I stole this recipe for Potato Soft Pretzel Bites from Idahopotato.com who stole it from Annalise Herrer. This addictive and delicious appetizer is always a hit! The dough is yeast dough but with mashed potatoes added in. It sounds weird, but the potatoes keep the dough soft and light. After cutting the dough into bite size pieces, the pieces are quickly cooked in a mixture of boiling water and baking soda. A beaten egg is brushed on top of the pieces once they are removed from the water. Coarse salt is sprinkled on top before baking. These pretzels are a delicious snack or appetizer; just don’t look at the original recipe’s serving size. The original recipe claims the serving size is two bites per person; you will want to eat more than two!
Did you know? Soft pretzels may have come to America from Holland with the English Dissenters called Pilgrims. They were sold on the streets of Philadelphia in the 1820s.⁵ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
April 26th is National Pretzel Day and making Potato Soft Pretzel Bites or Soft Pretzels are a great way to celebrate (to see more Food Holidays see the National Food Holidays category or look at the Food Holiday Calendar).
This recipe calls for 1 cup unseasoned mashed Idaho potatoes. I don’t have unseasoned mashed potatoes hanging around the house, and who would? If I am making mashed potatoes and there are going to be leftovers, the potatoes would already be seasoned. So instead I buy one of those bags of instant Idaho potatoes that you add water to. Follow the instructions on the packet to make the potatoes.
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a bowl, mix 1 cup warm water and 2 tsp yeast until yeast is dissolved. Le the yeast proof for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl add mashed potatoes, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Then add in the yeast and water mixture.
Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is tacky but no longer sticky. Use a total of 4 cups of flour.
Roll out dough onto a floured surface, divide dough into 5-6 pieces and roll into ropes about 1-inch thick. Cut the ropes into 1-inch segments.
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and sprinkle a light layer of cornmeal on top. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and stir in 2 tbsp of baking soda.
Drop several dough pieces into the water bath and allow them to cook until they float to the top (about 3 minutes).
Remove with slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet. Then, repeat with remaining dough. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and brush onto dough pieces. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy the warm soft pretzel bites right out of the oven!
Potato Soft Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 cup mashed Idaho potatoes unseasoned
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups AP flour
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 egg
- Coarse salt
Water bath Ingredients:
- 6 cups water
- 2 tbsp baking soda
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 425 F.
-
In a large bowl, mix water and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Add mashed potatoes, sugar and salt. Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is tacky but no longer sticky.
-
Roll out onto a floured surface, divide dough into 5-6 pieces and roll into ropes about 1-inch thick. Cut the ropes into 1-inch segments.
-
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and sprinkle a light layer of cornmeal on top.
-
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and stir in 2 tbsp of baking soda. Drop several dough pieces into the water bath and allow them to cook until they float to the top (about 3 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
-
In a small bowl, beat egg and brush onto dough pieces. Sprinkle with coarse salt and place sheet into the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
I don’t have unseasoned mashed potatoes hanging around the house, and who would? If I am making mashed potatoes and there are going to be leftovers, the potatoes would already be seasoned. So instead I buy one of those bags of instant Idaho potatoes that you add water to. Buy the cheddar cheese one, one bag will make enough mashed potatoes for two recipes or you can just eat the leftovers.