water is simmering, stir in the baking soda. Working in batches, add the pretzels to the water and cook for 30 seconds, flipping once. Remove using a spider or slotted spoon and shake off any excess liquid, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the pretzels with the melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
• Using a sharp paring knife, lightly score the top of each pretzel 4 times on the diagonal and bake until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside until cool to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice each pretzel crosswise into bite-size pieces. For serving, place the tortilla strips on a platter, top with the pretzel pieces, then layer on the chile salt, pickled jalapeños, Cheddar and scallions.

SOFT PUFFY PRETZEL STICKS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the vegetable oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups flour; dough will be slightly sticky.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour.
• Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 450*F. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper; butter the paper.
• Punch dough down and turn out onto a floured surface.
• Knead dough lightly, flatten it out, and cut into 24 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a 9" stick about 1/2" thick.
• Transfer sticks to the cookie sheets, spacing them 2" apart. Let stand, uncovered, until puffed, about 25 minutes.
• In a large, deep skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 qts. water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
• Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully transfer 6 pretzel sticks at a time into the simmering water for 30 seconds, turning once.
• Add about 1 cup of hot water to the soda mixture before cooking each batch of pretzels.
• Drain pretzels on paper towels, then return them to the cookie sheets.
• Brush pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
• The baked pretzels can be stored overnight in an airtight plastic storage bag. Reheat before serving.

SOFT CINNAMON RAISIN PRETZEL WITH 2 TOPPINGS

Steps:

• 1. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in brown sugar and salt. Add the cake flour; stir well. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
• 2. Stir in the raisins. Place on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl turning once to grease top. Cover and place in a warm place to rise, about 30 minutes.
• 3. Punch dough down. Divide into 14 balls. Roll each ball into a 15 inch rope.
• 4. In a medium bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Dip each rope into baking soda water and drain on paper towels. Form into pretzel shapes and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter,
• 5. Topping 1- Brush pretzels with additional melted butter. Then dip in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.
• 6. Topping 2- Warm canned frosting in micro until desired consistency. Drizzle over warm pretzels. Use leftover glaze, thinned with a little milk or 1/2 and half for dipping.
• 7. Glazed

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• For the Pretzels:.
• 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 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. 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. Serve with cheese sauce, recipe below.
• For the cheese sauce:.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don't measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*.

GARLIC PARMESAN SOFT PRETZEL STICKS

Steps:

• 1. Dissolve the yeast into the water in your mixing bowl (warmed in advance if using a stainless steel Kitchenaid bowl, do not use a COLD bowl when blooming yeast!). Give a gentle stir to wet the yeast and let set in a warm place for 10 minutes.
• 2. Add the oil, salt and 1 1/2 c of the flour to the yeast mixture. Put your bowl on your Kitchenaid mixer, using the dough hook and knead until just combined.
• 3. Add the garlic, garlic powder, cheese, remaining flour to the mixture. Knead with your Kitchenaid for at least 4-5 minutes, until you have a sleek dough ball that is elastic and not sticky. Adjust your water/flour as needed but remember to use warm water! At this point, cover your bowl with a towel and let it sit in a warm place for an hour to rise.
• 4. You can divide these into golfball sized portions or just eyeball it (what I do) and pinch off slightly larger than golfball sized pieces. You can do a bigger portion and make into a traditional pretzel shape or just make into sticks to save time. I gently roll the dough between my hands until it looks like a cigar. Put these onto a cookie sheet, covered with parchment and lightly sprayed with a butter no stick spray. Give enough room for expansion, I can fit 10-12 on my Airbake sheet. Let set 30 min to rise again. Turn your oven on to 475.
• 5. In a large pot (I use a 5 qt dutch oven), fill pot ½ full of water and add the baking soda, bring to a gentle boil. Gently put each stick into the water and boil for at least 30 seconds per side (3 or 4 will easily fit in the pan at once). Remove from the water gently with a spatula, letting all the water drain off...then place back on the parchment. I then sprinkle each stick with grated parmesan cheese and a shake of freeze dried parsley. Bake for 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Let set 10 minutes and remove from cookie sheet and enjoy! We do either marinara or melted garlic butter for dipping. Makes about a dozen or so.
• 6. You can adjust the garlic/parmesan to your taste or take out altogether and just sprinkle with coarse sea salt or with cinnamon/sugar...the possibilities are up to you!

CHEESE AND SOFT PRETZEL SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread bottom side of each pretzel with 1/2 teaspoon mustard or mayonnaise, or a combination of both.
• To make each sandwich, you want to layer 1 pretzel, mustard/mayo-side up, with 1 slice cheese, 1/4 meat and 1 slice cheese.
• Place the other pretzel, mustard/mayo-side down, over sandwich ingredients and press gently.

BUDDHA'S SOFT PRETZELS (OR PRETZEL ROLLS)

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar, and the 2 tsp Kosher salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for 3 minutes.
• Add the flour and butter and mix with dough hooks (stand mixer) on medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides. Continue kneading for about 4 minutes.
• Remove dough from bowl, and place into another bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a damp (wrung out tight) kitchen towel and sit on top of fridge for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°F Bring the gallon of water and the baking soda to a boil in wide-mouthed pan (roaster type works best).
• Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 sections. Roll each section out to 2' ropes, shape into pretzel shape.
• Place the pretzels into the boiling water. 2 or 3 at a time for about 10-15 seconds each. Remove using a large spatula onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Brush each pretzel with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with Kosher salt (or sea salt or pretzel salt) and bake 15 minutes.
• ROLLS: After kneading, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. shape into rolls. Place onto baking sheet lined with parchment, sprayed with oil. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
• Dip into water solution, then baste with egg wash (as directed above for pretzels). Then score decorately the tops. Bake as directed for pretzels.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZEL BITES RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• For the Pretzels: 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 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. 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. Serve with cheese sauce. To make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. *If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don't measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

SOFT BEER PRETZEL NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into eight balls. Roll each into a 12-in. rope. Cut each rope into 1-in. pieces., In a Dutch oven, bring the water and baking soda to a boil. Drop nuggets, 12 at a time, into boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels., Place on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pretzel nuggets in resealable plastic freezer bags. To use, thaw at room temperature or, if desired, microwave on high 20-30 seconds or until heated through.