Pretzel Bites

I made these pretzel bites a while back, and they were gone in about 15 minutes.  They go well with a beer cheese dip, but I haven't found a good recipe for that, but when I do, I'll be sure to post on here when I do.   I got the recipe from here but made a couple minor changes.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups warm water, plus 9 more cups
• 1 package yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon melted butter (unsalted)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3.75 to 4.25 cups flour
• 1/2 cup baking soda (and yes I mean cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• coarse salt, for sprinkling

Whisk the yeast into 1 and 1/2 cups warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute.  In a KitchenAid mixer, add one cup of flour.  On one side of the bowl put the salt, butter, and brown sugar and add the yeast to the other side of the bowl.  Salt kills the yeast, so it is important to keep them separate until mixing.  Slowly add 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix with a dough hook until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Knead the dough for about 3 minutes, then shape into a ball. Place in a large greased mixing bowl.  Cover and let the dough rest in a warm area for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 6 sections. Roll the dough into six 20-inch long ropes. Cut the rope into 1.5 inch pieces to make bites.

Combine 9 cups of water and the baking soda in a large pot and bring to a rapid boil. Drop 8-10 pretzel bites into water and let boil for a quick 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the bites aren’t touching.

Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake batches for 15 minutes each, or until golden brown.

   

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese

As we all know, 2020 was a rough year, and we wanted to celebrate the end of it with some tasty treats, such as these bacon wrapped dates.  I got the recipe from here, but I found that I needed to change the baking time and temperature in order for the bacon to actually cook.  

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bacon (thiner works better), cut in half
• 16 pitted dates
• 4 oz. goat cheese
• toothpicks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cut the dates lengthwise on wide side (like a hotdog bun).  Using a spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese the date's cavity.  Press the sides together to close.  Wrap each date with a slice of bacon half and secure with a toothpick.  Arrange evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip the dates and cook for 5-8 minutes.  Flip again and cook for another 5-8 minutes, until bacon is browned.