These Easy Homemade Pretzels are soft, salty, and perfectly delicious!
This last month has been rough.
With everything going on around the world and Roger furloughed indefinitely I knew it wouldn’t be long before he needed a tasty little pick me up.
For months Roger has been asking for homemade pretzels, so I decided to surprise him with a fun afternoon of making pretzels together.
But since it had been years since we have made pretzels together I knew I needed to do a whole lot of research first in order to come up with an epic recipe Roger would love.
I remembered from years ago that a boiling baking soda bath for the pretzels (before you bake them) is the key step to creating perfect homemade pretzels.
Giving your pretzels a baking soda bath contributes to its signature flavor, beautiful golden crust, and soft chewy interior.
While a baking soda bath truly is the key to a perfectly soft homemade pretzel, I knew from times past that it needed something else to achieve the Auntie Anne’s level of pretzel flavor goodness.
Which was the ultimate goal as we can’t go to the mall right now for a hot fresh pretzel.
So after doing a bunch of research and noticing a tiny trend of including brown sugar in the pretzel dough, I knew this must be the secret ingredient to achieving the best homemade pretzels!
And boy, did these pretzels deliver the most epic homemade pretzel treat!
Oh and do you want to know something funny?
I’m a horrible pretzel twister!
I tried multiple times on one or two and just couldn’t make them look right.
Roger took a swing at it and of course his first one was absolutely perfect.
So I had him take over the pretzel twisting job while I dipped them in their boiling baking soda water bath and prepared them for baking!
Hey, we all have different talents. Right?
His is twisting the pretzels and mine is eating them!
Oh, and if you want a nice cold summery drink to pair with your pretzels, be sure to check out this Fresh Homemade Lemonade recipe!
PrintEasy Homemade Pretzels
These Easy Homemade Pretzels are soft, salty, and perfectly delicious!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15-30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 and 1/2 hours
- Yield: 12 pretzels 1x
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/4 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (1 package)
- 1 & 1/2 Cups Warm Water
- 1 & 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 4 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted but not hot
- 3 & 3/4 – 4 & 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Baking Soda
- 8 Cups Water
- 2–4 Tablespoons Butter, melted & optional
- Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the 2 & 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast into the 1 & 1/2 cups warm water.*(1) Let rest for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, whisk in the 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt, 4 teaspoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons cooled melted butter.
- Stir in 3 & 3/4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, with a wooden spoon or dough hook.
- Add more flour as needed (1/4 cup at a time) until a thick dough forms.
- Continue to add more flour a little at a time until the dough is no longer super sticky.
- Place the dough ball on a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Test the dough by sticking your fingers into the top, if it bounces back it’s ready for the next step, if not, add a little more flour and continue kneading until you get the above consistency.
- Form the dough into a ball and place the dough back in your bowl, covered lightly with a clean towel, for 30 minutes.
- Next, line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper sprayed with cooking oil and set to the side.
- Near the end of the resting period, bring 8 cups of water and 1/2 cup baking soda to a boil and preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Next, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and place them on a lightly oiled surface.
- Roll out each dough piece so that it is approximately 20-24 inches long.
- Take one piece of dough, create a U-shape with it, hold the ends and cross/twist them over each other a couple of times and then press them to the bottom of the U to form the shape of a pretzel. Continue this process until all of the dough is in the shape of pretzels.
- Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling baking soda water. Cook for 20-30 seconds, then remove with a large slotted spatula, letting the excess water drip off. *(2)
- Place the pretzel on the baking sheet and brush the top with melted butter.
- Continue steps 14-15 until all of the pretzels have been boiled and brushed with butter.
- Bake the pretzels for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt, let cool, and enjoy!
Notes
- I let the water from the faucet get hot and use that, no need to warm it up. The water should be warm to the touch but not so hot that you can’t touch it.
- Be sure not to cook them for longer than 30 seconds or the baking soda may change the flavor of the pretzel.
I hope you enjoy your Easy Homemade Pretzels!
If you make these Easy Homemade Pretzels, be sure to share a picture and tag @DomesticallyBlissful on Instagram so that we can all see your delicious pretzels and so that I can share your image on my stories!
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What is your favorite pretzel dip?
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With love, Giusti
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:20
