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A close up of golden brown baked buns.
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Pumpkin Shaped Soft Pretzel Bites

Make delicious pumpkin-shaped pretzel bites.
Makes about 30 pumpkin-shaped pretzel bites.
Serving 2 pumkin pretezel bites
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Proofing Dough1 hour
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, dinner, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: French, German
Keyword: pretzel recipe, soft pretzel recipe, soft pretzels
Servings: 15 servings
Author: Hani

Equipment

  • Pastry Brush
  • Parchment paper
  • kitchen scissors
  • slotted spoon

Ingredients

Yeast Dough

  • 1 1/2 cup warm water (360ml)
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 1/4 tsp package dry yeast
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour (280grams)
  • 2 1/2 cup bread flour (350 grams)
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp melted butter or olive oil (85 grams)
  • olive oil to coat the bowl

Baking Soda Solution

  • 6 cups water ( 1.5 liter)
  • 1/3 cup baking soda

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp water

Toppings

  • pretzel salt
  • caraway seeds optional

Instructions

Prepare Yeast Dough

  • Pour 1 cup and 1/2 cup warm water into the bowl of your mixer, add 1 teaspoon honey and stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon flour. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. Make sure you use warm water, not hot. Hot water will kill the yeast.
  • Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of bread flour, melted butter/olive oil, and salt to the bowl with yeast and knead using a dough hook attachment. If the dough is too sticky, add an additional 1/2 cup of bread flour. Dough is somewhat dense. Knead for 5 minutes, until the dough comes into a smooth ball.
  • Place the dough in a bowl lightly coated with olive oil, cover it well and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot for an hour.

Shape Pumpkin Pretzel Bites

  • Invert the dough onto a clean work surface(do not use additional flour). Divide dough into equal portions using a scale or flatten it into a rectangle, and use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares of similar size. Form a ball from each piece of dough.

Baking Soda Solution

  • Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then add 1/3 cup baking soda. Stir well until the baking soda is dissolved. "Blanch" the unbaked pretzel rolls in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds. Remove from the solution onto a tray or bare baking sheet and continue with the remaining rolls.
  • Transfer blanched rolls onto a sheet lined with parchment paper. Use Kitchen Shears, hold the unbaked roll in your hand, and make the slits in the dough around the perimeter, a total of 8 cuts. Place the pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment
  • Make a deep indentation in the middle of each roll. Use a wooden spoon handle, and press deeply into the center of the roll.

Bake Pumpkin Pretzel Bites

  • Preheat oven to 450F.
  • Whisk together one egg and one tablespoon of water. If needed, strain it through a mesh sieve. Brush-shaped pumpkin pretzel bites with egg wash.
    Don't allow egg wash to paddle around the bottom of pretzel bites.
    Sprinkle pumpkin pretzel bites generously with pretzel salt, pumpkin seeds, or other favorite toppings.
  • Bake pretzels at 450F,for about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Lastly, add a stem to complete pumpkin pretzel bites.
  • Push a piece of a nut (peanuts) or pretzel stick into the center, into the dimple.

Notes

  • Can I freeze pumpkin-shaped pretzel bites? Yes, you can. Let them thaw, then reheat in the oven for the best results. Re-heat at 350F for 4-6 minutes.