We've made these homemade soft pretzels several times and we think we've finally nailed the recipe!! These pretzels are great for a game day or if you just want a fun snack while binge-watching Netflix. These soft pretzels are great as a nice big pretzel with salt or stuffed with cheese or sausage.
Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels
This is a really easy way to make homemade pretzels and it only takes a few minutes before you have a nice soft pretzel ready to go. There is something very satisfying about making pretzels. They're a lot like bread, just loaded with butter, and a lot easier to make. Just add the ingredients to a mixer, Mix until the dough is smooth, soft, and bounces back with a touch of your finger. Cut dough into sections, form the pretzel shape, then drop them into a baking soda bath. Finally, pop them in the oven and 15 minutes later you have tasty pretzel deliciousness!!!!
Ingredients needed to make Soft Pretzels
- Active Yeast
- Flour
- Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Baking Soda
As I mentioned, it really just takes a few minutes of mixing, and a few quick rolls of the dough to make long ropes. Then twist the dough, quickly boil, and bake. That's it!
Shapes and kinds of pretzels
Pretzel shapes can be anything you want from round, square, heart, and anything in between. Whatever shape makes you smile. This is how you make a classic knot shape:
- Lightly flour the surface of the kitchen counter. Form the dough into a large ball and cut off a piece of the dough. Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough back and forth on the countertop surface. Working from the middle of the dough, gently roll up, and lightly stretch the dough to make a long rope about 16 to 18 inches long for a large pretzel.
- Take the rope ends and twist them together so the dough forms a circle with a twist on top. Bring the twist ends toward yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
Fun Dips
- Honey Mustard - My favorite!!
- Hummus - Good with almost everything!
- Nacho Cheese - Why not?
- Beer Cheese - Hey Beer is always good with Pretzels
- Ranch Dressing - In case you don't have any other dip
- Marinara - Feeling like a twist
- French Onion dip - Oooooh Fancy. . .because its French! 😀
- Peri Peri - If you want some spice!!
Ideas for some fun treats:
Classic Pretzel: Soft inside and brown on the outside. Shaped like a pretzel and topped with chunky salt.
Pretzel Dogs: A soft pretzel rope twisted around a hot dog or sausage. This is a fun lunch!
Lil Smokies sausages: These are little smokies wrapped in pretzel dough. Really great snack. But they can be dangerous. They are so good it's hard to stop eating!
Cheddar Stuffed: Cheddar cheese and cream cheese mixed tougher and wrapped with dough. If you want a nice zip, mix in chopped habanero or Jalapeño. These are also hard to stop eating and they have a spicy kick!
Cinnamon Sugar: Brush the warm pretzels with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. Roll in sugar and cinnamon.
Everything Pretzels: Similar to an everything bagel. Instead of topping the pretzels with salt its fun to top them with everything bagel seasoning.
Cheese Sticks: Take your favorite cheese, cut it into strips, and wrap it with dough. We really like pepper jack cheese. It melts nicely and is a gooey cheesy treat.
TIPS:
- Use non-stick aluminum foil AND spray the foil with cooking spray. Parchment paper doesn't work!!! We found the pretzel comes right off when using foil. It sticks to parchment paper.
- Start the water to boil and preheat the oven when you start making the pretzel shapes.
- For freezing the pretzels, don't salt them before baking. When ready to eat frozen pretzels, just spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle on the salt. Then bake until heated through.
- Make sure not to leave the pretzels in the baking soda bath for more than 30 seconds. The pretzels can get a metallic flavor if left in the water too long.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
Pretzel
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Yeast 1 Packet Yeast
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar We like Dark Brown Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 ¼ Cups Flour All Purpose flour
- Coarse Salt
Baking Soda Bath
- ½ Cup Baking Soda
Instructions
- Melt ButterIn a mixing bowl whisk together 1 ½ Cups of Warm Water and Yeast. Let sit for one minute.
- Whisk melted butter, salt, and brown sugar into the water yeast mixture
- Add flour ¾ cup at a time into the yeast mixture
- Continue to add flour until the dough is no longer sticky and the dough bounces back when poked gently with your finger. NOTE: Add ¼ cup of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Cover the mixing bowl with a clean towel.Preheat oven to 400°
Rolling Pretzels
- Lightly spread flour on a clean counter. Place pretzel dough on the flour. Cut dough with a dough cutter or sharp knife into 3 or 4-inch long sections.
- Roll the dough to form a rope about 18 to 20 inches long. Next, take either end of the rope in your fingertips and draw them together so the dough forms a circle
- Twist the rope into a large loop. Put the two ends of the rope to make a horseshoe shape. Then twist one end over the other forming a circle. (Twist the ends of the rope together once or twice)
- Bring the twisted ends around to the bottom curve and fold them down on the bottom curve. Make them stick together. If they don't stick use a little bit of water to wet the ends to make them stick.
Baking Soda Bath - Boiling the Pretzels
- In a large saucepan add 8 cups of water and ½ cup of baking Soda. Bring to a boilDrop 3 or 4 pretzels into the boiling baking soda water. Leave in for 25 to 30 SECONDS.
- Line baking sheets with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place boiled Pretzels on the foil-lined baking sheet.Continue with baking soda bath until all pretzels are boiled
Bake
- Sprinkle Course salt or your favorite seasoning onto Pretzels.
- Place Pretzels in the Oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until Golden Brown.
- ENJOY with your favorite dip!!!!
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