These warm, salty pretzel bites are tender on the inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside. They are the perfect game day snack that will keep you and yours coming back for more.
In a liquid measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in the warm water to "activate" it.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the water with the yeast along with the brown sugar and melted butter.
Using the dough hook attachment, mix until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour to the bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium to knead the dough until smooth and it begins to pull away from the sides. If the dough appears too wet, add more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time.
Before you remove the dough, coat a large bowl in vegetable oil. Remove the dough and knead it into a ball on a flat surface. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let sit for an hour in a warm place, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 °F (232 °C). Prepare a couple baking sheets by spraying them with cooking spray. Set aside.
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add in the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a flat surface area. Divide the dough into 8 equal lumps, about 4 1/2 ounces, each. Roll each lump into a long rope and cut into 1-inch pieces to make bite-sized pieces.
Boil the pretzel bites in the baking soda water, in batches, for about 30 seconds each batch. Remove them with a large slotted spoon and place them on the prepared baking sheets, making sure they don't touch each other.
Beat together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.
Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle liberally with salt (or if you prefer, you can do cinnamon sugar ones by mixing cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and sprinkling that on top).
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.