Asiago Herb Pretzel Bites

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and gently give it a quick stir. Let it foam up and bubble for 10 minutes. Then add salt, dried parsley, dried tarragon, garlic powder and Asiago cheese. Turn on the dough hook and let it all come together for a minute on low speed. While the hook is still going, slowly add flour. It will become a crumbly dough. Add olive oil, then turn off the mixer. If it is still too dry, add a bit of warm water. Bring it together into a ball and knead it in the bowl for 2–3 minutes. Lightly grease the bowl with more olive oil and cover it with a damp towel. Set it aside to rise for 1 hour.

When the hour is up, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 8 equal wedges. Take the first wedge and roll it out into a thin log that is about 5 to 6 inches long. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut it into 5 equal pieces and set them aside. Repeat this with the other 7 wedges of dough to get 40 pieces total.

Preheat oven to 450ºF and get out a sheet tray. Line the sheet tray with a silicone mat or parchment paper, then get out a medium saucepan. Bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in it, then add brown sugar. Slowly add baking soda since it will really make the water bubble up and possibly boil over. Turn heat to medium.

Boil pretzel bite pieces for 30 seconds in the saucepan in batches of 10. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon onto the lined sheet tray as they cook. Line them up nicely and brush them all with the beaten egg. Sprinkle all of the pieces with a little extra Asiago on top and a generous sprinkle of salt.

Bake the pretzel bites for 15–18 minutes, until they become completely golden on top and baked through. Serve them immediately warm with either ketchup or warmed up marinara sauce! Enjoy!