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!