Soft, salted pretzels stacked on one another
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Easy, Delicious, Soft Homemade Pretzels

An easy, effortless way to prepare homemade soft pretzels
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Breakfast, Snacks, High Tea
Cuisine: American, British, German
Keyword: pretzels, salted pretzels
Appliance: oven
Author: Ishani Bose

Ingredients

  • 460-500 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp melted, slightly cool and unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 and 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 360 ml warm water
  • coarse sea salt

For Baking Soda Bath

  • 9 cups water
  • 120 grams baking soda

Instructions

  • To make pretzels, take warm water in a large bowl and whisk the yeast properly in it. Let it sit for one minute after whisking. To the yeast, add brown sugar, salt, and melted butter in the aforementioned proportion. Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time to it and mix it with a wooden spoon until the dough thickens. Now, to the dough, add 3/4 cup of additional flour and continue to mix it until the dough is no longer viscous. Note that the dough can be moist but not sticky. If it continues to be sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more flour, as required. Once you think you are done, touch the dough with your finger. If it rebounds, it is ready to be kneaded.
  • Once the dough is ready to be kneaded, turn it out onto a floured surface. For 3 minutes at a stretch, knead the dough and shape it into a ball. Use a towel to cover it lightly and let it rest for 10 minutes this way. In the meantime, in a large pot, bring 9 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. 
  • Simultaneously, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Set aside 2 baking sheets covered with parchment paper or baking mats and begin to cut the dough into 1/3 cup sections using a sharp knife. 
  • Once that is done, toss and roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope and take the ends of the rope to tie them together to form a circle. After forming a circle, twist the ends, and bring them inwards, only to press them down into a pretzel shape.
  • Now, shift your attention towards the water and baking soda that you had put for boiling. Slowly drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water, but for not more than 30 seconds. If you leave it for more than that, the pretzels could stand a chance of developing a metallic taste. Use a spatula to remove the pretzels out of the boiling water and strain the excess water out of them. Once they are removed, place the pretzels onto a ready baking sheet. Sprinkle coarse salt on each of the pretzels before putting them in the oven.
  • Allow the pretzels to bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they turn golden brown. Once done, serve them with a wide array of gourmet dips. These salty, knotted snacks have a shelf life of 3 days if kept in an airtight container. 
    Soft, salted pretzels kept in a glass jar against a hazy background of people and lights

Notes

You can also freeze the pretzels for two months. In order to reheat them, bake the frozen pretzels at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes. Likewise, the prepared dough with which the pretzels are prepared can be put in an airtight container and put in the freezer for 2-3 months.