Golden, fluffy, chewy, salty…all the things a great soft pretzels should be. You wont believe how simple these are to make at home. These soft pretzels require only a few staple ingredients, which you probably already have on hand. Except maybe the yeast, unless you’re a big baker like myself and always keep it stocked!
Let’s start with the dough. You want to make sure the yeast you are using is alive and active, so look for signs of bubbling or foaming after letting is sit in the milk/sugar mixture for about 5 minutes. If you don’t see any signs of life after a few minutes you may need to start again with fresh yeast.
Alright, once we have that going next is to add in the flour and salt and get to mixing. My directions below call for using a stand mixer to combine everything and knead the dough. But you can absolutely make these without a mixer if you want! Use a wooden spoon to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. And then use your hands to knead the dough until smooth and no longer sticky.
Allow the dough a quick rest to rise and become fluffy. Then divide it into 8 equal portions. I like to take the dough ball and cut it into 4 portions first by cutting in half both vertically and horizontally. Then I split each quarter portion in half again. You’ll end up with 8 even sized wedges. Think of it like cutting a pizza!
Roll out each portion into a long thin rope, between 25-30 inches in length. This may seem long but you’ll need that length to create the classic pretzel twisted shape and still have room for the dough to expand.
These babies will get a little dip in a water bath before baking which will give them their signature “pretzel-y” exterior crust.
The final touches:
- Egg wash – for that beautiful golden brown color
- Salt – because a pretzel isn’t complete without a good sprinkling of salt
Choose whichever salt you like here. You can opt for the traditional large grained pretzel salt you see at the ballparks, but it can be hard to find unless you order it online. More easily available options would be coarse or flaky sea salt that can be found in any grocery store. I went with flaky fleur de sel because it’s what I had on hand.
And if I’m being honest, I actually don’t like the overly salted ballpark versions! I end up scraping off most of the salt, only leaving what I deem to be an appropriate level. Haha! You’ll notice in the pictures I only sprinkled sparingly with salt, because that’s how I like it! But you do you! Go all out with the salt if that’s your thing!
I hope you give these super easy homemade soft pretzels a try and send me a picture if you do! Coincidentally these would make for a perfect snack for that big football game that’s coming up! 😉
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Traditional Soft Pretzels
- Prep Time: 1 – 1 1/2 hours (includes rise time)
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 min – 1 hour 40 min
- Yield: 8 pretzels 1x
Description
Homemade large traditional soft pretzels. Perfectly golden on the outside, fluffy and tender on the inside. Pair with your favorite cheese dip or condiment.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) instant yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
Extras
- 6 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
- Coarse, flaky or pretzel salt
Instructions
- In a large measuring glass, combine milk, yeast, sugar, and melted butter. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy. Transfer yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add in flour and salt. Using the dough hook mix on medium-low speed until everything is well combined. The dough should hold together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove dough from the bowl onto a clean surface, knead by hand for a few minutes until dough is soft and smooth. Form into a ball.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and add the smooth dough ball, turning to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm space for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until risen and roughly doubled in size.
- Once dough has risen turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide into 8 evenly sized portions. Roll each portion into a long thin rope, about 25-30″ in length. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape by forming a “U” shape then twist the ends over each other. Bring the twisted ends down and pinch each end into the rounded part of the “U” shape.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium or large saucepan add the baking soda to the water and bring to a simmer.
- Place each pretzel into the simmering water for about 20 seconds, making sure all sides are covered in the water. (This water bath will help create the golden brown outer crust of the pretzel.) The pretzels will puff up and become tacky from the water bath. Remove, let excess water drain, and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or lightly greased parchment paper. Leave plenty of space between each pretzel for room to rise, 4 pretzels per baking sheet. At this point you can also carefully reshape pretzels if they have become misshapen.
- Brush the pretzels lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt of choice.
- Bake until dark golden brown, 10-11 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite cheese sauce or condiment!
LES
YOUR WEBSITE LOOKS VERY PRETTY.
PRETZEL RECIPE LOOKS GREAT! DO U HAVE RECIPE FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE TOO?
THANKS SO MUCH.
HAPPY BAKING!
MY HUBBY LOVES BAKING TOO…WE’LL TRY YOUR RECIPE FOR PRETZELS.
COME VISIT TUCSON AZ
BARRIO BREAD IS LOCAL AND CONNECTS W LOCAL FARMERS FOR WHEAT.
VISIT OUR BOOK FESTIVAL W FEW COOKING DEMOS.
GREAT WINTER TREAT AND THERE’S A HUUUGE GEM MINERAL SHOW (DATE? JAN?) AKA GEOLOGY FEST! HUGE BEAUTIFUL ROCKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.