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 mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 pretzels
- 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
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.