These little pretzel poppers are a crowd favorite in our house and a go-to for a quick snack during the workweek or finger food for game day. When I first made these I was nervous about using yeast and ensuring the bread would rise, but I soon realized that this error-proof recipe would ease my fears of bread making.
Oven Set to 425°F

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups of Lukewarm Water
- 2 1/4 Tbsp. of Dry Active Yeast
- 1 Tbsp. of Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. of Salt
- 1 Tbsp. of Melted Butter
- 3 3/4 Cups to 4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda
- 1 Egg Beaten (Large)
- Coarse Salt or Pretzel Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups of Lukewarm Water
- 2 1/4 Tbsp. of Dry Active Yeast
- 1 Tbsp. of Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. of Salt
- 1 Tbsp. of Melted Butter
- 3 3/4 Cups to 4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda
- 1 Egg Beaten (Large)
- Coarse Salt or Pretzel Salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, pour in 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water and 2 1/4 Tbsp. of dry active yeast, stir until well combined, about 45 seconds.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add 1 tsp. of salt, 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. of melted butter.
- Stir in the water-yeast mixture to the large mixing bowl, until all the ingredients are combined.
- Slowly add in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time so the flour can combine properly. Mix by hand until the dough is thick.
- Add 3/4 cup of flour to the large mixing bowl. If the dough is sticky, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time. *Dough is ready when it bounces back when pushed with a finger.
- Lightly flour a large surface, place dough and knead dough into a ball.
- Place the dough back into the large mixing bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for about 10 minutes.
- Take about 1 cup of dough, roll in 16 inch long ropes and cut into 1/2 inch bites.
- Boil 9 cups of water and 1/2 cup of baking soda into a large pot and place the pretzel bites into the water until the bites pop up.
- Using a strainer spoon, remove popped pretzel bites and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Its best to use a silicone baking sheet) *Make sure the pretzels don’t touch.
- In a small bowl beat 1 large egg, brush each pretzel bite and sprinkle with salt.
- Place in oven and cook for a total of 12-15 minutes.