Soft Pretzel Bites with Hot Honey Mustard
Everything you love about a soft pretzel, but in bite-sized form! These Soft Pretzel Bites with Hot Honey Mustard are the perfect party snack or appetizer. They’re soft and salty snackable bites with a dipping sauce that’s sweet with a spicy kick from Dijon mustard.
They’re everything you love in a soft pretzel but in bite-sized form! These Soft Pretzel Bites with Hot Honey Mustard are perfectly dippable. Perfectly snackable. And oh oh so addicting. It makes them the perfect party snack or appetizer that you can make in advance. Oh and that hot honey mustard? It’s everything you love in a honey mustard sauce, but with an extra spicy kick!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour – We use all purpose flour but you can also use bread flour. All purpose makes a softer, fluffier pretzel, while bread dough has more protein and will make a slightly denser, chewier pretzel.
- Yeast – Instant is our choice for this best just because there’s no activation time, but you could absolutely use regular active dry yeast, you will just need to let it fully activate which will add about 10 minutes prep time.
- Butter – Salted is our preffered for this recipe.
- Warm Water – This will also help activate the yeast. 90 degrees to 100 degrees, or just warm to the touch, but if you have an instant read thermometer (that we love) also helpful.
- Salt – You’ll want a granulated table or iodized salt for the dough but then a nice coarse salt to top them with! Either a coarse kosher or even better, a pretzel salt!
- Sugar – White granulated is what we prefer, but if you only have brown sugar, that will also work well – it will change the flavor just so subltly though, adding a slighly richer more molasses flavor.
- Baking Soda – Not pictured as it’s not part of the dough, but instead a part of a baking soda “bath” that is absolutely key to getting that true pretzel flavor!
For the Hot Honey Mustard:
- Dijon Mustard – This is where the heat comes from!
- Mayonnaise – Have you made your own, yet?
- Honey – The sweetness.
- Ground Mustard – To add to the mustard flavor but without the heat from the Dijon.
- Lemon Juice – Just a touch to balance it all out.
Tip: This is definitely a hot honey mustard. But if you don’t like that kick, then you can absolutely substitute the dijon mustard for regular yellow mustard for a standard honey mustard sauce.
Easy to Make
Create the dough. This comes together so fast after a quick mix of sugar, water, and yeast and then adding the butter and slowly adding the flour and salt to a stand mixer until a dough is formed.
You’ll know the dough is ready when it pulls away from the side of the mixer and the dough bounces back after you poke it with your finger.
No stand mixer? No problem. A wooden spoon and a little elbow grease will work fine, too!
Cut the Bites. Roll out the dough into long logs and then cut them into little bites.
Baking Soda Bath. This step is truly key for any pretzels.
This step is crucial to creating their signature chewy crust and that pretzel flavor that separates them from bread. Also, it prevents that final oven spring or rise that happens when bread is cooked.
We have made these with and without doing the baking soda bath and while the pretzels made without the bath are still good, they’re just not the same. It’s worth that extra effort, trust me! Plus, it’s pretty easy!
Egg Wash and Salt. Brush your little bites with an egg wash and then (generously) salt before baking.
Meanwhile, just whip together your Hot Honey Mustard sauce! So quick and no cooking is required!
Baked to golden perfection!
Plus, that hot honey mustard, oh it is gooooood. That Dijon gives it a kick – and if you’ve made our Homemade Dijon From Scratch (which definitely has some heat). But if you don’t like that kick, you can also substitute it for regular yellow mustard for a more traditional honey mustard sauce.
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Soft Pretzel Bites with Hot Honey Mustard
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups warm water at least 90 degrees
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- coarse pretzel salt to finish bites with
Hot Honey Mustard
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Egg Wash
- 1 egg whisked
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add sugar and warm water, whisk to mix it all together and then sprinkle yeast on top. Let stand for 2-3 minutes until yeast is frothy.
- Add melted butter and salt and give a quick mix.
- Slowly add flour to bowl of stand mixer and mix until a dough starts to form. Slowly add the rest of the flour until the dough is no longer sticky and begins to pull away from the bowl and then when you give it a lil’ poke it bounces back nicely.
- Add dough to a cleaned and lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic.
- Gently cover with a linen towel. Meanwhile, prepare the baking soda bath by heating 10 cups of water on on high in a large pot with baking soda. Gently stir to combine baking soda and water. Bring to a boil as you shape and cut the dough.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and line a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If using parchment paper, gently grease or oil with a misto.
- Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 4 oz) with a dough cutter or sharp knife.
- Roll each piece into a long rope that's about 2 inches wide. With a knife, gently cut into bite sized, 2-3 inch long pieces. Add to a plate and continue with all dough.
- Once baking soda water has begun to boil, add a bunch of the pretzel bites to the pot. About a plateful of cut bites.
- Let boil for about 30 seconds. Use a large slotted spoon to remove bites, a few at a time and shake off excess water. Add to parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with all pretzel bites.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake in oven for 10-14 minutes or until pretzel bites are browned.
- Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a large plate.
- Enjoy! Serve with hot honey mustard or your favorite pretzel dipping sauce.
Hot Honey Mustard Sauce
- In a medium sized bowl, add all mustard sauce ingredients and mix well.
How long does the hot honey mustard dip last refrigerated?
Hi HK! It should last about 1-2 weeks. Enjoy!
So easy to make and great taste. Definitely adding it to my recipe file.
So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review ☺️