Homemade Soft Pretzels

My family loves pretzels! But we don’t often visit the mall, so we only rarely get those yummy mall pretzels! Luckily you can make your own big, soft pretzels at home! And you can make them whatever size you want, with whatever toppings you like! Give your family a real treat and make these Homemade Soft Pretzels!

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This is a revised version of an old homemade pretzel recipe I had. The old recipe is still good, I just think this new version makes soft pretzels even easier! Consider being really creative with your pretzels and adding all sorts of fancy toppings, or whip up some pretzel dips. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a simple classic (salty pretzels in spicy brown mustard are my favorite)!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

4 to 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tbsp. honey (or granulated sugar)
1 tsp. kosher salt

vegetable oil

2 quarts of water
½ cup baking soda

1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. butter (melted)
large grain salt for sprinkling (optional)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a slipat mat).
3. In a big bowl, combine the warm water, honey, salt, and yeast. Stir until dissolved.

4. Add 4 cups of flour to the water mixture. Mix well. Add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is not sticky.
5. Flip the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface. Knead it for 3-4 minutes.

6. Lightly oil the bowl with vegetable oil. Then put the dough back in the bowl. Leave it in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
7. Flip the dough back onto the floured surface. Split the dough into 1/4’s. This is easier if you use a bread knife to cut the dough.

8. Working with one fourth of dough at a time, roll the dough out into long “snakes.” The thicker you make the snakes, the thicker the final pretzels will be. The final baked pretzels will be pretty close to the size of the dough pretzels.
9. Cut the dough snakes. The smaller you cut them, the smaller your pretzels will be. Larger pretzels tend to be softer than smaller ones.

10. Put the 2 quarts of water and the baking soda in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil.
11. Whisk the egg and tablespoon of water together well, then set the egg wash aside.

12. Bend each end of your cut dough snake inward, and press it into the bottom the circle to form the traditional pretzel shape.

13. Drop your shaped pretzels into boiling water for 30 seconds. You may want to do this one pretzel at a time using a spatula. When the 30 seconds are up, put each pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Be careful not to over-boil the pretzels, as that will make them chewy.

14. Brush the egg wash over the top of each pretzel.

15. Bake your pretzels for 8-10 minutes or until done (larger pretzels may take longer, and smaller pretzels may bake quicker). Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.
16. Remove your pretzels from the oven. Brush each pretzel with the melted butter. Then sprinkle each pretzel with salt or cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

These homemade soft pretzels will last for about 2-3 days in an airtight container. If you don’t plan on eating all your pretzels right away, you may want to freeze some of the dough. The dough will last in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

What type of pretzels do you like?

Homemade Soft Pretzels

• Author: A Cultivated Nest
• Category: Dessert

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Description

This homemade soft pretzels are just as good as the mall ones, if not better!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 to 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp. honey (or granulated sugar)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• vegetable oil
• 2 quarts of water
• ½ cup baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. butter (melted)
• large grain salt for sprinkling (optional)
• cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a slipat mat).
3. In a big bowl, combine the warm water, honey, salt, and yeast. Stir until dissolved.
4. Add 4 cups of flour to the water mixture. Mix well. Add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is not sticky.
5. Flip the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface. Knead it for 3-4 minutes.
6. Lightly oil the bowl with vegetable oil. Then put the dough back in the bowl. Leave it in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
7. Flip the dough back onto the floured surface. Split the dough into 1/4’s. This is easier if you use a bread knife to cut the dough.
8. Working with one fourth of dough at a time, roll the dough out into long “snakes.” The thicker you make the snakes, the thicker the final pretzels will be. The final baked pretzels will be pretty close to the size of the dough pretzels.
9. Cut the dough snakes. The smaller you cut them, the smaller your pretzels will be. Larger pretzels tend to be softer than smaller ones.
10. Put the 2 quarts of water and the baking soda in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil.
11. Whisk the egg and tablespoon of water together well, then set it aside.
12. Bend each end of your cut dough snake inward, and press it into the bottom the circle to form the traditional pretzel shape.
13. Drop your shaped pretzels into boiling water for 30 seconds. You may want to do this one pretzel at a time using a spatula. When the 30 seconds are up, put each pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Be careful not to over-boil the pretzels, as that will make them chewy.
14. Brush the egg wash over the top of each pretzel.
15. Bake your pretzels for 8-10 minutes or until done (larger pretzels may take longer, and smaller pretzels may bake quicker). Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.
16. Remove your pretzels from the oven. Brush each pretzel with the melted butter. Then sprinkle each pretzel with salt or cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

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