Homemade Buttery Soft Pretzels
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details.
Prep Time: 20 mins | Bake Time: 14 mins | Inactive Time: 90 mins | Total Time: 2H 4M
Soft pretzels at home because mall pretzels should not have a monopoly on joy.
What Are Homemade Soft Pretzels?
Homemade buttery soft pretzels are classic yeast based bread pretzels with a golden chewy exterior and a pillowy soft interior. What makes them unmistakably pretzels is the baking soda bath which creates that deep flavor and glossy crust you cannot skip. Finished with melted butter and coarse pretzel salt, these taste just like the ones from a pretzel stand but fresher, richer, and way more satisfying to make yourself. They can go savory with salt or sweet with cinnamon sugar depending on the mood.
What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Soft Pretzels?
You only need a handful of pantry staples to make these pretzels at home.
Warm water
Active dry yeast (I used Fleischmann's)
Light brown sugar
Unsalted butter
All purpose flour
Salt
Baking soda
Egg yolk
Pretzel salt
Optional cinnamon sugar
Our Latest Video!
How to Make Homemade Buttery Soft Pretzels
Activate the yeast Stir warm water, yeast, and brown sugar together. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
Mix the dough Add more brown sugar, melted butter, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir in the flour until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead the dough Knead for about 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size which takes about 1 to 2 hours.
Shape the pretzels Punch down the dough and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into a long rope about 20 inches. Twist into pretzel shapes and place on parchment lined trays. Rest for 30 minutes.
Give them a baking soda bath Bring water and baking soda to a boil. Dip each pretzel in for 30 seconds per side. They will puff up and turn shiny.
Bake Brush each pretzel with egg wash, sprinkle with pretzel salt, and bake at 450 F/220 C for 12 to 14 minutes until golden brown.
Finish Brush with melted butter while still warm. Serve right away with cheese dip or mustard.
Our Tips for the Best Soft Pretzels
Do not add extra flour too quickly while kneading. A slightly soft dough is what gives you a tender interior instead of a dry pretzel.
The baking soda bath is not optional. This step is what creates the chewy crust and classic pretzel flavor.
Let the shaped pretzels rest before boiling. This short 30 minute rest helps them puff properly in the bath and bake evenly.
Brush with butter while they are still warm so it melts in instead of sitting on top.
Use scrap pieces to make pretzel bites: When shaping pretzels, save any uneven ends or scrap pieces. Roll them into short ropes, cut into bite sized pieces, and boil and bake the same way as the full pretzels. Reduce bake time to about 8 to 10 minutes. They are perfect for snacking or dipping and nothing goes to waste. Boil for 20 to 30 seconds total, then bake at 450 F for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. For cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, skip the salt, brush with melted butter while warm, and toss in cinnamon sugar immediately so it sticks.
How to Store Soft Pretzels
Room temperature Best eaten the same day. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheat Warm in the oven at 300 F for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Freeze Freeze shaped pretzels after the baking soda bath. When ready to bake brush with egg wash and bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
Subscribe and Save
Soft Pretzels
Golden, chewy, buttery, salty. These homemade soft pretzels taste just like the ones you would grab at the mall, only fresher and better. Whether you are making them for game day, movie night, or just because you need carbs now, these bakery style pretzels are a guaranteed win.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup baking soda
- 9 cups water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1-3 tablespoons pretzel salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Instructions
- Activate the Yeast: In a small bowl, combine warm water, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit covered with a towel for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
- Make the Dough: Uncover the yeast mixture. Add the remaining brown sugar, salt, melted butter to the yeast mixture until combined.
- Add the Flour: Gradually stir in the flour until a shaggy dough forms. If using a stand mixer, mix with a dough hook on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft but not sticky. It should bounce back after poking lightly with your finger.
- First Rise: Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Shape the Pretzels: Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 20 inch rope and shape into pretzels. Place on parchment lined baking sheets, lightly cover with a towel, and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the Oven and Bath: Preheat oven to 450 F. Bring water to a boil and carefully add baking soda.
- Boil: Working in batches, boil each pretzel for 30 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon (shake excess water off) and return to the baking sheet.
- Egg Wash and Bake: Brush pretzels with egg yolk and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes until deep golden brown.
- For Pretzel Bites: Bake on the middle rack for 8-10 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Finish: Brush warm pretzels with melted butter and serve immediately.
Notes
- Dough Texture Matters: A soft dough leads to a tender interior. Adding too much flour during kneading will result in dense pretzels.
- Rest Before Boiling: Allowing the shaped pretzels to rest helps them puff evenly and prevents flat spots during boiling.
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels: Skip the coarse salt topping. Bake as directed. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tablespoons (56g) of unsalted or salted butter. Brush the baked and warm pretzels with melted butter, then dip the tops into a mix of cinnamon and sugar. I usually use 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. (Cinnamon sugar pretzels are best served that day because the melted butter causes them to become soggy.)
- Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
