January 16, 2023
Review RecipeHomemade Soft Pretzels
Table of Contents
These homemade soft pretzels have a chewy, buttery, and salty exterior that gives way to a soft and warm inside that melts in your mouth when you take a bite. You can eat them on their own or dunk them in cheese sauce or another favorite dipping sauce for a fun snack.
Homemade Soft Pretzels Ingredients
You’ll need:
For the Pretzels
- 1½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4¼ cups bread flour, divided into 4 cups and ¼ cup
- 1 (¼-ounce) packet of instant yeast (also known as Rapid-Rise)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the Hot Water Bath
- 4 cups very hot water (not boiling~around 150 to 160°F)
- ⅓ cup baking soda
For the Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons pretzel salt
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
YEAST: If you cannot find instant yeast (I like to use the RED STAR Platinum brand), you can use active dry yeast. You will bloom it by sprinkling it into the warm water with the honey only (NOT adding the salt yet) for 3 to 4 minutes. Once it becomes frothy, then you will add the flour, salt, and melted butter and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
PRO TIP:
You never want to add salt directly to your yeast because salt will kill your yeast and prevent your dough from rising.
SWEET PRETZELS: For a sweet variation for your pretzels, combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and stir well. Sprinkle your hot buttered pretzels with the cinnamon-sugar mixture instead of the salt.
CHEESE PRETZELS: After dunking in the baking soda mixture, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top right before baking. You will not want to brush melted butter on top of any cheese pretzels, as you do not want the added grease.
How To Make This Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe
STEP ONE: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the warm water, honey, and salt. With a spoon, stir the water around to dissolve the honey and salt.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough with a wooden spoon and knead the dough by hand.
STEP TWO: Add the 4 cups of bread flour and instant yeast to the water mixture. Turn the mixer on very low speed (setting 1, or stir on a standard mixer) and slowly drizzle the melted and cooled butter into the flour mixture. Allow the butter to fully incorporate and mix for 2 minutes, then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-low (or setting 3) and continue to mix for an additional 5 minutes. Your dough should form a ball and be smooth but still slightly sticky.
STEP THREE: Remove the bowl of your stand mixer and the dough hook, and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest and rise on the counter at room temperature for 1 hour, or until your dough has doubled in size.
STEP FOUR: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and set it aside.
STEP FIVE: On a clean counter or large cutting board, sprinkle your remaining ¼ cup of flour onto the work surface and turn out your dough. Gently press out your dough into an 8 x 20-inch rectangle.
STEP SIX: With a very sharp knife (or a pizza cutter), cut eight 1×20-inch long strips of dough. Gently shape each piece of dough into a 20-inch long rope, being very careful not to overwork the dough.
STEP SEVEN: To make the pretzel shape, take the ends of 1 dough rope and cross them, making a large circle with about 2 inches of the ends overhanging. Take those two overhanging ends of the rope and cross them again. Holding both ends (already twisted), bring them forward to meet the bottom of the circle. Repeat this with the remaining seven dough ropes and place them on your prepared sheet tray to rest and rise while preparing your water bath.
PRO TIP:
If you are struggling with forming the shape of a pretzel in a traditional shape, feel free to shape the pieces of dough however you wish. You can just fold the thin ropes in half and twist them. You can make a heart shape with them or even bite-size pieces. There are several tutorial videos online that show you how to properly shape a pretzel if you are having trouble.
STEP EIGHT: In a medium-sized baking dish, with 2-inch high sides, place your baking soda and very hot water. Stir it around with a spoon until all of the baking soda dissolves.
STEP NINE: Gently place 1 to 2 pretzels (depending on the size of your dish) into the pretzel water bath for 30 seconds, then flip them over for another 30 seconds. Very carefully remove your pretzels using an extra-large slotted spoon or a spider, allowing the excess water to drip off, and place them back onto your prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all of your pretzels are done.
STEP TEN: Bake your pretzels for 15 minutes or until the top of each pretzel is golden brown.
PRO TIP:
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your pretzels as the suggested baking time approaches.
STEP ELEVEN: While the pretzels are baking, melt the ¼ cup of butter for the topping in a microwave-safe cup for 30 seconds.
STEP TWELVE: When you remove your pretzels from the oven, immediately brush the top of each pretzel with the melted butter and sprinkle them with salt.
How To Serve
Serve your buttery pretzels alongside a tasty dipping sauce. Honey mustard or spicy mustard is a great choice, as is a cheese dip. This is the perfect afternoon snack alongside our iced tea, raspberry iced tea, sweet peach iced tea, or our southern strawberry sweet tea on the side.
Our Carolina mustard barbecue sauce or our beer cheese dip would both be tasty options to dip your warm pretzels in. If you love these pretzels, check out our soft pretzel bites with cheese sauce.
MORE PRETZEL RECIPES
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: This soft pretzel recipe should be enjoyed right away but can be stored, in an airtight container, on the counter for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
IN THE FREEZER: Baked and cooled pretzels freeze well for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake frozen pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through or microwave until warm.
MAKE-AHEAD: The prepared pretzel dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. The refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking.
Close your eyes, take a bite, and you will be transported to the amusement park with these delicious homemade soft pretzels. Salty and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, they will be a huge hit with everyone who tries them.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are there flavor variations of these homemade pretzels that I can make?
There are so many flavors that work well with pretzels. Cinnamon sugar is a popular flavor. To make these, simply sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top after brushing the pretzels with melted butter.
Another favorite is cheese pretzels. After dunking in the baking soda mixture, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top right before baking. You will not want to brush melted butter on top of any cheese pretzels, as you do not want the added grease.
Can I substitute coarse salt for pretzel salt?
Coarse sea salt is a good alternative to pretzel salt, as is kosher salt or bagel salt.
Can I use all-purpose flour for this pretzel recipe?
We would recommend using bread flour for this recipe. You can use all-purpose flour in place of bread flour, but the lower protein content in all-purpose flour means it may yield a slightly wetter dough and make the pretzel dough harder to work with.
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Homemade Soft Pretzels
Buttery homemade soft pretzels are fun to make and just as fun to eat!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8 pretzels
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 1½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4¼ cups bread flour, divided into 4 cups and ¼ cup
- ¼ ounce instant yeast (also known as Rapid-Rise)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Hot Water Bath
- 4 cups very hot water, (not boiling but around 150 to 160°F)
- ⅓ cup baking soda
Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons pretzel salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm water, honey, and salt. With a spoon, stir the water around to dissolve the honey and salt.
- Add the 4 cups of bread flour and instant yeast. Turn the mixer on very low speed (setting 1, or stir, on a standard mixer) and slowly drizzle the melted and cooled butter into the flour mixture. Allow the butter to fully incorporate and mix for 2 minutes. Then increase the speed of the mixer to medium-low (or setting 3) and continue to mix for an additional 5 minutes. Your dough should form a ball and be smooth but still slightly sticky.
- Remove the bowl of your stand mixer and the dough hook and cover it loosely with plastic wrap allowing the dough to rest and rise on the counter for 1 hour, or until your dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and set it aside.
- On a clean counter or large cutting board, sprinkle your remaining ¼ cup of flour and turn out your dough. Gently press out your dough into an 8 x 20-inch rectangle.
- With a very sharp knife (or a pizza cutter works great also), cut eight 1 x 20-inch long strips of dough. Gently shape your strips of dough into 20-inch long ropes, being very careful not to overwork the dough.
- To shape your pretzels, take the ends of 1 dough rope and cross them, making a large circle with about 2 inches of the ends overhanging. Take those two overhanging ends and cross them again. Holding both ends (already twisted), bring them forward to meet the bottom of the circle. Repeat this with the remaining seven dough ropes and place them on your prepared sheet tray to rest and rise while preparing your water bath.
- In a medium-sized baking dish, with 2-inch high sides, place your baking soda and very hot water. Stir it around with a spoon until all of the baking soda dissolves.
- Gently place 1 to 2 pretzels (depending on the size of your dish) into the water bath for 30 seconds, then flip them over for another 30 seconds. Very carefully remove the pretzels using an extra-large slotted spoon or a spider, allowing the excess water to drip off and place them back onto your prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all of your pretzels are done.
- Bake your pretzels for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the pretzels are baking, melt the ¼ cup butter for your topping in a microwave-safe cup for 30 seconds.
- When you remove your pretzels from the oven, immediately brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle them with the salt.
Video
Notes
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough with a wooden spoon and knead the dough by hand.
- If you are struggling with forming the shape of a pretzel in a traditional shape, feel free to shape the pieces of dough however you wish. You can just fold the thin ropes in half and twist them. You can make a heart shape with them or even bite-size pieces. There are several tutorial videos online that show you how to properly shape a pretzel if you are having trouble.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your pretzels as the suggested baking time approaches.
Nutrition
Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 3341mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
EILEEN MEYERS says
Just love the cheese sauce & so easy to make, goes well with other foods too.
Tara M says
These were great! First time trying a homemade recipe, and wasn’t sure what to expect. I followed the recipe to a T and they turned out great!
Cherise says
Mmmm, if I don’t have a mixer how long should I knead the bread for?
Layne Kangas says
Oh goodness, I’m not sure! I’ve only made it with a mixer!
Jan says
I didn’t have a mixer and kneaded around 5 minutes. They turned out great. They didn’t look like the pretzels in the picture but that was my fault. Lol!
Paul says
The printed recipe leaves out the boiling step.
Layne Kangas says
Whoops, thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Gloria says
These are the best!!!!
Lisa H says
I used the bread machine for my pretzels. The dough was easy to handle, the recipe had clear instructions. Pretzels turned out perfectly, nice hard exterior, chewy and soft on the inside.. tasty! We had ours with garlic sauce .. Will be making these again!
Sierra67 says
Am about to try this recipe but I plan to turn them into pizza pretzels! So excited
Colleen G says
These are so easy to make and my family loves them!