Description
This homemade soft pretzel recipe is easy to make in about 1 hour with ingredients you likely already have on hand, and they taste insanely good! See notes above for possible variations you can make too.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115°F) milk or water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 (0.25-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for brushing
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 9 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg (whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
- pretzel salt or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Whisk together the warm milk and sugar in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Sprinkle the yeast on top and wait 5 minutes for the yeast to foam up and activate.
- Knead the dough. Add the flour, melted butter and salt. Then either (a) use a spoon to mix everything in until combined, and then use your hands to knead the dough for about 4 minutes until it is smooth, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky or (b) use a stand mixer with a dough hook and mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until the dough is smooth, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Let the dough rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
- Prep oven, baking sheet and boiling water solution. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside. Combine the water and baking soda in a stockpot or very large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Form the pretzels. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into an even 20-inch* rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, then cross the ends over each other and press then onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
- Boil the pretzels. Very carefully, use a spatula to transfer the pretzels into the boiling water, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each. Use the spatula to transfer the pretzel to the parchment-lined pan, spaced out so that they’re not touching, and repeat with the remaining pretzels.
- Add egg wash and salt. Finally, brush the top of each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
- Bake. Bake until the pretzels reach your desired level of golden brown color, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- (Optional: Brush with extra butter.) If you would like your pretzels to taste extra buttery, brush them with extra melted butter just before serving.
- Serve warm. These pretzels taste best the day they have been baked, and even better hot out of the oven. So serve warm and enjoy!
