How to Make Soft Pretzel Bites

As you may know, I've made soft, mall pretzels before, but today I decided to do it a tad differently. Instead of making pretzels in the shape of the classic pretzel twist, I made pretzel bites! It was a whole lot easier and I think they baked more thoroughly too. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:
Active Dry Yeast - 2 1/4 tsp
White Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Flour - 4 1/2 cups
Warm Water - 1 1/4 cups
Butter - 1/4 cup
Baking Soda - 1/2 cup
Hot Water - 4 cups
Vegetable oil*

*just enough to lightly oil a bowl.

Topping of choice (here I used butter and salt, but you can use cinnamon and sugar as well.)
First, you're going to dissolve your yeast and 1 tsp of sugar into a small bowl with the warm water. Let sit for about ten or so minutes, until it's frothy. Now add the flour and butter.  Mix with a spoon or with a mixer. Knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl on a floured surface, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Place the dough into a slightly-oiled bowl.* Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
After your dough has doubled, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Bring the water and the baking soda to a rolling boil on the stove. While that's boiling, roll out your dough. Roll into separate ropes and slice one inch pieces from the ropes. With a large spoon (a slotting spoon works especially well) place the one inch slices into the boiling water and remove after ten or so seconds. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. After removing, brush butter and sprinkle salt on them.

Enjoy! Serve with cheese sauce or by themselves.