Mini Soft Pretzels

Ever since I saw Deb’s post on miniature soft pretzels, I’ve been looking for a good excuse to make them. Then football season rolled around. 
 
So when Emily and Erik came over to watch a playoff game a few weeks back, I was on it. Besides the usual suspects -- crackers and cheese, roasted peanuts in their shells, chips and salsa -- I wanted to offer a big tray of salty, hot pretzels ready to be doused in mustard. 
 
The dough was easy enough, and the rolling out and making of proper knots took only a few tries to master. But I did learn a thing or two. First of all, even if you use parchment paper, oil it. Those suckers stick to it like nobody’s business, and having to forcefully pull them off deforms their delicate little shapes. Secondly, kosher salt isn’t coarse enough. I thought it would hold up but it immediately dissolved into the egg wash. If you, like most people, don’t have authentic pretzel salt lying around, a large, coarse sea salt will do nicely.

Since there were only 4 of us, I decided to freeze half the dough (portioned out but not rolled or formed). So when we were invited to a friend’s house to watch the Super Bowl a week or so later, my contribution was quick and easy. The dough defrosted in the refrigerator in a matter of hours and behaved exactly as if it were fresh. Next time I'd like to fashion it into little buns for pretzel dot sandwiches like the ones I had at Licorous last year (prosciutto, Gruyere, sauerkraut and a grainy mustard sauce). 
 
These are a bit laborious but the results, paired with a frosty beer, are well worth it.