Description
This homemade soft pretzel recipe yields warm, chewy, and perfectly golden pretzels with a traditional baking soda bath and a delicious egg wash topping. Ideal for snacking or serving with your favorite dip, these pretzels come out soft on the inside and beautifully crusty on the outside, complete with classic coarse salt and versatile seasoning toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 2 and a 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 and a 1/2 cups warm water
- 4 and a 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
Baking Soda Bath
- 6 cups water
- 2 tbsp baking soda
Topping
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, active dry yeast, and brown sugar. Whisk to mix and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and bubbly, indicating the yeast is active.
- Make Dough: Add flour, olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture. Attach the kneading hook and knead on low for about 5 minutes until the dough forms a cohesive ball and springs back when pressed. Alternatively, knead by hand if no mixer is available.
- First Rise: Lightly oil the dough and place it back in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm area to rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Divide Dough: Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces using a bench scraper or sharp knife on a floured surface.
- Shape Pretzels: Roll each piece into an 18-24 inch rope, then twist into a traditional pretzel shape. Watching a video tutorial can help with perfect shaping.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to 450°F and prepare for baking.
- Prepare Baking Soda Bath: Bring 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot. Dip each formed pretzel into the boiling solution for 15-30 seconds, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Apply Egg Wash and Toppings: Immediately brush each pretzel with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt and everything but the bagel seasoning for an extra flavor boost.
- Bake Pretzels: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool: Remove pretzels from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Serve: Enjoy warm with your favorite dips, such as cheese sauce, mustard, or honey mustard.
Notes
- You can customize toppings with alternatives like garlic parmesan, jalapeno cheddar, or even chocolate.
- Store leftover pretzels in an airtight container for a few days to keep them fresh.
- Pretzels freeze well for up to 12 months; thaw before reheating.
- For best texture, serve pretzels warm or reheat in the oven to refresh crispness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pretzel
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
