Irresistible Homemade Soft Pretzels are warm, buttery, salty and so quick and easy to make. This soft pretzel recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and makes the best pretzels!
We love serving these hot-from-the-oven golden brown soft pretzels with this creamy and insanely delicious Beer Cheese Dip!
Making homemade soft pretzels may seem intimidating. I put off making pretzels until I had no other option but to learn quickly how to make pretzels in a cooking class. I thought rolling and shaping pretzels was going to be a total nightmare. I was wrong!
Homemade Soft Pretzels
For many years, my oldest son and I would run off to the mall just to get Auntie Anne’s pretzels. As soon as my little one was old enough, we let him in our “secret adventure” to the mall. He loved it!
The boys and I like soft pretzels so much that I decided to start making them at home. I am happy to report that although we still enjoy our secret trips to the mall, making homemade pretzels has been a huge success!
Pretzel Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar
- Active Dry Yeast
- Salt: Regular table salt or sea salt for the pretzel dough.
- Baking Soda: Pretzels get their chewy golden brown crust from a quick dip into a mixture of baking soda and hot water before they are baked. The alkaline water gelatinizes the pretzel surface giving them their distinctive flavor and beautiful golden brown color.
- Water: You will use warm water for the pretzel dough and hot water for the “baking soda bath”.
- Butter: After baking, melted butter is brushed on the warm pretzels to give them that delicious buttery taste and shine.
How To Make Soft Pretzels
The instructions may seem long and the step by step photos plentiful, but homemade soft baked pretzels are not difficult to make. This pretzel recipe requires two quick rises and a quick baking soda hot bath.
Pretzel Dough
- Proof the Yeast: Start by proofing the yeast in warm water with a little bit of sugar. I do this directly in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes and make sure the yeast is activated (it will start to foam a bit).
- Mix the Dough: Add the flour and salt 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..
- Allow to Rise: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes.
How To Shape Pretzels
Homemade soft pretzels shapes can vary from knots to twists to dough cut into small pretzel bites. If you have children at home, enlist them to help shape the pretzels. I can guarantee they will have fun.
- Prepare the Hot Water Bath: While the pretzel dough rests, prepare the baking soda hot water bath by simply mixing hot boiling water with baking soda until the baking soda dissolves.
- Divide Dough And Roll Out: Turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a long rope.
- Shape: Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
Water Bath and Baking Pretzels
At this point, your oven should be preheating. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dip Pretzels In Baking Soda Bath: Working with a couple of pretzels at a time, place the pretzels into the baking soda bath spooning the water over their tops. Leave them in the water for about a minute before transferring them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Seasonings: Sprinkle some coarse salt on the pretzels (this is optional).
- Rest the Dough: Allow the pretzels to rest for 8 minutes.
- Bake and Brush: Bake until golden brown. Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them with melted butter.
- Serve: Pretzels can be served hot-from-the-oven, or with a dip. This creamy and tasty pub-style Beer Cheese Dip is easy to make, silky and delicious. Other dip options are yellow mustard, honey mustard, Ranch dressing, marinara and hummus.
Other Soft Pretzel Varieties and Flavorings
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: Brush the baked pretzels with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon-sugar.
- Bavarian Pretzels: German pretzels, called Brezeln or Brezen are similar to our pretzels except they are a darker brown and are shaped slightly different than American soft pretzels with thick bulging tops and thin sides.
- Everything Pretzels: These are topped with everything seasoning.
- Pretzel Dogs: Soft pretzel dough is wrapped around a hot dog or sausage and sprinkled with salt.
Can You Freeze Pretzels?
Absolutely! After baking, cool the pretzels completely, you can wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 2 months. To prevent the pretzels from sticking together. You can flash freeze them. To flash freeze, place the pretzels on a baking sheet and into the freezer for 30 minutes. Then simply place them in a resealable bag in the freezer.
To reheat, place the frozen pretzels in a 350 degree F oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Can I Use An Egg Wash On This Pretzel Recipe:
Yes, you can. After the hot water bath some recipes ask to brush the pretzels with a simple egg wash. The egg wash helps the salt or any other seasoning adhere to the pretzels and it also gives them a nice shine.
Can Pretzels Be Made Ahead?
Yes, you can make the dough and refrigerate it overnight. The dough can also be frozen in an airtight container for 2 months. Allow the soft pretzel dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Soft Pretzels Recipe Tips
- The baking soda hot water bath gives the pretzels their chewy texture, golden brown color and unique taste however, you can skip this step if you prefer (although I highly recommend that you don’t skip it). If you choose not to do the baking soda bath, brush the pretzels with a simple egg wash (1 egg + 2 tablespoons milk or dairy free milk) before baking them.
- This soft pretzel recipe can be made with active dry yeast or instant yeast.
Take At These Other Easy Recipes:
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- Coarse kosher salt or pretzel salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
- Add the flour and salt 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.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- While the dough rests, combine the boiling water and baking soda in a container (I use a 10-inch square Pyrex glass container). Stir until the baking soda is dissolved. Set aside so the water starts cooling a bit.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a long rope – about 28 to 30 inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
- Working with a couple of pretzels at a time, place the pretzels into the baking soda bath, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for about 1 minute before transferring them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the pretzels lightly with coarse kosher salt or pretzel salt. Allow the pretzels to rest for 8 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter.
Notes
- The baking soda hot water bath gives the pretzels their chewy texture, golden brown color and unique taste however, you can skip this step if you prefer (although I highly recommend that you don’t skip it). If you choose not to do the baking soda bath, brush the pretzels with a simple egg wash (1 egg + 2 tablespoons milk or dairy free milk)before baking them.
- This soft pretzel recipe can be made with active dry yeast or instant yeast.
- Adapted from King Arthur
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