These buttery soft pretzels have a super fluffy, chewy interior. The pretzel dough needs just one rise, and then formed pretzels are bathed in a baking soda and water mixture, before getting baked to perfection. Baked pretzels are slathered with melted butter and sprinkled with flaked sea salt.
Jump straight to the recipe!
👍Pretzels are easier than you think
Making homemade buttery soft pretzels is not as difficult as it may seem. You are simply making a yeasted dough, letting it rise, forming out the pretzels, and then giving them a bath. There is nothing fancy here.
Roll out a piece of dough into a long skinny rope, about 24 inches long, do some twists, and now the pretzels are formed. Give them a quick dip in a baking soda bath, brush on butter, add salt, and then bake. After baking, butter and salt a bit more (because yum!), and then they rest. But not for too long! Tearing into a piece of warm pretzel is the absolute best!
These pretzels are so fluffy on the inside, just like my homemade dinner rolls! Actually, this recipe might work well for pretzel buns too?!?
🥘Ingredients
📝Ingredient notes
- Baking soda - A baking soda bath gives pretzels their distinct flavour, texture and colour. I highly recommend this quick step.
- Brown sugar - Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Yeast - Use whichever type of yeast you are comfortable working with. Need help? I have a detailed post on baking with yeast.
🔪 Instructions
To make the pretzel dough, pour yeast into a large bowl. Add brown sugar and warm milk, and let it sit for a few minutes until you can see the yeast is activated. You will know it's activated when the yeast floats to the top and bubbles.
Stir in 2 cups of flour, melted butter and salt. Add another cup of flour and knead together. Add flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough comes together and no longer sticks to the bottom of your bowl. Be careful to not add too much flour, or your pretzels won't be fluffy.
Let the dough rise in a freshly greased bowl, for about an hour, or until doubled in size. Turn out onto a clean work surface and divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
🥨How to form pretzels
Take one of the 6 pieces of dough, and roll it out into a long thin rope, about 24 inches long. Turn up the ends to form a "u" shape. Cross the ends over each other, and then cross them again. Bring the two ends down to the bottom of the "u," and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Form the remaining 5 pieces of dough the same way.
Prepare a baking soda bath by bringing 4 ½ cups of water and ½ cup baking soda to a boil. Carefully place pretzels, a few at a time, in the baking soda bath. Be careful not to crowd the pan. Let the pretzels bath for 20-25 seconds, and then remove them back to the parchment lined baking sheet with a slotted spoon.
Brush the pretzels with melted butter and scatter salt on top. Bake for about 11-13 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Brush with more butter and add more salt.
✔️Expert tips
- The baking soda bath is hugely recommended because it gives the pretzels that distinctive pretzel flavour.
- If you want to make cinnamon sugar pretzels, omit sprinkling on salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. To make cinnamon sugar, mix together ½ cup sugar and ¾ cup ground cinnamon.
- Don't want to make full pretzels? Cut the pretzels into bite size pieces after you have rolled a piece out into a long rope.
💭FAQs
Baking soda is key for give pretzels that distinct flavour. Baking soda also reacts with the dough, giving it a darker colour, and it helps create a chewy, thin coating.
You can make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 day in advance.
Baked pretzels can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store them in an airtight freezer container, or a freezer bag. Thaw by leaving them at room temperature overnight. Warm in the oven.
Pretzels are bathed in a baking soda and water mixture, which gives it the slightly crunchy exterior and dark colour. Bagels are bathed in a malt syrup and water mixture. The malt syrup sweetens the dough and gives it a little colour.
🔖Related recipes
📋 Recipe
Buttery Soft Pretzels
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ cups whole milk warm
- 3 ¼ - 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
Baking soda bath
- 4 ½ cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
- salt flakes or course salt
Instructions
- To make the dough, place yeast, light brown sugar and warm milk into a large bowl. Let it sit for 2 minutes to make sure the yeast is activated. Yeast will float and start to bubble.
- Add 2 cups of flour and stir together. Add 1 cup of flour and either knead by hand or use a mixer with the dough hook attachment.
- Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough is no longer sticking to the bottom of the mixing bowl. Form dough into a ball and place it in a large freshly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and cut it into 6 equal sections.
- Roll each section into a long, thin rope, about 24 inches long. Bring the ends up so the rope is shaped like the letter "u." Twists the ends together, and then twist again. Bring the ends down to the bottom of the "u," and press down to form a pretzel shape. Continue forming the remaining dough sections into pretzels.
- Bring water and baking soda to a boil. Carefully drop 1 or 2 pretzels at a time into the baking soda bath. Do not crowd the pan. Bath the pretzels for 20-25 seconds. Any longer and they will taste metallic. Use a slotted spoon to lift out pretzels and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush each pretzel with some of the melted butter, reserving half the butter for later use. Sprinkle salt on top of pretzels and bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the pretzels are very golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush on more butter, and sprinkle with more salt.
- Keep pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The baking soda bath is hugely recommended because it gives the pretzels that distinctive pretzel flavour.
- If you want to make cinnamon sugar pretzels, omit sprinkling on salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. To make cinnamon sugar, mix together ½ cup sugar and ¾ cup ground cinnamon.
- Don't want to make full pretzels? Cut the pretzels into bite size pieces after you have rolled a piece out into a long rope.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️