Before summer completely gets away from us, the kiddos and I wanted to make a fun recipe that not only tastes great but is just as exciting to make, as it is to eat.
The vote was for a soft pretzel with cheese, a common sporting event or fair food that so many of us are drawn to….despite our good-intentioned efforts to stick with healthier options (as if there were an abundance of those at the fair…). So, we tweaked the recipe to healthify it a little bit, and away we went.
The kids really enjoyed cutting the dough, then almost jumped right out of their chairs when we added baking soda to the boiling water. They thought it was so cool how it foamed up. It was a lot of fun, but please take proper precautions and add slowly when doing this step to avoid burning and spill over.
Have fun and enjoy this one, we sure did!
OK, let’s get started. Here’s a list of supplies you’ll need:
Measuring cups and spoons
Small and large mixing bowl
Mixing spoons
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Large and small saucepan
Whisk or fork
Basting brush
Kid friendly knife
Slotted spoon
AGE APPROPROPIATE COOKING TASKS
Every child’s ability varies depending on maturity or cognitive and physical ability. Parents need to use their own discretion when assigning tasks. These are general guidelines for the Whole Grain Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce.
Younger than 3 years old
Name and count ingredients with child
Help scoop ingredients
Sprinkle salt on dough bites
3 – 5 years old
All of the younger tasks
Measure and count ingredients
Help with mixing dough
Cut dough into bite size pieces using a kid friendly knife
Brush dough bites with egg wash
6 – 7 years old
All of the younger tasks
Divide the dough into 4 sections and roll the dough into a long rope shape
Crack egg into small bowl
Beat egg/water with a whisk or fork
8 – 9 years old
All of the younger tasks
10 – 12 years old
All of the younger tasks
Boil water
Use oven to bake pretzel bites
Precaution: It is recommended that an adult adds the baking soda to the boiling water.
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FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
Wash everyone’s hands!
Clean all work surfaces before starting.
It is okay for your kitchen to get a little messy.
Keep in mind that your child is learning, so patience is key!
Whole Grain Soft Pretzel Bites
Author: Little Spoons and Spice
Prep time: 22 mins
Cook time: 8 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 50-75 pieces
Ingredients
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 ¼ cup warm milk
2 Tbsp honey
1 ¾ cup whole wheat white flour
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ Tbsp flaxseed, ground
1 tsp salt
½ cup baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp water
Coarse salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450℉.
Add warm milk, yeast and honey to large mixing bowl. Let mixture rest to allow yeast time to activate, approximately 5 minutes. The mixture will become a little foamy.
Next, add salt, flour and flaxseed. Mix until dough forms a ball and the dough is tacky. If you find the dough to be too sticky, you can add a little more flour until you get the desired tacky consistency.
Place the dough on a clean and sanitized counter. You do not need to flour the surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Take 1 portion and roll into a long rope shape, approximately 1 ½ feet long. Repeat for each portion of the dough. Next, take each rope of dough into 1 ½ inch pieces. Depending on your cut and thickness of the roll, it will create approximately 50-75 bites.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Next, very carefully add baking soda to water. Caution: this will bubble up. Boil 10-12 dough bites at a time for 1 minute. It works best to remove with a slotted spoon. Place boiled dough bites on a parchment lined baking sheet.
While the water is heating, beat egg and 1 tsp of water in a small bowl with a fork. Brush each dough bite with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 7-9 minutes at 450℉ until brown.
Enjoy with dipping in warm cheese sauce recipe below.
Serving size: 5 pieces Calories: 121 Fat: 0 g Saturated fat: 0 g Unsaturated fat: 0 g Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 25 g Sugar: 4 g Sodium: 679 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 2 g Cholesterol: 15 mg
3.5.3251
Cheese Sauce
Author: Little Spoons and Spice
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 8 mins
Total time: 13 mins
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
¾ cup milk
¾ cup shredded cheese
Instructions
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute.
Add milk to butter/flour mixture and stir frequently until mixture starts to bubble and thicken slightly.
Remove mixture from heat and add shredded cheese. Mix until smooth.
Serve warm and enjoy!
3.5.3251
Whole Grain Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce Before summer completely gets away from us, the kiddos and I wanted to make a fun recipe that not only tastes great but is just as exciting to make, as it is to eat.