Soft, warm pretzel bites coated in chocolate or cinnamon-sugar that you don’t have to go to the mall for.
That’s both beautiful and dangerous.
This is my fifth ready-in-one-hour recipe and all are vegan, including this one. There’s One-Hour Pretzels, One-Hour Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, One-Hour Soft Buttery Breadsticks, and One-Hour Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.
These are just like their predecessors. Fast, easy, ready in 1 hour, and even if you’ve never made bread before, it’s an extremely easy recipe great for newbies.
Rather than the typical lengthy initial rise that most yeast recipes have (1-2+ hours), then shaping the dough before the second rise (1 + hour), this dough rises only as long as it takes your oven to preheat, about 10 minutes.
I also eliminated the step of boiling the raw dough before baking it because I don’t find the results justify the work. They taste just as good, minus the extra hassle.
To make the dough I used Red Star Platinum Yeast and it’s the only yeast I bake with. It’s the best and never lets me down. If you’re a novice bread-maker, consider this yeast your insurance against goofs because it’s very forgiving. Since it’s an instant yeast, you don’t have to proof it (let it stand with warm liquids for 10 minutes or until foamy). You simply add it with the other ingredients.
If you are an experienced bread maker, you’re going to love the extra puff and oven-spring you get with the Platinum. Your baked goods will rise higher and faster than you’re used to.
I used King Arthur All-Purpose because I wanted the bites to stay as soft as possible. Bread Flour will lend a chewier, thicker, denser result, more bagel-like. If you want to use whole wheat flour, read this post, don’t exceed more than 50% by volume of whole wheat flour, and if you try it, let me know how it goes.
After about 5 minutes of kneading, the dough looks like this. It’s firm, smooth, supple, and not at all sticky.
Place the dough on your counter, divide it into 4 pieces, and roll each piece out into a long rope that spans the length of your baking sheet.
The dough may be a little stubborn to roll, very springy and may want to recoil, but just keep rolling and finessing until you’ve gotten it to the proper length.
Score each rope with a pizza cutter into 1-inch pieces, and separate the pieces so they’re not touching.
Preheat the oven and consider the time it takes to preheat the the first, second, and only rising period involved with this dough. Love that.
Bake until they’re lightly golden and while they’re still on the baking tray, brush with melted butter (or vegan buttery spread), and get ready to coat them.
I coated half with cocoa powder-sugar and half with cinnamon-sugar.
Or keep it simple with just butter and a sprinkle of sea salt or kosher salt. Or go savory with Parmesan cheese, chives, garlic or onion powder, poppy or sesame seeds, for everything-bagel bites.
Because you can never have too much chocolate, I decided that dipping them in Nutella sounded like a good idea. It was actually a great idea.
They’re so easy to pop, one after another. The outside is firmer and chewy, while the inside remains soft and supple.
The chocolate bites are dark and rich, and not overly sweet, while the cinnamon-sugar version has a nice pop of cinnamon flavor.
Although I’m a cinnamon fiend in general, the chocolate version won, hands down, in a taste test with family and friends. The chocolate ones were fought over. Smart people.
Great use of an hour, that’s for sure.
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One-Hour Chocolate and Cinnamon-Sugar Soft Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
Pretzel Bites
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, bread flour may be substituted; pretzels will be firmer and chewier rather than softer and fluffier
- ¾ up water, warmed to manufacturer’s directions
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, or vegan buttery spread melted for brushing/drizzling, divided
Chocolate Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Pretzel Bites – To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or large mixing bowl and hand-knead), combine flour, water, yeast, oil, sugar, optional salt, and knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is soft, smooth, and has come together in a firm mass. If hand-kneading, you may need to knead a few minutes longer. Based brand of yeast used, water temperature will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for a warmer temperature than most, 120 to 130F; other brands are lower, about 95 to 105F. Warm water according to the yeast manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging. Taking the temperature with a digital thermometer is recommended, but if you’re not, make sure the water is warm, not hot. Err on the cooler rather than hotter side so you don’t kill the yeast.
- Turn dough out onto a Silpat-lined countertop (provides nice traction) or just the bare counter. Divide dough in 4 equal-sized pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a long rope spanning the length of a standard baking sheet (my baking sheet is 17 inches long).
- Place the ropes onto a Silpat-lined or cooking sprayed baking sheet.
- Score the dough with a pizza cutter into 1-inch pieces.
- Separate the pieces so they’re not touching; set pan aside while oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 350F; this generally takes about 10 to 15 minutes and this is all the dough rises for.
- Bake for about 16 to 17 minutes, or until barely golden, firm, and cooked through (taste one to make sure). Keep a watchful eye in the last few minutes of baking so they don’t burn.
- Set pan aside while you melt the butter, about 30 seconds on high power in the microwave.
- With the bites still on the baking tray (nicely contains the butter mess), brush generously with melted butter; set aside.
- Chocolate Coating – In a small bowl, stir to combine the cocoa and sugar until well mixed. Turn mixture out into a gallon-sized ziptop bag.
- Add about half the pretzels to the bag, seal the top, and gently shake to disperse coating mixture evenly over pretzels, continuing to tip the bag from side to side, upside-down, and back and forth. Open bag and serve.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating – In a small bowl, stir to combine the cinnamon and sugar until well mixed. Turn mixture out into a gallon-sized ziptop bag.
- Add about half the pretzels to the bag, seal the top, and gently shake to disperse coating mixture evenly over pretzels, continuing to tip the bag from side to side, upside-down, and back and forth. Open bag and serve.
- Pretzels are best warm and fresh, but will keep airtight for up to 2 days. Before eating leftovers, heat for 5 seconds in micro to soften them up.
- Adapted from Soft Buttery One-Hour Pretzels (vegan) and One-Hour Soft Buttery Breadsticks (vegan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Averie, these look AMAZING! I can’t wait to try these out. I’m just recovering from the stomach flu and haven’t been able to look at any food, but when I saw these…I even wanted them sick ‘n’ all! That’s how good you are! Thanks for sharing the recipe! xo
Feel better soon :)
I’m so sad…the only store in Florida that sell Red Star products is Walmart =(, and they don’t even carry Red Star Platinum (at least the one I braved didn’t). I sent an email to Red Star, because I really want to attempt some of your one-hour recipes. Everything I’ve ever made of yours has turned out incredibly well. I love your detailed recipes and they “why” behind everything. Thank you!
Oh, I can’t find Werther’s Baking Caramels anywhere either, so I emailed them for help, as well. I told both Red Star and Werther’s that I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about their products from one of my favorite food bloggers Averie at averiecooks! =)
You are so sweet to try my recipes & glad everything has turned out incredibly well. Glad you like my “why” explanations, too!
I will pass your info along to my contacts at those two companies regarding their distribution. Thanks, Taylor!
Oh my goodness, these look amazing!! I have tried making homemade pretzels only once.. they turned out great but nothing like these! The sweet versions are always my favorite. :)
Your one hour recipes knock my socks off, can’t wait to set the clock to snack on these!
You know how many of your bread recipes I have made. They are all easy and amazing and this one is no different! Yep…made it today and doubled it, making both the cinnamon/sugar and chocolate versions. They were equally liked between the boys so that’s a winner. What a great snack! They were so easy to make and the boys really did love them. I just love your recipes, Averie. So awesome…EVERY time! :-)
Thanks, Michele, for making them…the same day I posted AND a double batch. That is so you :) And so appreciated! Thanks for trying them & the speedy feedback and you have lucky boys to have a mama like you! xoxo
The sooner I can have these all to myself, the better! One hour will definitely do!
I can’t love this any more than I already do! Pretzels are my LIFE (as are most other carby yummies like donuts, cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls). These look AWESOME and I love that they’re made in an hour! Definitely easier than driving to the mall and getting some okay-tasting pretzel from the local shop. And the cinnamon and chocolate mixture sounds so spicy and warm. Perfect for wintertime!
Faster than going to mall and fighting for parking. That is for SURE!
Averie – these little nuggets look pretty much irresistible! Can’t believe they only take 1 hour!
Might have to steal these Av!
Lately I’ve been digging quick & easy recipes.
Wow….one hour?! I’m in love with this recipe!
This was my accomplishment after a day of fails at work. Delicious.
Well that is wonderful to hear! Way to get your baking on after a tough day :)
These pretzel bites look so decadent with all that chocolate and cinnamon sugar! Beautiful and dangerous indeed. I would have to go with the Nutella for dipping as well, but gah there are so many possibilities with these! They look awesome. :)
Sounds like a fun thing to make with my boys. Thanks for such a simple recipe – they look so good!
omigoodness these bites look so soft and covered in pure deliciousness!!
You know, I think you’re right. The extra boiling step doesn’t do much for the flavor. It just makes them look more like pretzels. I like your easy methods. My husband would love this! I think I’ll make it this weekend :)
And the ones I did that were cinn-sugar looked more pretzel-like than donut hole-like. Something about the chocolate coating and maybe an optical illusion? Weird but I know what you mean! And glad to hear you don’t think it’s necessary to boil either!
1 hour to make…5 minutes to scoff down! I started to make brioche tonight with my Red Star and found that I didn’t have enough butter..wth? Bad food blogger!
You ran out of butter. That’s almost as bad as running out of liquor :) I cannot wait to see your brioche! Better you than me making it! We are on opposite ends of the time/workload spectrum with our recipes, that is for sure :)