Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites

Here's a great snack for the kids lunch boxes, or for your own lunch box!  You can feel good about the whole wheat goodness they are made out of.  I drizzled mine with a little honey and got that fantastic sweet and salty taste combination.

They turned out fantastic, but here are some things I noticed when making the dough.  My dough never really became elastic and smooth after being in the mixer for well past the stated time, it was sort of dry and crumbly.  I finally removed it from the mixer and used my hands to knead it, at which point it did stick together a little better but was never smooth.  The rising time? Well mine never did rise to double it's size.  It did rise a little but not what I was expecting.  Having said all that, they turned out delicious.  I'm sure they would have been even more yummy if the dough had of cooperated.  Next time I'll add a little more water to the mixer to try to achieve the smooth dough consistency.

Either way, they are very good and I will make them again!

Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites

Recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups White whole wheat flour
• 1 cup water, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp honey

For Water Bath

• 8 cups water
• 2 Tbsp baking soda

For Finishing

• 1 large egg + 1 Tbsp water + pinch of salt for egg wash, and pretzel or kosher salt for topping.

Directions

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the whole wheat flour and the water and stir with a wooden spoon.  Let rest for 20 minutes. 
2. Add the butter, bread flour, salt, yeast and honey.  Use the wooden spoon to combine.  Use the dough hook to knead the dough until it become smooth and elastic.  Takes about 5 minutes or maybe a little longer. 
3. Set the bowl in a warm area, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size.  About 90 minutes or so.  
4. When the dough is almost doubled, preheat your oven to 450º.  You can also begin the water bath by putting the water in a large pot and bringing it to a boil.  Once at a boil you can turn the heat down to a simmer and add the baking soda. 
5. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
6. On a lightly floured surface, dump the dough out and cut it into 8 even sections. Roll each section into a rope about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 1 inch pieces. 
7. Drop 10-15 pieces into the water bath for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and drop them onto the prepared cookie sheets in an even layer. Repeat with the rest of the pieces. 
8. Use the egg wash to brush over the tops of each piece and then sprinkle with the coarse salt and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 
9. Best if served warm.