👩‍🍳Why You’ll Love This Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipe

One of my favorite stops at the Columbia Mall used to be Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Their soft pretzels are addictive, but I try to avoid a lot of mass-produced food since I don’t have a thyroid and preservatives and additives make me hold onto inflammation and water weight. That doesn’t mean I never eat out. I mean when we’re on the road heading to my in-laws, there usually aren’t many options, so I just go with it.

At home, though, nothing beats pulling a tray of homemade soft pretzels out of the oven. They’re warm, chewy, salty, and even better when you dip them in my Raspberry Honey Mustard Dip. This recipe is actually adapted from my Pretzel Hamburger Buns, which my family requests anytime I make burgers.

This homemade soft pretzel recipe is made with bread flour, brown sugar, and a simple baking soda bath that gives them their signature deep golden crust. The inside stays fluffy and soft while the outside bakes up chewy with that classic salty finish. You can keep them simple with coarse salt or switch things up with everything bagel seasoning, cinnamon sugar, or even a sprinkle of cheddar before baking.

They’re not Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and they’re not drenched in butter, but they deliver that same soft, bakery-style flavor with ingredients you can trust. Plus, its kinda fun to twist them up.

🛒 Ingredients in Soft Prezels

🥣 How to Make Soft Pretzels at Home (Step-by-Step Baking Guide)

Start by pouring the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer and stirring in the active dry yeast with the brown sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes until the surface looks foamy and smells a little sweet and yeasty. This shows the yeast is alive and ready to work. If it doesn’t foam, it’s best to start over with fresh yeast.

Once it’s ready, add the melted butter, then add the bread flour with the salt sprinkled over the top. Attach the dough hook and knead on medium speed for about eight to ten minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl but still clings a little to the bottom. When you poke it with your finger, it should slowly spring back.

Take the dough out, tuck the sides underneath, and pinch them together so you form a smooth ball. Place it back in the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest in a warm spot until it doubles in size, usually about one to two hours depending on your kitchen temperature.

Once it’s risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into eight equal portions and roll each into a long rope, around eighteen to twenty inches. Keep the thickness even from one end to the other so they bake evenly. To shape them, make a U, twist the ends over each other twice, and press them firmly into the bottom of the U. Place the shaped pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rest while you prepare the next step.

Preheat your oven to 425℉ and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove it from the heat and stir in the baking soda carefully (it will foam quite a bit) then return the pot to heat and bring it back to a rolling boil. Working with two pretzels at a time, lower them into the water seam side down. Let them boil for a full minute, then flip them gently with a slotted spoon and give the other side a minute as well. This double dip is what gives you the deep brown crust and chewy bite. Transfer the boiled pretzels to a wire rack to drain briefly, then return them to the baking sheet.

Before baking, brush the pretzels generously with a beaten egg, making sure every surface is coated so they’ll bake up shiny and golden. Sprinkle with coarse salt or if you’d rather make sweet pretzels, keep them plain for now and finish them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar right after baking. Slide the trays into the oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, rotating once halfway through, until the pretzels are puffed and richly golden. Serve them warm, just as they are, or with your favorite dips like mustard, cheese sauce, raspberry pretzel dip or something sweet if you’ve gone the cinnamon route.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Recipe (Chewy, Fluffy, and Easy to Make)

Bakery style soft pretzels with a golden crust and chewy center. This homemade pretzel recipe is easy, salty, and perfect for dipping or snacking.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Proofing Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 8 Pretzels

Calories 260 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1½ cups warm water
• 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter (melted)
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup baking soda
• 1 large egg (whisked)
• coarse salt
• Optional toppings: melted butter + cinnamon sugar (everything bagel seasoning, or shredded cheddar cheese)

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1½ cups warm water, 2¼ tsp active dry yeast and 2 tbsp brown sugar. Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
  
• Add 1 tbsp butter, 4 cups bread flour and 1 tsp salt. Knead with the dough hook for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and bounces back when pressed.
  
• Form the dough into a ball by pulling the sides underneath and pinching them together. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope.
  
• Twist the two ends around each other, leaving a loop at the bottom. Fold the ends down to create the pretzel shape. Let rest for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425℉.
  
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in ½ cup baking soda (it will foam), then return to a boil. Drop pretzels into the water, two at a time, seam side down. Boil for 60 seconds, flip, and boil another 60 seconds (double dip for a darker, chewier crust). Remove to a drying rack.
  
• Brush pretzels all over with 1 large egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Add optional toppings if desired. Bake 15–20 minutes, until golden brown and glossy.
  

Storage

Store cooled pretzels in an airtight container or wrapped in foil at room temperature. Reheat them in the oven for a few minutes to bring back the soft, chewy texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 9gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 2364mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 75IUVitamin C: 0.003mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

snack, soft pretzel recipe

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