Homemade Mini Pretzels and Pimento Cheese Dip

The following recipe and photography for this post were provided by local blogger Abby Thome of The Thome Home.

One bite of these homemade soft pretzel bites and you will see exactly why I could not hold back from sharing this recipe any longer. When you get a craving for soft, chewy pretzels, skip the food court and make them at home!

All you need is a few ingredients, two large bowls a little bit of time and you will be on your way to whipping up the most incredible homemade pretzels. They’re so good that you’ll have to hide them from others — they get gobbled up before you can blink!

The approach to making homemade soft pretzels can be broken down into a few simple steps: Rise. Roll. Slice. Boil. Egg Wash. Bake. Once you’ve finished with the pretzels, whip up an easy and wonderful pimento cheese dip that makes the perfect swimming pool for these little bite-sized delights!

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients: (For Rising, Boiling & Egg Washing)

Rising:

• 9 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter – melted
• 3 cups Warm Water
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 (1/4 oz) Packages of Active Dry Yeast
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Boiling:

• 20 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda

Egg Washing:

• 3 egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp water
• Flaked Sea Salt

Instructions:

First, make the dough!

1. Start with a large bowl, add 3 cups warm water, sprinkle over the yeast and sugar.  Let this sit for five minutes while it “blooms”.  You’ll notice to dry yeast start to foam and bubble, this will let you know that the yeast is activated and ready to go!
2. Next, measure out your flour and add it to another large bowl.  Pour in the melted butter and warm water that has been activated with yeast.
3. Stir, stir, stir until a sticky dough has formed.  Now it is time to use the best tools in the kitchen, your hands! Knead the pretzel dough for a few minutes – until all flour is incorporated and you have formed a beautiful dough ball that is stretchy and smooth!
4. Take the ball of dough out of the bowl, pour a bit of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl, swirl it around the bowl and place the pretzel dough ball back into the bowl to rest.  Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for one hour. It will double in size!

Once your dough has risen, prep your water to boil. Then, portion the dough to be rolled and cut into delicious nuggets!

1. In a large pot, bring 20 cups of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda to a roaring boil.

While your water is coming to a boil…

1. Separate the pretzel dough into four equal portions. With each quarter of dough, split into two balls additional balls of dough, you’ll have eight pieces of dough to work with.
2. Roll each dough ball into a long rope, one-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut one-inch pieces of dough and set aside on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

NOW that your dough is cut and the water is boiling, let’s get an assembly line ready!

1. Preheat the oven to 450°.
2. Have two baking sheets ready, lined with parchment paper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil – set these trays to the side of the oven.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons of water and 3 egg yolks, this is the egg wash that will make your pretzels golden and shiny.
4. Fill another small bowl with 1/4 cup of flaked sea salt.

It’s time to dunk the pretzels!

1. Drop 15-20 pieces of pretzel dough into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
2. With a slotted spoon, remove the dough and place on the oiled baking sheets.
3. Continue this process until the baking sheets are full.
4. Now, with a pastry brush, brush each nugget with the egg wash and then sprinkle a generous amount of flaked sea salt.
5. Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes, until the pretzels are golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven, and enjoy warm!

Freezer Friendly:  You can also let the pretzel bites cool completely, flash freeze on a baking sheet for 2 hours and then place them into a gallon freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge when ready to use, and then bake at 30o° or until just warmed. This is such a fantastic way to make an entire batch and set them aside for special events!

Pimento Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

• 16 oz Heinen’s Extra-Sharp New York Cheddar Cheese
• 4 oz Jar Diced Pimento Peppers
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Instructions:

1. Grate the entire block of cheddar cheese.
2. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, mix all ingredients together until fully combined (2-3 minutes).
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve!

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