A recipe for truly the best Homemade Soft Pretzels. Perfectly chewy on the outside thanks to a baking soda wash and soft on the inside just like mall pretzels!
Was I the only one who used to make a beeline for Auntie Anne’s pretzels as soon as we got to the mall? No costume jewelry at Claire’s or Bath & Bodyworks shower gels for me. Just pretzels, please. Now that I do most of my shopping online, these babies help me get my fix.
Making Soft Pretzels at Home
These are seriously the best homemade soft pretzels that I have ever made. Similar to bagels, they get boiled in a baking soda bath for a few seconds to give the exterior that delightful chewiness just like the pretzels we used to get in the mall. It’s funny how such a small step can make all the difference.
Big shout out to my girlfriends Holly and Rachael for helping out with these delicious treats! Baking with a girlfriend is wayyy more fun than baking alone – and not just because you have help with the dishes. With our busy schedules, these get-togethers just don’t happen enough.
I mean look at that. Perfectly chewy on the outside with a soft doughy center. Om nom nom. So easy to make and they turn out perfectly every time.
In addition to being addicting and delicious, this pretzel recipe is also really flexible. I love the classic twists like you find in the mall, but you can also form the dough into pretzel bites or sticks. Perfect for portion control or upcoming Superbowl parties!
We mixed together some mustard and honey for a dipping sauce, but you can eat them with whatever you’d like. I’m a sucker for the old classic of melting some butter and rolling them in cinnamon sugar.
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The Best Homemade Soft Pretzels
A recipe for truly the best Homemade Soft Pretzels. Perfectly chewy on the outside thanks to a baking soda wash and soft on the inside just like mall pretzels!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
- Yield: 8 preztels 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- Canola or olive oil, to grease bowl
- 3 quarts water
- 2/3 cups baking soda
- 1 whole egg, beaten
- Coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Add the water, sugar, yeast, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and 4 1/2 cups of flour to the mixture and mix on low until combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough appears too wet.
- Place dough on a flat surface and knead into a ball.
- Coat a large bowl with canola oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough doubles in size.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.
- Remove dough from the bowl and divide into 8 equal pieces. On a flat surface or between your hands, roll each piece into a long rope. Form the rope into a pretzel shape by twisting the ends together.*
- Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels 2 at a time for 30 seconds, using a slotted spoon to take them in and out of the water.
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Place the pretzels on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire baking rack.
- Serve pretzels with the dip or sauce of your choice, or roll in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. Feel free to skip the twisting step and cut them into pretzel bites instead!
Notes
*or cut them up into bite-sized pieces at this step to make pretzel bites!
P.S. – This is an updated version of a post originally published in January 2014. I’m having so much fun going back through these posts and reshooting them! I hope you enjoy a look at some of the photos from the original blog post below.
P.P. S. Just in case you thought blogging was a glamorous business, here is a fun behind-the-scenes from the original post that Rachael snapped. Nothing really has changed, I’m still pretty much that ridiculous when it comes to getting the perfect shot! 🙂
Ooo, those look amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe out, I’ve never made pretzels before!
They are fantastic! Let me know how they turn out!
Love these pretzels!
Me too! 🙂
Wow those look amazing! I have never made pretzels before and have always wanted to! I will definitely try these in the next couple of weeks! Yum!!
You should! Let me know how they turn out!
These look absolutely delicious! I just pinned this so that I can make them later.
P.S. I totally giggled at your behind the scenes photo, I have so many of me taking photos in awkward positions, lol.
Haha, I thought it was important that people realize my life is 100% a disaster behind the scenes! I’m going to try to share more going forward.
These look absolutely delicious. Am going to be trying this real soon. I just love the last picture, so realistic… Gorgeous images.
Thanks Simi! I was lucky to have a *real* photographer on hand for this shoot! It makes me so jealous of the big bloggers who have a staff of helpers in real life!
These were delicious great soft and chewy pretzel with a easy to follow recipe. The only thing is I think I didn’t drain my pretzels well enough after the baking soda because I occasionally would taste a tangy and sour piece while enjoying my yummy pretzel but I can’t wait to make these again !!! Thank you.
Oh hooray! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so happy to hear that my ramblings make sense.
Okay….sooooo….I tried this recipe today!!!! These were soooooo incredibly good and easy! Here is where I posted pics of how mine turned out: http://creativebrenda.com/homemade-pretzels/ I’ll definitely be making these again. Here’s a tip you guys didn’t have: I ran my empty dryer for a little to get it warmed up and then I just placed my covered bowl of dough inside. Worked great for a warm/dark spot. 🙂
Brenda, you made my day! Thanks so much for the note. I’m glad you had success with these pretzels!
Can I freeze at some point to have in freezer and ready to bake for fresh pretzels each time instead of baking all at once? Thanx ahead of time!
I’ve never tried so I’m not sure sorry!