Easy and Delicious Soft Pretzels

I am a giant soft pretzel fan. I have tasted about every soft pretzel (that can be made allergy-friendly) in the entire world (maybe a bit of exaggeration). That is why, I can say with complete certainty, that these are the best soft pretzels ever! They are so so soft and pillowy, but they also have a great taste and just enough salt. The dough also expands greatly in the baking soda mixture, so you get an amazing rustic look.

Origins

My whole life, soft pretzels have been one of my favorite foods. I am that person that can not go to the mall without stopping at Auntie Anne’s for a freshly baked (made safe-without the butter) soft pretzel. I had made soft pretzels quite a lot before I decided to make this recipe, and almost every-time they had turned out absolutely delicious.

I just realized a couple weeks ago that I had not shared my recipe for the perfect soft pretzels with you yet. That needed to change! I did some more research on soft baked pretzels and came up with the perfect version of my recipe after lots of trial and error. Finally, I am so excited to share this delicious recipe with you all and I hope y’all will love these pretzels as much as I do.

Why do you boil them in a Baking Soda Mixture?

Please do not skip this step! This is what makes a pretzel a pretzel. The baking soda mixture is what gives the pretzels their signature brown color and that delicious taste. It also gives them an amazing texture. It makes them expand and hardens the exterior a little bit, so that the middle stays amazingly soft throughout the whole baking process while the exterior can still develop a little but of a crisp.

Other Variations

While the most traditional variation is the normal pretzel shape, there are many other ways to make these.

• Pretzel Bites – Cut the dough into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 22 inches long. Cut each rope into 2 inch segments. Boil each segment in the baking soda mixture for 30 seconds on each side. Brush with melted non-dairy butter (you can also use olive oil) and sprinkle with coarse sea salt/pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown, about ten minutes.
• Pretzel Buns/Rolls – Separate the dough into 1/3 cup sections and roll each section into a ball. Boil each ball in the baking soda mixture for 30 seconds on each side. Brush with melted non-dairy butter (you can also use olive oil) and sprinkle with coarse sea salt/pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Make your own! There are so many fun shapes and variations of this recipe that you can create.

Dipping Ideas

My personal favorite dipping sauce for these pretzels is some sort of mustard (honey mustard, dijon mustard, or even basic yellow mustard!). You can really get creative with your dipping sauces though. You can also just eat them plain to really enjoy the delicious pretzel flavor! Here are some ideas of sauces:

• Marinara Sauce
• Dairy-free Cream Cheese
• Salad dressings (DF Blue Cheese? DF Ranch?)

Final Tips

These pretzels are pretty easy to make, but of course I still have some tips to help you all out!

• Use lukewarm water. This is extremely important. If you use too hot water it will kill the yeast, and too cold will not activate it. To test to see if water is lukewarm, “run water over your wrist and find the temperature that feels warmer then your body temperature, but not hot.” (The Spruce Eats)
• Proof you’re dough for a full hour. This will ensure that the pretzels will be really soft and fluffy.
• Before making the eight sections of the dough, form it into a loosely shaped rectangle. I have found that it is extremely hard to make even sections out of a circle, but it is much easier to do this out of a rectangular shape.

That is it! Good luck and I hope that y’all enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Happy baking 🙂

Easy and Delicious Soft Pretzels

Cuisine: GermanDifficulty: Medium

Makes

8

pretzels

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

45

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon white sugar

• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons non-dairy butter, melted (I use earth balance) (you can also use olive oil)

• 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup baking soda

• about 10 cups water (depends on the size of your pot)

• about 2 Tablespoons pretzel salt (coarse sea salt)

Directions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, salt, 2 Tablespoons butter, and sugar. Stir together. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water mixture and let sit until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using a dough hook attachment, add in the flour, one cup at a time on low speed. Change to medium speed and let the mixer knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides and is elastic-y, about 4-6 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm enviorment (but not hot) for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix the water and baking soda together in a large saucepan (it should fill the saucepan 2/3 to 3/4 of the whole thing). Bring to a rolling boil while shaping the pretzels.
• Split the dough into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, it should be about 22 inches long. Make a u-shape with the rope of dough and twist the two sides around each other about half way up their length. Press the ends of the strands that you just twisted together at the bottom of the u-shape.
• Boil each pretzel for 30 seconds on each side. Brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle the salt over each pretzel (to personal preference). Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the pretzels are a dark golden brown.
• Let cool for a couple minutes and then enjoy!

Notes

• For best results serve the pretzels immediately. You can store them in an airtight container for up to three days and warm them up in the oven, however they will not be as soft and fluffy as they were when they just came out of the oven.