Super Soft Pretzels with a salty crust that are easy to make and better than the ones you’ll buy at the mall or a ballpark.
Homemade pretzels have been on my baking bucket list for years. I love a great soft pretzel with a side of mustard or cheese sauce for dipping. It’s one of those snacks that I constantly crave and have always just relied on the mall or ballpark to get one. Why oh why have I waited this long…
I could eat a big soft pretzel just by itself, but I’m a dipper so I usually get a side of mustard or cheese sauce to dip it in. M’m! M’m!
It’s a lot easier than you’d think to make these pretzels yourself and it’s pretty fun too! Don’t dare fear the yeast. Yeast is a wonderful thing and once you’ve got it down, you’re baking will only get better.
Once the dough rises, you’ll divide it into 12 portions and then roll and twist each portion into a pretzel shape. So fun!
The key to a great soft pretzel is the dip in a hot baking soda solution. It helps create that slightly crisp golden crust.
Once you’ve dipped each pretzel in the soda solution, you’ll brush it with an egg wash and generously salt with coarse sea salt. Now you’re ready to bake them and in less than 15 minutes your house will smell of the most intoxicating pretzel aroma and you’ll pull the most beautiful golden soft pretzels out of your oven.
That’s all there is to it! Big, warm, soft, salty homemade pretzels that are love at first sight and most certainly bite! Once you’ve baked them once and tasted how amazing they are, you’ll want to bake them again and again and again.
Enjoy!
Soft Pretzels
- Prep Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 59 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: snacks
Description
Super soft pretzels with a salty crust that are easy to make and better than the ones you’ll buy at the mall or a ballpark.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2–1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water (110°F)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- 2–1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Other Ingredients:
- 7 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the yeast and sugar. Gently pour the warm water over it and let proof until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the melted butter and then stir in the flour and salt until well combined. Using well-floured hands, form dough into a moist ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Bring 7 cups water and 1/3 cup baking soda to a slight boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium low.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cover one baking sheet with parchment paper. Set a wire rack over another baking sheet.
- Once dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 equal portions, about 1/4 cup each. Place portions of dough back into the greased bowl and cover with the damp cloth while you work with one portion at a time.
- Roll and stretch a portion of dough into a 22-inch rope with your hands, working from the center to the ends. Twist the rope into a pretzel shape. Gently dip the pretzel into the hot baking soda solution, for about 30 seconds, and then transfer to the wire rack. Repeat process with 5 more portions of dough, as you’ll just want to bake 6 at a time.
- Transfer pretzels to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush the egg wash all over the tops and sides of each pretzel and immediately sprinkle generously with coarse salt.
- Place baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake pretzels until golden, 12-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time.
- While first batch of pretzels are baking, prepare the other 6 pretzels so they’re ready to go in the oven when the first batch comes out.
Notes
Serve with mustard or cheese sauce. Enjoy!
This was such an easy recipe to follow and the pretzels are so delicious! All the kids loved them. We will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Hi, Stacie! I’m go glad they were a hit. They’re a favorite in our house, too. Enjoy!
I never leave reviews, so this should tell you how freaking good these pretzels are. Recipe is easy to follow and I’m not kidding when I tell you they are delicious. These will be a regular for family movie nights. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, Heather! I am so glad you enjoyed them! They are one of our favorites, too.
Hi, I was wondering how big these pretzels are once cooked, in the picture they look small so I’m just a bit confused on sizing.
Hi Alice! They’re about 4″ x 4″ once baked. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Because of these days’ yeast shortage, I’m left with rapid rise instant yeast, can I use that instead?🙈
Hi Nathalie! No need to worry! Active dry yeast and instant yeast can generally be used interchangeably, one-for-one (although active dry yeast tends to be slower to rise). Since the recipe calls for active dry and you want to use instant, reduce the rise time by about 10 to 15 minutes. Other than that the recipe can stay exactly the same and there is no need to make any changes. The differences in texture will be very minor and you shouldn’t run into any issues. Enjoy!