Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe
These Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels are golden brown, chewy, and perfectly salted. Made with simple pantry staples, they’re baked to bakery-style perfection after a quick baking soda bath. Serve warm with mustard, cheese dip, or even caramel sauce for a salty-sweet treat.
Equipment
- parchment paper
- Cooking spray for greasing bowl/work surface
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 1 1/2 cups warm water 110 to 115°F
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt or other fine grain salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
Baking soda bath
- 10 cups water 2.5 quarts
- 2/3 cup baking soda
Egg wash and salt topping
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup coarse pretzel salt or kosher salt
Instructions
Pretzels
- For the soft pretzel dough, combine the warm water, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Stir in the yeast and allow it to stand until bubbly and foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and butter to the mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 to 5 minutes. The dough should be firm and not sticky.
- Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough over to coat the entire surface. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size
Baking soda bath
- When the dough is raised, place the 10 cups of water and baking soda in a large pot and bring it to a full boil. Spritz a work surface with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto the greased work surface and divide into 8 even pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time, and cover the remaining dough with a damp cloth to prevent the pieces from drying out.
- Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out a piece of dough under your palms into a long rope, about 24 inches in length. If the dough springs back, let it rest for a few minutes and try again; this gives the gluten a chance to relax. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying.
- Position the rope into a U-shape, with the U shape pointing away from you. Hold a rope end in each hand and cross them twice about 3 inches from the tips. Press the ends down into the U-shape at about 4:00 and 8:00, allowing about 1/4 inch of the ends to overhang the bottom of the U. Place the pretzel on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat the rolling and twisting process with the remaining dough pieces.
- Place the pretzels in the boiling water one at a time, for about 30 seconds. Remove them carefully with a large slotted spatula (or spider strainer) and return the pretzels to the parchment-lined baking sheets (4 pretzels per pan will give them plenty of room to bake).
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Egg wash and salt topping
- Beat together the yolk and water in a small bowl. Coat each pretzel with the mixture using a pastry brush. Bake for 6 minutes; remove from the oven. Working one at a time, re-brush with egg wash and immediately sprinkle generously with coarse pretzel salt. Bake for 6 minutes longer, or until deep brown in color. Let the pretzels cool on the pans for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce or cheese dip.
Notes
Cinnamon-Sugar Soft Pretzels: Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl; whisk together until well combined. Bake pretzels as directed but omit coarse salt. Brush each pretzel with melted butter and coat in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
How to Store:
Let pretzels cool completely before storing. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Over time, the moisture from the soft pretzel will cause the salt to melt away, but the pretzel will still be adequately salty. For longer storage, wrap each pretzel tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag. They will keep well frozen for up to 2 months. Freezing Tip:
If you know you’ll be freezing your pretzels, skip the second egg wash + salting step. Bake the pretzels plain, let them cool, then wrap and freeze. This prevents the salt from melting or drawing out moisture during storage. How to Reheat + Salt:
Let pretzels cool completely before storing. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Over time, the moisture from the soft pretzel will cause the salt to melt away, but the pretzel will still be adequately salty. For longer storage, wrap each pretzel tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe bag. They will keep well frozen for up to 2 months. Freezing Tip:
If you know you’ll be freezing your pretzels, skip the second egg wash + salting step. Bake the pretzels plain, let them cool, then wrap and freeze. This prevents the salt from melting or drawing out moisture during storage. How to Reheat + Salt:
- From Frozen: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place frozen pretzels directly on a baking sheet and warm for 10–12 minutes, or until heated through.
- Adding Salt After Freezing: Lightly brush the reheated pretzels with melted butter or a quick mist of water, then immediately sprinkle with coarse salt (the moisture helps it stick). Return to the oven for 1–2 minutes to set the salt.
- From Room Temp Storage: Warm pretzels at 350°F for 5–7 minutes. If unsalted, follow the same brush-and-salt method above before the quick reheat.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!