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5 from 4 votes

Homemade Soft Pretzels

These are the best and easiest Homemade Soft Pretzels you could make! Made in 1 hour and have a chewy exterior and soft and fluffy inside.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 pretzels
Author: Kathryn Donangelo

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter; melted

Baking Soda Bath

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 Tbsp. baking soda
  • coarse salt; to top pretzels

Toppings

  • 2 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 2-3 tsp. coarse sea salt

Instructions

To make the soft pretzels

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer using a fitted dough hook attachment, mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate.
  • Add 1 cup of flour, salt and melted butter. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour and mix on low-medium speed for 5-6 minutes and until a dough has formed. The dough should be elasticy and not too sticky.
  • Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and lightly coat all sides of the dough ball. Cover the bowl with a warm damp towel and allow to rest in a cool dry area. The kitchen counter is perfect.
  • Once the pretzel dough has risen, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece out to about 26-28 inches long rope. Twist the rope into a pretzel shape and repeat with all of the pretzels.

Soak in Baking Soda Bath

  • Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Boil or microwave the water and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Whisk in the baking soda until it has completely dissolved. Place 4 pretzels in the water bath at a time and let them sit for 2 minutes. Spoon the water mixture on top of each pretzel. Repeat with the 4 remaining pretzels.
  • In the meantime, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mats and transfer the pretzels after the baking soda bath.

Bake the prezels

  • Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt and let rise for 10 more miniutes. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  • Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush each one with melted butter. It's best to eat pretzels while they are warm. Serve with a cheese sauce or Dijon mustard.