Homemade Soft Pretzels

Homemade Soft Pretzels that are soft and chewy on the inside and crackly brown on the outside. Knot or twist your way to the BEST soft pretzels you’ve ever had!

The Oktoberfest pretzels in Munich are legendary: Soft, chewy, and probably the size of your head. What’s not to love?

But good things come in small packages, too, and these Homemade Soft Pretzels are the perfect addition to your Oktoberfest celebration, Football potluck, or Friday night cocktail party.

Dip your homemade pretzels in Cheese Sauce and Mustard, as per tradition, or branch out and try Ranch dressing or Marinara Sauce. No sauce needed either! You’ll love these pretzels as-is, plain, with just a crunchy topping of salt.

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Baking soda: Dunking the knots into a boiling baking soda bath before baking gives you that crackly brown outside on your pretzel.
• Homemade Cheese Sauce:  Transfer to a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for serving if desired. Or, substitute store-bought cheese sauce.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Bloom the yeast in a mixture of warm water (110 degrees) and dissolved sugar until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook attached, combine flour, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Add melted butter and bloomed yeast mixture. Stir until the dough just comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl but clinging to the bottom.

3. Coat a large bowl lightly with oil or nonstick spray. Transfer dough to the coiled bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick spray. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare the baking soda bath. In a small bowl, whisk together yolk and water. Turn out dough on to a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8-inch round disc and cut the disc into quarters. Then, cut each quarter into thirds so you have 12 pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a long rope and lay each rope in a horseshoe shape. Twist the ends together, then wrap under the knot and pull the ends through the loop. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

5. Working with one pretzel at a time, drop a pretzel in the boiling baking soda water for 30 seconds.

6. Remove and transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Immediately brush with the egg yolk wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pretzels are dark brown, crackly, and fragrant.

8. Cool on a rack and serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 12 soft pretzels and 2 cups cheese sauce.
• Storage: Wrap leftover pretzels individually and store at room temperature for up to 2 days (they will get stale faster if stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes.
• Freezer: Store wrapped pretzels in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat straight from the freezer in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Proofing the dough: Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature it will go, usually 200 degrees. Once it reaches 110 degrees, turn the oven off. Place the dough in the oven and close the door. Opening the oven door will lower the heat a bit, and that’s okay (you’re aiming for 75 to 85 degrees).
• Knotted up: I went with a less traditional knot shape, but you can twist the dough any way you see fit.
• Everything Pretzels: For more flavor and crunch on top, sprinkle the pretzels with Everything Bagel Seasoning before baking.
• Sweet Pretzels: Roll your pretzels in Cinnamon Sugar Topping for an extra sweet crunch. Epic dessert dips include cream cheese frosting, chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce.

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Lebkuchen

Homemade Soft Pretzels

By Meggan Hill

Homemade Soft Pretzels that are soft and chewy on the inside and crackly brown on the outside. Knot or twist your way to the BEST soft pretzels you’ve ever had!

Cook Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American, German

Calories 158

5 from 11 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the pretzels:

• ▢ 1 1/4 cup plus 2 quarts water divided
• ▢ 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar divided
• ▢ 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
• ▢ 1/2 cup baking soda (see note 1)
• ▢ 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ Kosher salt for sprinkling

For the cheese sauce (see note 2):

• ▢ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ▢ 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

To make the pretzels:

• In a small saucepan, heat 1 ¼ cups water to 110 degrees. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar until dissolved and remove from heat. Pour yeast over the top and set aside to bloom until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook attached, combine flour, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Add melted butter and bloomed yeast mixture. Stir until the dough just comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl but clinging to the bottom.
• Coat a large bowl lightly with oil or nonstick spray. Transfer dough to the oiled bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick spray. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour (see note 2).
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a 3-quart saucepan, bring remaining 2 quarts (8 cups) water and baking soda to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together yolk and water.
• Turn out dough on to a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8-inch round disc. Using a bench scraper, pizza cutter, or butter knife, cut the disc into quarters. Then, cut each quarter into half so you have 8 pieces.
• Shape each piece of dough into a long rope and lay each rope in a horseshoe shape. Twist the ends together once or twice, then bring the ends towards you. Separate the ends and fold them down, using water or milk to make them stick to the dough. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
• Working with one pretzel at a time, drop a pretzel in the boiling baking soda water for 30 seconds. Remove and transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Immediately brush with the egg yolk wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
• Bakeuntil the pretzels are dark brown, crackly, and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with Homemade Cheese Sauce.

To make the cheese sauce:

• In a small saucepan, add cheddar cheese and cornstarch and toss until cheese is evenly coated.
• Stir in evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Baking soda: Dunking the knots into a boiling baking soda bath before baking gives you that crackly brown outside on your pretzel.
2. Homemade Cheese Sauce:  Transfer to a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for serving if desired. Or, substitute store-bought cheese sauce.
3. Yield: This recipe makes 12 soft pretzels and 2 cups cheese sauce.
4. Storage: Wrap leftover pretzels individually and store at room temperature for up to 2 days (they will get stale faster if stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes.
5. Freezer: Store wrapped pretzels in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat straight from the freezer in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pretzelCalories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 1517mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 109IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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