Soft Pretzels

Course Appetizer, Bread, Snack

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best-soft-pretzels, best-soft-pretzels-recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 319kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115°F)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 0.25 oz package of active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 Tbsp salted or unsalted butter melted
vegetable oil for bowl and sheet pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
coarse sea salt or pretzel salt

Instructions

Combine warm water, granulated sugar and kosher salt in the large bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
To the bowl, add flour and melted butter. 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, about 4-5 minutes.
Coat the bottom and sides of a clean large bowl with vegetable oil. Transfer dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm draft free place for approximately 50-60 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.
In an 8 quart saucepan or pot, bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch long 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 pretzel shape. Place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet pan.
Lower each of the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time boiling for 30 seconds each. Remove them from the water using a large flat slotted spatula.
Return to the sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with beaten egg yolk and water mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt.
Bake until dark golden brown in color, around 12-14 minutes.
Transfer hot pretzels to a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before serving with mustard or cheese sauce for dipping.

Notes

Check the Date of the Yeast - When making pretzels from scratch, it’s imperative that you start with fresh yeast. Check the packaging for the expiration date and be patient, giving it ample time to bloom. If, after waiting 10 minutes there’s no action, throw it out and start again.
Flour - All purpose flour will give you the best texture. You could use bread flour in a pinch for an even chewier texture. Just as when you’re baking homemade bread, it's important to use fresh flour.
Salt - You can use sea salt, flaky salt or pretzel salt to sprinkle on top of the finished pretzels. Pretzel salt is usually found with the other salt and seasonings at most grocery stores.
Smaller Pretzels - This recipe demonstrates how to make large pretzels. You can make these pretzels smaller by dividing the dough into more portions.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels - How do you make cinnamon sugar pretzels? The technique for making the pretzel dough is the same. In place of salt, sprinkle them on all sides with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet version, after baking. You will need to brush the pretzels with melted butter so it will stick.
Garlic Butter Pretzels - You can brush the pretzels with garlic butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for a savory twist.
Cheese Stuffed Soft Pretzel Bites - Checkout my recipe for Cheese Pretzel Bites for a bite-size treat.
How to Serve Soft Pretzels - While homemade pretzels are most often served with classic mustard and Cheese Sauce for dipping, you can use any sauce, you like. We’ve even dipped pretzels into homemade Pimento Cheese. You could also serve soft pretzels with my Reuben Dip,

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