Julie--baking yeasted breads is always an adventure since so many variables come into play and change the outcome every time! It is hard to pin-point exactly what may have caused the change in your pretzel bites, but whenever you are working with flour you should use the texture of the dough to guide how much liquid you add, using the recipe as a reference. While it is important to follow recipes, if you are baking in particularly dry environment (perhaps your friend's house) you may need to add about 1 tablespoon of extra water per cup of flour to give the dough adequate moistness. Without the extra liquid, the dough can dry out and become tough. Also, using a flour that is higher in gluten (whole wheat varieties, bread flour) creates a final product that is a bit chewier and more bread-like. It sounds like the flour you used initially was lower in protein and gluten, which gave you a nice soft pretzel. Next time try using our all purpose flour and be sure not to overwork the dough, which can also result in a bread-like final product. Good luck and happy pretzel making! --Kye@KAF

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