Golden Pretzel Bites with Fleur de Sel

These scrumptious little pretzel bites are amazing. All golden on the outside and chewy on the inside. What gives them that golden sheen? A simple egg wash right before baking. The best part about these snacks? The dough is made in your bread machine. These are extremely easy to make. No manual labor required other than a little bit of rolling and cutting !

I topped these with Fleur de Sel because a pretzel is not a pretzel without a good salty crunch. You can use a simple coarse sea salt too. It works just as well.

You will need a bread maker of course. Plus a floured work surface, rolling pin and sharp knife for cutting the dough once prepared. Last but not least, a pastry brush is a must for finishing the tops off pre-bake with an egg wash.

Before we begin, I just have to say that using your bread maker to make dough of any kind is fantastic. It does all the work for you including keeping the dough warm while it rises. I am a huge fan of the "Dough" setting and keep it quite busy around here; from whipping up sweet dough for cinnamon buns to creating a gorgeous crust for pizza. Don't underestimate the versatility that little bread maker brings to your kitchen.

Truth to be told, most of us buy bread makers with such great intentions then after one loaf we promptly forget it exists. Shame on us !!! So dust off your bread maker, tell it you are sorry for ignoring it for so long, promise the neglect is OVER and be prepared to be delighted !

Now Let's Get Started !

Here is the dough after I took it out of the bread-maker.
It now needs to rest, covered with a bowl, for 15 minutes.


You don't have to be exact with your cuts. Just aim for 2" bites.



They will start to puff up right away in a 350F oven.
These are ready in 18-20 minutes.


Take them off the hot pan right away or they will keep cooking.
Move to cooling rack. These will be cool enough to eat in 10 minutes.

RECIPE:
**source recipe adapted from: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes


WHAT YOU NEED

1 1/4 cups water at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon shortening
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast

Topping

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
coarse sea salt or Fleur de Sel

MAKE IT

ADD all ingredients, in the order listed above, to your bread pan
SET bread-maker cycle to DOUGH and commence Dough cycle
WHEN cycle is complete, dust a work surface with flour
PLACE dough onto work surface and cover with a large bowl
LET DOUGH REST 15 minutes
PREHEAT OVEN to 350F
LINE 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
CUT dough into 4 equal parts
ROLL out each part into a rectangle; no more than 1/2" thick
CUT out 2" squares
PLACE squares on cookie sheets leaving 1/2" gap between each one

IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together egg and water
WITH PASTRY BRUSH, coat the top of each dough square with egg wash
SPRINKLE with coarse salt
BAKE 18-20 minutes until golden brown
REMOVE immediately from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.

Excellent plain, dipped in ranch dressing, spinach dip or honey-mustard sauce.