If you love a giant, delicious & chewy pretzel you will fall in love with these Homemade Soft Pretzels. Great for parties, tailgating snacks, BBQ’s & more.
It’s time to talk bread again. Who loves anything in the bread category? I do!
Things like muffins, loaves of fresh bread, & these Homemade Soft Pretzels truly send me into a happy state. I absolutely love it.
The pretzels remind me of all those fun times going to events like the fair or amusement park or sporting event. They bring back so many great memories, which is why I love making my own at home.
Soft, chewy, salty- oh heavens they are so good. Carb overload & it’s amazing!!! Are you with me on this?
Soft Pretzels
With these I opted to pass on the egg wash. You can absolutely do this if you want that tougher “skin” on the outside.
But with these, I just wanted the soft chewiness. So just a little salt before baking made them just perfect.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Why do I have to do the baking soda bath?
Soaking the dough for a couple of minutes in the baking soda bath is what gives the pretzels that soft pretzel texture. The thick crust on the outside while being spongy and chewy on the inside.
If you skip this step, the pretzels will turn out more like a dinner roll on the outside instead.
If you want the really thick outer texture like you get at the theme park – you will want to do an egg wash over these before you bake them.
How many pretzels does this make?
This recipe will make 8 pretzels. Of course, if you want to make SUPER HUGE pretzels, you can always divide the dough into 4 instead of 8 – or make smaller ones by dividing the dough into more than 8 portions.
I’m telling you – these will definitely be your new favorite snack. I make these for just about every homegating opportunity I can.
They are also a huge hit when I bring them to parties or other fun gatherings. Since they are so easy to make – they are a great recipe option.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Homemade Soft Pretzels?
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment & set aside.
- Combine the yeast, sugar & 1 cup warm water in a mixer bowl & let it sit until it becomes frothy.
- Once proofed, add in the melted butter & salt.
- Turn on the mixer, using the dough hook attachment, add in flour, one cup at a time & allow the hook to combine the ingredients until the dough comes together & is pulling all pieces away from the sides.
- You can continue to let the mixer knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes but I like to do this part by hand. Knead 5 minutes or until smooth stretchy.
- Place the dough back into the bowl to rest for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the water bath by combining the 2½ cups of water & baking soda in a medium saucepan & bringing to a boil over med/high heat.
- Once the baking soda is almost completely dissolved, remove & let cool.
- Take the dough out of the bowl & flatten slightly.
- Cut into 8 even pieces & roll each to 15-19 inch long rope – then form the pretzel shape.
- Place each in the water bath one by one making sure they are fully covered – allow each to soak about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the wet pretzel dough to the prepared baking sheet & immediately sprinkle them with salt.
- Continue with all pretzels & then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
- *Note- you can brush with additional melted butter when you remove them from the oven, however I found this unnecessary for our taste.
- *Store in a paper sack- not an airtight container to keep them from getting moist before enjoying.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
I have not personally tried it, so I can’t say how that would turn out. But if you would like to try it, I suggest a product that offers a 1:1 swap. Please let me know how it turns out.
Can this recipe be doubled?
You can double this pretzel recipe, and we do it often. You may have to bake them in batches unless you have a large baking pan.
Don’t they look so delicious???!!!! YUM!
What is the best way to store leftover pretzels?
I have found that putting these pretzels in an airtight container tends to trap into much moisture and makes them soggy. These are perfect when stored at room temperature in a paper bag so they have just enough airflow to keep that great spongy pretzel texture.
Ingredients for Homemade Soft Pretzels
- active yeast
- warm water- 115 degrees is about perfect
- butter- melted
- granulated sugar
- table salt
- all-purpose flour
- water
- baking soda
- coarse salt for sprinkling on top
giant pretzel
Products I love when making homemade pretzels…
This homemade pretzel recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made soft pretzels before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love these. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this pretzel recipe.
- Yeast
- Stock Pot
If you love this Homemade Pretzel recipe, you’re going to love these other snacks too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 2¼ tsp dry active yeast or one packet
- 1 cup warm water 115 degrees is about perfect
- 1 tbsp butter- melted
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp table salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups water
- 5 tbsp baking soda
- 2 tsp coarse salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment & set aside.
- Combine the yeast, sugar & 1 cup warm water in a mixer bowl & let it sit until it becomes frothy.
- Once proofed, add in the melted butter & salt.
- Turn on the mixer, using the dough hook attachment, add in flour, one cup at a time & allow the hook to combine the ingredients until the dough comes together & is pulling all pieces away from the sides.
- You can continue to let the mixer knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes but I like to do this part by hand. Knead 5 minutes or until smooth stretchy.
- Place the dough back into the bowl to rest for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the water bath by combining the 2½ cups of water & baking soda in a medium saucepan & bringing to a boil over med/high heat.
- Once the baking soda is almost completely dissolved, remove & let cool.
- Take the dough out of the bowl & flatten slightly.
- Cut into 8 even pieces & roll each to 15-19 inch long rope – then form the pretzel shape.
- Place each in the water bath one by one making sure they are fully covered – allow each to soak about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the wet pretzel dough to the prepared baking sheet & immediately sprinkle them with salt.
- Continue with all pretzels & then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
- *Note- you can brush with additional melted butter when you remove them from the oven, however I found this unnecessary for our taste.
- *Store in a paper sack- not an airtight container to keep them from getting moist before enjoying.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Tamar says
They look SO good! I miss soft pretzels the most since going GF!
Kelly Kardos says
Ohhh man Gina…these look PERFECT. My son and his girlfriend make pretzels at such random times. I will forward this recipe to him and her!
Michelle says
Yummy! These look fantastic! I pinned it to make soon 🙂
Tish says
these look so good Gina!! i’m excited to try the recipe!! my girls LOVE soft pretzels!!! thanks for sharing!
Kim Cunningham says
Love this kind of snack!
Easy Peasy Life Matters says
Love, love, LOVE anything in the bread category! Pretzels especially so this will be fun to try! Thanks for sharing on Thursday Favorite Things 🙂
Catherine says
I made these twice at home and they were amazing!!!!