Pretzel Bites

Whisk together the agave (2 tbsp), active yeast (2.25 tsp), and warm water (1.25 cups) in a bowl and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes or until it gets nice and foamy. Start 5m timer

Use a wooden spoon to mix the olive oil (2 tbsp) and salt (1.5 tsp) into the activated yeast mixture followed by the flour (3.5 cups), 1 cup at a time. The goal is to get the dough to the point where it is no longer sticky, but just barely. Start with 3 cups and then, if the dough is still sticky, stir in 0.25 cup at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Do not over-mix. You will know the dough is ready when it bounces back a bit when you poke it.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it forms into a smooth ball (1-2 minutes). Start 1m timer

Grease a large glass mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball inside. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until almost doubled. Start 75m timer

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the baking soda (0.33 cup).

Once the dough has almost doubled in size, divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long snake (about 0.75 inch in diameter). Cut the snakes into ~1-inch bites.

Lower the pretzel bites into the boiling water and boil for 10 seconds. Flip and boil for an additional 5 seconds. Don’t crowd the water. Do this in batches if needed.

Transfer the boiled pretzels to the baking sheet, brush with vegan butter (0.5 cup), sprinkle with kosher salt (2 tbsp), and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with more melted vegan butter if desired. Start 15m timer

Serve warm with vegan beer cheese.