Comfort Food - Soft Pretzel Bites

It has been COLD here lately and for some reason cold weather makes me want warm carb filled foods. Yesterday the craving hit and I decided to try adapting a soft pretzel recipe to make it a bit healthier. The result was delicious and definitely fit the comfort food category.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel Bites
Find the original recipe here.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sucanat
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or one package)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
4 to 4 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon wheat gluten
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg beaten with one tablespoon water
sea salt (If I would have had course salt, I would have used that)

Combine water, sucanat, yeast, and melted butter. Let stand 5 minutes and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, add sea salt, gluten and 2 to 3 cups of flour. Mix until well combined. Continue adding remaining flour until dough is soft and pliable, but not sticky. Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm place until double. This time of year, I turn on the oven for about a minute and then turn it off and let my yeast doughs sit inside until risen.
Preheat oven to 425.
In a large pot, combine 3 quarts water with 3/4 cup baking soda. Bring to a boil. Divide dough into eight equal  portions and roll each portion into a rope. Cut into bite size pieces and drop 15-20 pieces into the baking soda water. Boil for 30 seconds and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Continue until all pretzel bites are boiled. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot. I haven't tried it yet, but I imagine these would freeze well and you could just pull out a few and reheat in the oven for a quick and tasty snack.

Matt made a quick little cheese sauce for his, but since my body has decided not to get along with very much dairy, I dipped mine in honey mustard sauce. But even plain, these little bites were tasty!

January Temptation

Now that January is here and we are all determined to eat healthier and exercise more, I'm finally going to post our Christmas cinnamon roll recipe. Just keep it in mind for next year, or for some Saturday morning when you're feeling like indulging.

We have had cinnamon rolls for breakfast every Christmas since we've been married. I used to use a recipe that my great grandma made, but it was difficult to follow as much of it was just the ingredients and not the actual amount. Then, a few years ago I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine. I've altered it a bit to add in whole grains and we love it.

Whole Wheat Mini Maple Cinnamon Rolls

2/3 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons gluten
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Filling
1/2 cup sucanat
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter

Maple Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 to 2 teaspoons milk

Combine milk and yeast and let sit until bubbly. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, gluten, and salt. Mix in butter. While mixing, add in egg, maple syrup, and yeast mixture. Mix several minutes until it comes together as a soft dough. Divide dough in half and roll each half into two rectangles. In a small bowl, combine sucanat, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a thick paste. Divide the mixture and press onto each rectangle. Prepare to get messy because this is best done with your hands. Once the mixture is evenly spread over dough, roll up jelly-roll style and pinch the seam to seal. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If they brown too quickly, place a piece of foil lightly over the top and continue baking until done. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. In a small mixing bowl, combine confectioner's sugar, syrup, butter, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Spread over warm rolls.