Sausage Stuffed Pretzel Bites

After seeing two versions of pretzel bites last week I knew I had to have them for football viewing this past Saturday. But then I saw these beer sourdough pretzels, and wanted to make a bite sized version. But while I’m at it, how about the fancy idea to shove sausage inside of them? Why yes, thank you I will. So I present to you, sausage stuffed sourdough beer pretzel bites (or sausage stuffed pretzel bites for short)!

They are really easy to make other than the required patience for the dough to rise. Easy to make, but my kitchen was still a mess afterwards. Worth it. I mean just look at them, doesn’t the sausage look all cozy and delicious inside there?

I made a beanless chili-cheese dip as well, which originally was intended to be a separate snack but after dipping the pretzels into the dip I knew they were meant to be together. I think any dip involving cheese would be perfect with these pretzel bites.

P.S. I used turkey sausage to cut down on the fat content, but there will be no judgement from me if you go full steam with the pork sausage!

SAUSAGE STUFFED PRETZEL BITES

Makes 30 bites

Ingredients:

14 oz pre-cooked turkey sausage link, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 cup unfed sourdough starter, straight from the refrigerator

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup of your favorite beer

1 Tbsp sugar

1-1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp instant yeast

3-1/4 cups flour

1 Tbsp butter, melted

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Pretzel salt or coarse Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Combine the sourdough starter, water, beer, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
2. Preheat the oven to 450. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Set aside.
3. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
4. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 22-inch rope. Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces; using your two hands, one-by-one, shape the dough around one piece of sausage and roll between hands until evenly covered. Place the pretzels onto the parchment-lined pan.
5. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt). Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Sugar Crafter and A Cozy Kitchen.