soft warm and irresistible vegan pretzel bites
Did anyone watch the Superbowl? I admit, I’m in it for the commercials, but it was apparently a hell of a game. Whether you watch for the athletic contest, the commercials (the puppybowl!) or just to be polite at a party, game day REQUIRES snacking. And I promise that if you make these bad boys, you’ll have your guests and fans eating out of your hands. Literally. Bet you didn’t know that the first pretzels (made by monks back in the 600’s) actually symbolized good luck? So apropos, am I right??
photo, courtesy the Austerity Kitchen
I’ve been itching to make pretzels for a long time, ever since my sister Kitty and I took a trip to Boston 6 or 7 years ago and we stumbled upon a tavern that served cold cider and warm pretzels. SOOOO good! These little nugs, though maybe not the healthiest snack on the planet, remind me of those warm pretzels we were served in Bean-town. Salty and crispy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside. Served with your favorite dippity-do, they are sure to be the hit they were in my house. I used my creamy cheese recipe to dip them in but you can use ketchup (a personal fave;) ) spicy mustard, barbecue sauce-whatever suits. They are even delicious dip-free 🙂
dippity do dah!
And leftovers? Forget about it! These guys re-heat beautifully…a quick zap in the microwave or a 10 minute warm up in a 350 oven, and you can serve these as they were meant to be served…nice and hot! (with a cold beverage or two for good measure 🙂 )
Ok so pretzel-making requires yeast but DON’T BE INTIMIDATED like I was. If you have a thermometer and can read it you are good to go!
First, warm your almond milk (I chose this rather than water to step up the nutrition). Measure the temperature and when it’s around 110F., add the yeast and sugar and mix well. Wait for 5-7 minutes until it starts to bubble…that means the yeast is ALIVE!
it lives!
Next add the flour, salt and a wee bit of olive oil.
everything in one bowl!
Give everything a nice stir, then let the dough hook do the work.
Hooray for the dough hook and standing mixer!
Once you have a nice, slightly sticky but solid mass of dough, you’re ready to rest (actually, ready to let the dough rest but no one said you can’t grab a nice 90 min lay while the dough is rising). Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover lightly and leave it in a warm place for about and hour and a half. Bonus if your oven has a “proof” setting-just pop it in there.
I see that pretzel dough a-risin’
Now that the dough is ready, set a large pot of water mixed with baking soda to boil. Why the baking soda? Well, according the pretzel experts, baking soda makes the water more alkaline. The Kitchn further notes that after the dough is dropped in the soda bath for a minute, the outer part of the pretzel gelatinizes giving the pretzel its chewiness and signature flavor. The alkaline water also helps the pretzel to brown nicely.
While the bath is getting ready to boil, punch the dough down and divide it into fourths and then each fourth onto fourths and you’ll have…wait for it…16 dough pieces. Roll each piece to about a 6-8 inch rope and cut into 6 or so nuggets.
You can drop about 12 pieces into the boiling soda bath at a time.
Set timer for two minutes then scoop out with a sieve or large slotted spoon and place directly on a lined baking sheet. (Now’s the time to sprinkle with salt because the dough is slightly wet and the salt will stick.)
Bake at 450F. for about 8 minutes until the vegan pretzel bites are a beautiful golden brown.
Vegan pretzel bites fresh from the oven and ready to eat!
Vegan Pretzel Bites. So good and so easy, give them a try…your friends and family will be very impressed!
- 1 packet 5/16 oz Active Dry Yeast
- 2 tsp organic sugar
- 1 1/2 cup warm almond milk about 110 F.
- 4 1/2 cups organic flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt or sea slat flakes to sprinkle on top
- 12 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
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In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together the yeast, sugar and milk.
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After 5-7 minutes, you will see the yeast begin to bubble.
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At this point add the flour and sea salt and mix together.
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With dough hook attached, mix on low medium speed for about 5-6 minutes until dough comes together as pictured.
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While dough is mixing, lightly grease a large bowl with a little bit of olive oil.
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When dough is finished mixing, gather dough together into a uniform mass and place dough in greased bowl.
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Cover bowl with clean towel or plastic wrap.
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Allow dough to rise in warm area for 90 minutes. (If your oven has a "proof" setting, this is perfect)
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After 90 minutes, your dough should have doubled.
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Preheat oven to 450 F. and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Punch dough to "deflate" it and turn in onto clean counter. Knead once or twice and form into a nice ball.
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Cut dough in four equal pieces, roll each piece into a ball and cut again into four equal pieces so you have 16 sections of dough.
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Cover these with a towel or plastic wrap.
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Prepare water bath by mixing water and baking soda in a large pot. Set pot on stove over high heat to boil.
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Working with one section of dough at a time, roll to a rope about 8 inches long and cut each rope into 6 equal pieces.
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You should be able to place 12 pieces of dough into boiling water bath at a time.
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Boil for about 30 seconds and remove dough pieces with a slotted spoon directly to baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
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Continue process until all dough used. You should have about 48 "bites" on each baking sheet.
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Bake for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Check at about 6 minutes because once these start to brown, they brown quickly.
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Let cool a bit and enjoy! I served mine with my Creamy Vegan Cheese
