Soft Pretzel Bites

Today Josh and I ventured over to the CambridgeSide Galleria Mall to get some new work clothes and shoes for me, and some new law-school appropriate clothes for Josh (who will be starting school in about one week!). When Josh and I started dating, I began slowly but surely phasing out his wardrobe with a more appropriate one. Let's put it this way: Josh gets his money's worth out of every piece of clothing he owns, so this trip to the mall was well-deserved. I don't want him meeting important people at law school wearing shirts with holes under the arms! We got him some new shoes, and some new dress shirts and ties, and he looks very handsome in everything :)

For me, it was a different story. I ended up buying (apart from some Yankee Candle wax melter pellets, which all smell like fall, and which I am very excited to use) only one work shirt and two pairs of shoes. The reason I love shoes is because no matter how fat you get they always fit (that was in a movie, I forget which one, but I can't help but agree). The same is NOT AT ALL true for any other item of clothing (except maybe socks). If there is anything I have learned in the last year, it is that you should never, EVER wear stretchy pants on a daily basis--I don't care how comfortable they are--you won't realize that you're getting fat, and once you do, it'll be too late.

Long story short, I need to start eating better. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm "fat," but I'm not 105 lbs anymore either, and when you're used to being 105 lbs, being anything more than that is disconcerting. But before I start munching on lettuce and gnawing on carrots, though, I needed one last hurrah.

And I knew the perfect thing.

1 1/2 c. warm (110 degrees) water

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast

about 4 1/2 c. all purpose flour

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Vegetable oil

10 c. water

2/3 c. baking soda

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

kosher salt

I halved the above recipe, and I still had a whole cookie sheet full of pretzel bites! These are great to make for a party, not so great to make when it's just you and your husband--although they were really tasty and fairly easy to make. I found this recipe here. I don't have room in my kitchen to store a stand mixer, so I made my dough the old fashioned way. 

It rose! I was so worried it wouldn't rise!

Mix together the water, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl with a wooden spoon for about 10 seconds. Add your flour and 4 Tbsp. butter and stir until a dough forms. Knead your dough on a floured surface by hand for about 6 or 7 minutes. Put your dough ball in a well-oiled bowl and cover tightly with saran wrap. Let your dough sit in a warm place for 50-55 minutes or until the dough has about doubled in size. 

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment baking paper and set aside. Bring your 10 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. Divide your dough into 8 evenly sized balls. Roll out each ball to look like a 2 foot long rope, and slice each rope into 1" pieces. (Cover your pieces with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you continue cooking). Using a slotted spoon, grab a handful of your 1" pieces and plop them into your boiling water for about 30 seconds. They'll sink to the bottom before floating up. Scoop them out, shake them dry, and set them on your baking sheet with parchment paper. Continue to do this until all of your pieces have been boiled. 

Brush your pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle them with kosher salt. (Alternatively, brush  your bites in butter and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar--om nom) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bites are golden brown. Brush them once more with melted butter and serve warm. 

I made the cheese sauce to go with these pretzel bites, but I wasn't too happy with how it turned out, so I won't post a cheese sauce recipe until I find one I'm happy with. However, I don't know if I will ever be happy with anything less than Auntie Annie's sauce, and tomorrow I start my diet, so a good cheese sauce recipe may be a while coming :(