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Top down view of baked and buttered soft homemade pretzel sprinkled with coarse salt.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Yield: 8 pretzels
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 29 minutes

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 cup very warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)

Topping (See note):

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Coarse salt, optional, optional
  • 3 tablespoons (42 g) melted butter

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to combine.
  • Add the water and mix on medium speed until combined, adding more flour a little at a time, as needed, until the dough forms a soft ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft but not overly sticky.
  • Knead for 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 500°F. (The high temperature is important to achieve the golden brown crust on the pretzels.)
  • Line two half sheet pans with parchment and lightly brush with olive oil.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. This helps relax the gluten so the dough doesn't spring back when formed into pretzels.
  • While the dough is resting, add the water and baking soda to a microwave safe dish and heat for 30-45 seconds in the microwave. Stir to dissolve the baking soda. Stir in the honey.
  • Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 20 inches in length). Twist each rope into pretzel shape (see pictures in the post for a visual, if needed).
  • Dip each pretzel in the water bath (this helps give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Sprinkle the pretzels lightly with coarse salt or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
  • Bake the pretzels for 7 to 9 minutes until golden brown.
  • Remove the pretzels from the oven, and immediately brush liberally with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Flour Amount: because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, it's ok if you need to add a bit extra flour during the mixing/kneading step (alternately, if the dough is patchy and dry, drizzle in warm water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a soft ball).
Topping: over the years, I've altered the topping to help develop a golden crust on the pretzels while eliminating the strong baking soda taste. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup water + 2 tablespoons baking soda. I've adjusted to 1 cup water + 1 tablespoon baking soda + 1 tablespoon honey, which gives better results for color and flavor.