Chewy Pretzel Bites

Mom loves soft pretzels so when I found a recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe we had to try it.

Dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 cup very warm water

Topping:
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combined. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn't overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Don't be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brow up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly grease work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolves, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6 to 8 pieces, about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in width. You don't have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give this pretzels a nice, golden-brown color) and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7 to 8 minutes or until they're golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time - it won't hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up. Eat the pretzels warm or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.