Blissful Bites

A mouth-watering recipe for homemade pretzels that steps up the standard ‘pigs in a blanket’ appetizer standard.

Pretzels

1 batch pretzel dough (see below)

2 packages quality kielbasa or bratwurst

Baking Soda

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Pretzel salt (or coarse kosher salt)

1 tablespoon oil

Pretzel Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package dry yeast

4 cups flour

In a large bowl dissolve sugar into the warm water.  Add package of dry yeast and set aside for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to foam.  Stir in four cups of flour, one at a time.  Either using the dough hook attachment or kneading by hand*, knead the dough until smooth (about 5 minutes).

Remove the dough and grease the bowl with oil.  Add the dough back to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest in an hour in a warm area.

While the pretzel dough rises, slice kielbasa into half moon shapes and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  On the stove, bring one pot of water combined with half cup of baking soda to a boil.

Prepare the pretzels by breaking off quarter sized pieces of dough and wrap around a piece of kielbasa.  Once 10 are assembled, place into boiling water for 2 minutes or until they rise to the top.  Remove the pretzels and place on a greased baking sheet.  Drizzle butter on top of each pretzel and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Continue making pretzels in batches until all of the pretzel dough has been used.

Serve hot or cold with spicy mustard.