In “real life” these are not as dark as they appear – who knows why –

Like most, with New Year come thoughts of eating healthier – So long as you are not concerned about gluten – Pretzel bites are healthier than say chips.
And Pretzel buns make great sandwiches. So the search for a bread machine recipe – here is the tweak intended for the Bread Machine (Leaven) Dough cycle.
So because I needed something to do that would not be grossly affected by occluded vision issue today.
Recipe makes 24 Snack bites, or 8 slider “cupcakes” or 4 Burger size rolls
to try the different sizes, I did 8 bites, 4 cupcakes and two burger (except I kept some aside to try refrigerating and freezing “experiments”.) so only 1 burger bun actually done. The bites and 3 slider cup cakes did not last long enough to participate in my poor photography effort.

Bread Machine Settings:  you will want the Menu/Program that Is usually used for “Dough” Or Some (KBS is one) “Leaven Dough” consisting of:
Stir (gentle – mixes ingredients,
Rest usually only a few minutes to allow liquid to reach all the dry ingredients
Stir (more vigorous – some might call it Kneading)
Rise (some describe as fermentation)
Total time is usually around 1.5 hours.

Ingredients
2.5 cup All Purpose Or Bread Flour
+ .5 cup “bread flour” & if needed for dough
2 Tbl Malted Milk Powder (Carnation or Ovaltine)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar or honey
1.5 cup warm water (75-85 degree) NOT STRAIGHT FROM THE TAP WATER – Spring or Distilled is best for bread/yeast Or, you can “Age” your tap water by allowing it to sit on the counter in an open container for a few hours so  before using so chemicals used in water purification like chlorine can evaporate.
2.25 tsp Bread Machine Yeast (if you try cake yeast, let me know how it works for you)

Boiling Liquid
8 Tbl Baking Soda (I used a 1.5 quart pot, with 4 cups of tap water that have been left standing for several hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Here is what I did =

In 1.5 oz cup of 75-85 degree water,
add 2.25 tsp Bread Machine Yeast
set aside till bubbly
other yeast might work, but it is “what I had”

For the dough:
Combine in a bowl & lightly whisk to incorporate
2.5 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp sugar or honey (this feeds the yeast, no sugar subs)
1 tsp salt

In bread machine pan, add
1/2 cup luke warm water
yeast mixture – be sure to get all
Flour Mixture

Set to “dough” cycle – turn on and keep an eye on it – you may need to add a bit more water or flour to get a nice smooth dough.

This recipe is supposedly “no rise needed” just a 30 minute “rest” which sounds suspiciously like a rise to me,

while the dough is resting, prepare the bath – this is what makes it turn that nice pretzel brown with the excellent “shell”

In a pot, combine 2 Tbl Baking Soda for each Cup of Water
Continuously Stir till Baking Soda is fully dissolved
and water is simmering nicely

For bites, grease a medium to large size cookie sheet
(this recipe makes 24 – for Slider grease medium size cup cake tin(s) GENEROUSLY
for Burger buns, medium cookie sheet (I did try mini pie pans and do not plan to repeat that idea any time soon. I foersee making a combination of bites and buns, so plan to try the slider size on a cookie sheet next time

I was recently gifted with this set of dough tools from Nordicware along with the Breadtopia.com Sour Dough starter and the red one worked very nicely
Using a floured dough cutter or other tool of your choice.
For bites and sliders:
1. cut the dough into FOUR (4) “equal” they should each weigh about 4oz.
2. Then for Bites, cut each 1/4 into 8, and
or For Sliders, cut into 1/3rds
Or Burger rolls, divide the full dough (approximately 16 ozs or a bit more)
cut into SIX (6) equal pieces or fewer for larger rolls

Once all your shapes have been prepared it time for the dough to take a quick bath.
Drop each into your simmering Baking Soda solution, for 10 seconds, flip over and remove after another 7 -10 seconds. Place on a wire rack to drain

Using a REALLY sharp knife, or dough slasher or safety razor blade – make an X slash on the top of each shape and place on the WELL buttered baking pan.
Sprinkle top (or not) with coarse salt

Some may appreciate that my slasher of choice is the Sculpey Slicer with Safety Handle favored by those who work in Polymer Clay and/or otherwise are a danger to themselves (but the Kitchen blades will never meet clay)

While baking, prepare your favorite dipping sauce – we like to combine a 2-3oz of a melty cheese with a Tbl of butter and sometimes other flavors like garlic, or 1/4 tsp of horse radish.

My Amazon Affiliate link may provide a small commission at not additional cost to you for your merchandise should you purchase this this link

The Hamilton Beach Professional Sure-Crisp Digital Toaster Oven Air Fryer Combo, 1500W, 6 Slice Capacity, Stainless Steel (31241)   This is the everyday – unless in progress for replacement (Heating Elements tend to burn out in HB products.

Place in preheated 375 degree oven of your choice until the brown you prefer.
For bites: approximately 10-13 minutes
for sliders: approximately 12-15 minutes
for rolls: approximately 14-18 minutes
remove to the wire rack and allow to cool for at least 3-10 minutes so not too soft and doughy inside
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P.S. Cost of 4 Pretzel Burger sized buns in Stupid Market – $4-$6
Cost, including electricity $3.50 for 8 rolls
and they are fresher, healthier and lower cost – time is not an issue/cost/consideration since this is for “home consumption” and I like to prepare food
|Caveat Emptor: we purchased the smaller HB Oven Model 31340 “because it was on sale, had a coupon and the Larger one was failing.  It toasted fine, BUT, the shelves are very tippy – we would not buy this again.  The Pro, when it is working correctly (FYI the probe never has worked correctly, but I can live with that) In the last few years several NEW machines from HB have had a similar problem with the heating elements SUDDENLY not functioning and thus temps fluctuate as much as 100F and as little as 50F.
Fortunately we purchased the extended warranty. It uses about 20% less electricity than the Stove Oven and holds a 12 in pizza and up to a 12×13 pan with no handles and room to breath or allow air circulation/convection as the case may be.

I ALWAYS recommend shopping locally for ingredients. If you need to see what “they look like”  well-that is the main reason for my Amazon (affiliate) Idea Lists and yes, if you use them to make a purchase, I may or may not receive a commission.
Wheat’s Amazon (affiliate) Idea Lists:
–  Bread and Dough https://amzn.to/3wUoNi9
–  Ingredients       https://amzn.to/48X13Ht

_{updated a bit: 2023-Dec-19
updated a bit: 2024-Feb -15}