This post has been sponsored by Desert Pepper Trading Company. All opinions expressed are my own.
Today we’re making delicious Homemade Soft Pretzels, with a chewy, golden crust, a pillowy soft interior, and a classic salt crust. Perfect for game days, as starters for relaxed parties, or even as quick midday snacks, this is a crowd-pleasing recipe that every home cook should have in their repertoire.
These pretzels are delicious when paired with cheese dips, such as the decadent Desert Pepper Chile Con Queso, or red salsas, such as the Desert Pepper Cantina Medium Red Salsa and Desert Pepper Peach Mango Salsa. They can also be used as the bread for hardy sausage and cheese sandwiches.
That said, making Homemade Soft Pretzels might seem intimidating for beginner home chefs, but I promise that taken one step at a time, if you follow the recipe card below, this recipe is indeed perfectly accessible for anyone with even little experience making homemade baked goods. What’s more, this recipe uses only affordable, simple ingredients that are all readily available at your local supermarket.
So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s affix our aprons and make some pretzels. Read on for a printable recipe card, a complete ingredient checklist, and baking tips to make sure these pretzels come out perfect every time.
What to Expect – Recipe Overview
All right, everyone loves soft pretzels, but what can you expect from homemade soft pretzels? And how hard are they to make? And do they pair with all the same favorite sides and dips?
For the answer to those questions and more, read on.
Taste and Texture
- Taste: These homemade soft pretzels feature a mild, savory flavor with just a touch of sweetness and a hint of salt. The sweetness comes courtesy of the molasses used in the boiling process, while the saltiness comes from the large grain salt coating. This combination makes them perfect for dips like the Desert Pepper Chile Con Queso, deli mustard, or salsas like the Desert Pepper Cantina Medium Red Salsa. You can purchase Desert Pepper Salsa products at Shop Rite, Publix, Sprouts, and other grocers!
- Texture: The interior is chewy and soft, with a golden-brown, crispy crust. Quintessential soft pretzels.
Difficulty Level
- Intermediate: While this recipe uses only simple, easy-to-find ingredients, the recipe, overall, can be a bit of a process to prepare. The recipe starts off with proofing the yeast, and then we move on to shaping the dough and boiling the pretzels. This is followed by baking the pretzels in the oven. That said, if you’re familiar with bread-baking, or baking in general, the recipe won’t be too much to handle at all.
Preparation Process
- Yeast Proofing: To proof the yeast, we combine it with warm water and sugar as described in the recipe card below. This ensures that the dough rises properly.
- Dough Mixing and Rising: After combining the ingredients for the dough, we mix it as described below, and then let it rest for about an hour to let it roughly double in size, which makes for light and airy pretzels.
- Shaping the Pretzels: From there, we roll the dough out into thin ropes, and then twist those ropes into the classic pretzel shape. We then briefly boil the pretzels in a mixture of baking soda and molasses, which gives the pretzels their signature taste and texture, as well as prepping them for baking.
- Boiling and Baking: The pretzels are boiled for 30 seconds on each side to help develop the chewy crust, and then baked to golden perfection. Simple? Nope. Worth it? Definitely.
Pairings
- Dips: I love cheese dips, especially cheese dips that are not only decadently thick, but also just a hint spicy, and Desert Pepper Chile Con Queso fits that bill perfectly. You might also consider dips like the Desert Pepper Cantina Medium Red Salsa, or their Peach Mango Salsa, both of which pair deliciously with these pretzels.
- Beverages: Soft pretzels and beer are always crowd-pleasers for game days or backyard BBQs. They also go well with cider, lemonade, or a cold glass of iced tea.
- Meal Ideas: These pretzels are hardy enough that you can split them, and use them as the bread for sausage sandwiches with lots of melted cheese and caramelized onions, or as the bread for hotdogs.
Additional Tips
- Proofing the Yeast: For proofing yeast, you want the water warm, but not hot. Hot water will kill the yeast. You want the water to be about 100-115°F.
- Shaping the Pretzels: If you’re new to pretzel-making, all I can say is that practice makes perfect. You can also opt for simpler designs, like sticks or knots if you aren’t confident making the classic pretzel twist.
- Boiling the Pretzels: Do not skip the baking soda and molasses, as these two ingredients are key in achieving the classic pretzel color and texture. Timing here is also key, so keep an eye on the timing—30 seconds on each side is just right.
- Topping: Coarse salt is key. That means sea salt or kosher salt. While you can experiment with other toppings like sesame seeds or poppy seeds, I really do recommend coarse salt, as the saltiness melds deliciously with the hint of background sweetness from the molasses, and also is the most versatile for pairing with dips and spreads.
Ingredient Checklist – Everything You’ll Need
Homemade Soft Pretzels use only simple, easy-to-find ingredients, all of them readily available at your local supermarket.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1½ cups warm water
- Tip: For proofing the yeast, the water needs to be between 100-110°F. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast will fail to proof.
- 1 packet of active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- Tip: Yeast can expire, so be sure that the yeast is fresh. Expired yeast will prevent the dough from rising.
- Alternate Option: Instant yeast can indeed get the job done, but you’ll want to reduce the proofing time to about five minutes.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Purpose: Sugar works to feed the yeast, helping it to activate during proofing.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and rolling
- Tip: I recommend using all-purpose, as bread flour will result in heavy, dense pretzels.
- Substitute: Feel free to use your non-wheat flour of choice. Alternatively, you can also use whole wheat flour, though whole wheat flour will result in a slightly heartier pretzel.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Tip: As mentioned above, I do recommend a large grain, coarse salt, such as Kosher or Sea Salt.
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil or melted butter
- Note: I recommend neutral cooking oils, such as vegetable or canola oil. That said, for a richer flavor, use melted butter.
- Note 2: No really, if you want the ultimate soft pretzels, go with melted butter.
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Purpose: Baking soda in the boiling water helps to give soft pretzels their chewy texture.
- Tip: Do not add any baking soda directly to the dough. It is only for the boiling water.
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- Tip: This gives the pretzels a classic dark color, as well as a touch of background sweetness.
- Substitute: There really isn’t a workable substitution for molasses.
- 1 egg, beaten
- Purpose: The egg wash is how we achieve a shiny, golden finish.
- Substitution: The egg wash ‘can’ be skipped but I really do not recommend it.
- Coarse sea salt for topping
- Tip: For classic pretzel flavor, sprinkle generously just before baking.
Top Tips for Making Homemade Soft Pretzels
All right, you’ve gone through the ingredient checklist, and you’ve read over the recipe card, but maybe you still have a few questions or reservations. If that’s the case, here are my top tips for preparing homemade soft pretzels.
- Proof the Yeast Properly
- Use warm water (100-110°F) to proof your yeast with a little sugar, which activates the yeast by feeding it. Allow about 5–10 minutes until it becomes frothy and bubbly—this step is essential for proper dough rise.
- Use All-Purpose Flour
- All-purpose flour works well to make pretzels that are balanced between airiness and chew, whereas bread flour will give the pretzels a much denser body.
- Knead Until Smooth
- Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, which should take about 5–7 minutes by hand. For pretzels, a well-kneaded dough will produce fluffier pretzels with a soft yet slightly chewy bite.
- Shape Evenly
- Even baking is what we’re after, and pretzels that are of markedly different sizes will take longer or shorter to bake. As such, you want to divide the dough into equal parts, and then roll each one into a smooth, thin rope, as described in the recipe. If you make your pretzels different sizes some will be overdone, others undercooked. Not good.
- Use Baking Soda
- You want to use about 2 teaspoons of baking soda per quart of water to boil the pretzels. As mentioned above in the ingredient checklist, this is crucial for achieving the signature color and chewiness.
- Molasses for Color and Flavor
- Don’t skip the molasses. Boiling the pretzels in water with molasses and baking soda is what gives the pretzels their signature golden color. As a nice bonus, it also adds a little background sweetness, which pairs nicely with the salt crust.
- Egg Wash for a Golden Shine
- If you want pretzels that are shiny and golden, you need to brush them with an egg wash before baking. The egg wash will also help the sea salt crust stick.
- Sea Salt Crust
- I recommend using sea salt for the crust. All this means is sprinkling coarse sea salt generously on each pretzel right before baking for a classic look and flavor.
- Bake at High Heat
- Bake the pretzels in a preheated oven at 425°F. A high oven temperature ensures a quick bake that gives the exterior a good crunch while keeping the inside soft.
- Bonus Tip: Store for Later
- An airtight container or a freezer bag is all you need for storing leftover pretzels, and you can leave them at room temperature like this for up to two days, or freeze them for a couple of weeks. To reheat, place in the oven at about 350°F for about 5-10 minutes, or pop them in the toaster oven on medium for a few minutes.
Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 pretzels 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups AP flour, plus more for dusting and rolling
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil or melted butter
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 egg, beaten
- Coarse sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Begin by proofing your yeast by combining yeast with sugar and warm water. Leave and let stand for about 10 minutes. The yeast will rise and froth if it is alive and active.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt. Add the proofed yeast and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix until a soft, slightly wet dough comes together.
- Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over the dough, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and a heavy kitchen towel. Leave to rise for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and if you can, select the convection setting.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil with baking soda and molasses.
- On a lightly floured work surface, turn out the dough and divide it into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a thin rope about 12 inches long. Twist the ends together twice and fold it back over the center. Place on a baking sheet until ready to cook.
- Carefully drop the pretzels into the boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer back to the baking sheet.
- Brush each pretzel with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sea salt.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes depending on the range of your oven until the pretzels are golden.
- Remove and serve alongside your favorite dips!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Enjoy the process, and don't be afraid to experiment with shapes, sizes, and different toppings!
And those are our Homemade Soft Pretzels. If you enjoyed today’s recipe or tried any of the Desert Pepper dips, be sure to let us know in the comments. We always love hearing from you!
For more delicious game day dishes check out the Desert Pepper Website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram!
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