Place the water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix together for 5 minutes using a dough hook until a smooth, soft dough forms. It will be sticky and will not form a tight ball.
Dust with flour and place in a large bowl. Lightly cover with a towel and allow dough to rest for 30 minutes.
To make the pretzel bites
Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Stir until the soda is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray {Pam}. Set aside.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces that weigh 3 1/4 ounces each.
Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.
Gently place the bites into the baking soda solution in small batches and stir them around for 30 seconds.
Remove the bites from the water with a strainer and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
Sprinkle with coarse salt for salty bites or leave them plain for sweet bites.
Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional salt if desired…or roll in melted butter and toss in cinnamon-sugar.
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
Place butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 30 seconds to melt. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a separate bowl.
Remove the pretzel bites from the baking sheet and roll in the melted butter then toss with the cinnamon-sugar.
Serve immediately. Store any remaining bites at room temperature in a sealed container or zipper top bag.
Notes
If you do not spray the parchment paper with cooking spray your pretzel bites will stick! That would be sad and a waste of perfectly good pretzel bites so use the cooking spray.
If your dough is super wet and sticky, knead additional flour into the dough to make it workable, but not too much or you will make the dough tough!
If you do not have a stand mixer, mix the dough together in a large bowl and knead until smooth dough forms.
This dough can also be made in a bread machine using the “Dough” function. Remove before the rise cycle begins.