Soft Pretzel Bites

. If you perhaps have been missing from the planet for the past couple weeks, you might not realize that the College World Series (CWS) is beginning...tomorrow!!  Okay, that's probably a bit harsh.  But if you're any sort of sports fan (or you live in Omaha), you know what I'm talking about.

Tomorrow is the beginning of CWS at the brand new TD Ameritrade Stadium, which I must say is quite impressive.  I work downtown, so it's been pretty interesting seeing the progress made each day getting prepared for this weekend and the week following.  Tents have been going up like mad and there's been a definite hustle and bustle to get the city ready for the festivities.  With each day, the streets have become busier and filled with a rainbow of color from all of the different teams' fans.  It's been quite exciting!

View from the office.  I'm soooo excited!  And I just can't hide it!

But in honor of the first CWS weekend, I'm leaving you with a fun and quick snack perfect for any sporting event: Soft Pretzel Bites.  Bring them to the tailgate, put them on your table, offer them up at a BBQ, the possibilities are endless!  And not only that, these Soft Pretzel Bites are a great base for experimenting.  Pair them with any type of condiment (ketchup, mustard, ranch) or throw on some seasoning or sweets (rosemary, garlic, cinnamon and sugar).  See what I mean?!  Have it your way!  (Isn't that a jingle to some fast food restaurant...?)  And not to mention, they're kind of fun to make!

So if you're not able to see the baseball games first hand, make a batch of these and plop on that couch to enjoy some quality athletics.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone! .

Pretzel Bites

From Kirbie's Cravings

Ingredients:

1-1/2 c. warm water

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

4-1/2 c. all purpose flour

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2/3 c. baking soda

1 large egg

Sea Salt

Directions:

1.  Combine warm water, sugar and salt in bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.  Allow to sit 5 minutes.  

2.  Add flour and butter and using dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.  Change to medium speed and knead 5 minutes or until doug is smooth and pulls away from side of bowl.

3.  Place dough in bowl coated with vegetable oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 50 to 55 minutes or until doubled in size.

4.  Divide dough into 16 pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into 12-inch rope.

5.  Using sharp knife, cut ropes into 1-inch pieces.

6.  Heat oven to 450°F.  Using large saucepan, fill with water.  Bring to boil and add baking soda.

7.  Place pretzels in water for 30 seconds.  Remove from pan and place on lined baking sheet.

8.  Beat egg.  Brush tops of pretzel bites.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until dark golden brown.

Yield: 115 pretzel bites

* My Notes:

• I don't think I used a large enough pan, so some of my pretzels ended up a little baking soda-ey tasting.  To make sure this doesn't happen, pat the pretzel bites with a paper towel to remove excess water and baking soda before brushing with the egg and sprinkling with sea salt.