These Homemade Soft Pretzels are fluffy and buttery, baked up just like the ones you get at the mall, but it’s homemade with from-scratch ingredients! The dough is very easy to make.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
2.25tspinstant or "quick rise" yeast
1cupwarm water110 degrees F
1tspsugar
12.5ozall purpose flour, by weight(2.5 cups, if measuring)
1/2tspsea salt
For the Topping:
1/2cupwarm water
1tbspbaking soda
oil for greasing the sheet pan
coarse sea saltfor sprinkling
3tbspunsalted buttermelted
Instructions
Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer*, and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. This indicates the yeast is alive and working. Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook by hand for a few seconds to roughly combine, then fit the hook and bowl on the mixer and knead on medium low for 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
Cover the dough and let rise for 30 minutes, until doubled in size. If your kitchen is cool, you made need closer to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450F, and lightly grease a baking sheet with oil. You may also use parchment paper or a silicone mat to prevent sticking.
Place the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (just cut it with a knife or bench scraper).
Whisk to combine the warm water and baking soda and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. FYI it’s not going to dissolve completely, and that’s okay.
Roll each of the eight pieces into a long rope, and shape each one into a pretzel (see the step-by-step photos on the blog post to see how to do this). Dip each pretzel into the soda wash and place onto the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
Bake for 10 minutes until the pretzels are golden brown. Brush the pretzels with the melted butter while they are hot out of the oven. Enjoy while they are hot, and keep in mind these don’t taste as amazing the next day. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you don't have a stand mixer, you can also knead the dough by hand.Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.Storing leftovers: Keep at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.Freezing: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave in the fridge overnight.Reheating: Place in a 300F oven for 5 minutes, until warm. If heating from frozen, add an extra 3 minutes.Make-ahead: After the dough rises, you may keep the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours.