These homemade soft pretzels are perfectly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, plus they are made with only 8 pantry-staple ingredients for an easy and delicious homemade pretzel recipe.
This recipe for homemade soft pretzels is a classic and delicious homemade snack recipe. The homemade soft pretzels are made with pantry-staple ingredients, boiled in a baking soda bath and topped with flaky salt before baking in the oven to create a classic chewy outside and deliciously soft inside.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Homemade Recipe
- Kid-Friendly
- Homemade Snack
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Water - Warm water helps proof the yeast.
- Yeast - Yeast helps the pretzels to rise while baking.
- Sugar - Sugar helps proof the yeast.
- Butter - Butter adds a rich flavor to the pretzel dough and keeps the pretzels soft on the inside.
- Flour - We recommend using unbleached all-purpose or unbleached bread flour.
- Salt - This recipe calls for regular salt in the pretzel dough and flaky salt to top the pretzels before baking.
- Baking Soda - Boiling the pretzels in a baking soda bath gives them a chewy outside and soft inside.
- Egg - An egg wash gives the pretzels their classic rich brown color.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Stand Mixer - A stand mixer helps to easily mix the dough together.
- Bench Scraper - Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Large Pot - A large pot is necessary to boil water for the baking soda bath.
- Sheet Pan - Use a large sheet pan to bake the pretzels on.
- Parchment Paper - We recommend lining the sheet pan with parchment paper.
How to Make the Recipe
Step 1. Mix the dough together.
Step 2. Allow the dough to rise.
Step 3. Shape the pretzels, boil in water and place on a sheet pan.
Step 4. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt.
Step 5. Bake the pretzels in the oven.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This recipe makes 6 homemade soft pretzels. We love to serve the soft pretzels with cheese sauce.
If you like this recipe, you will love our other homemade bread recipes.
- French Bread
- Italian Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Homemade Bagels
- Sourdough Bagels
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Banana Bread
Expert Tips & Variations
- Don't skip the baking soda bath. The baking soda bath not only creates the chewy outside of the pretzels, but it also helps give the pretzel its classic flavor.
- Add toppings. You can customize this recipe by topping the soft pretzels with cheese or cinnamon sugar before baking in the oven.
- Freeze extras for later. We love to freeze half of the pretzels in an airtight, freezer-safe container to enjoy later. Simple warm in the microwave or oven to enjoy.
How to Store
- Countertop - In an airtight container for 3 days.
- Freezer - In a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ
Boiling the soft pretzels in a baking soda bath helps create the classic chewy outside of the pretzel while keeping the inside soft.
More Bread Recipes
Homemade Soft Pretzels
These homemade soft pretzels are perfectly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, plus they are made with only 8 pantry-staple ingredients for an easy and delicious homemade pretzel recipe.
Ingredients
Pretzel Dough
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 2.25 teaspoons yeast
- 2 Tablespoons cane sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups unbleached flour
Baking Soda Bath
- 20 cups water
- ¼ cup baking soda
Toppings
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 Tablespoon flaky salt
Instructions
- Proof the yeast by adding warm water to a bowl with the yeast and sugar. Cover and allow to proof for 10 minutes.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.
- Add 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon salt to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Continue to add the flour 1 cup at a time until all of the flour is added and a ball of dough forms.
- Transfer the ball of dough to a clean work surface and knead the dough with your hands to form a smooth ball of dough.
- Transfer the dough back into the bowl of the stand mixer, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and set aside to allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
- As the dough rises, line a sheet pan with parchment paper, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, bring a pot with about 20 cups of water to a rolling boil and whisk 1 egg in a bowl for the egg wash.
- Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down to release any air.
- Transfer the ball of dough to a clean work surface.
- Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a soft pretzel by rolling the dough into a long rope that is about 20 inches long. Bring the ends of the dough together to form a circle, then twist the ends together and press them down into the bottom of the circle. Repeat this process to shape all 6 pretzels.
- Once the water in the pot is boiling, decrease the heat and pour ¼ cup baking soda into the boiling water.
- Allow the baking soda to dissolve.
- Place 3 pretzels face-down into the boiling water.
- Allow the pretzels to boil for 20 second, before flipping them over to boil on the other side for an additional 20 seconds.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels from the boiling water and allow any excess water to drip off.
- Place the pretzels on the sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat the boiling process with the 3 remaining pretzels.
- Once all 6 of the pretzels are on the sheet pan, brush with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the flaky salt on top.
- Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and allow the pretzels to bake for 20 minutes.
- Once the pretzels are a rich brown color, remove them from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 404Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 4036mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 10g
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