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Homemade Soft Pretzels

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These homemade soft pretzels are incredibly delicious and so easy to make. Paired with a dill honey mustard sauce, they make for the perfect snack!

Ingredients

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Homemade Soft Pretzels 

  • 1 Cup (125 g) Unbleached Bread Flour, Spooned and Leveled 
  • 1 Cup (125 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
  • 1 Teaspoon Active-Dry Yeast (may use Instant/Rapid Acting Yeast)
  • 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2/3 Cup (159 ml) Warm Water, 110-115F (43-46C)
  • 1 Tablespoon (0.5 oz/14 g) Unsalted Butter, Melted, Cooled
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 Tablespoon (8 ml) Water
  • Flaky/Coarse Sea Salt 

Pre-Bake Bath 

  • 6 Cups (1 1/2 Quarts) Water
  • 1/4 Cup (68 g) Baking Soda
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Molasses

Dill Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 

  • 1/2 Cup (115 g) Spicy Brown Mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 g) Honey
  • 1 Tablespoon (3 g) Finely Chopped Fresh Dill 

Instructions

Homemade Soft Pretzels

  1. In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the flours and salt. Whisk to combine.
  2. In the bowl of stand mixer, add the warmed water, sugar and yeast. Whisk to combine and allow the yeast to activate, about 8-10 minutes. You will know when yeast is properly activated when mixture appears foamy and takes on a strong fermented-like aroma.
  3. Into bowl with yeast mixture, add melted butter and dry ingredients.
  4. With the dough hook attached on stand mixer, set the speed to medium low and mix ingredients together until a dough starts to form around dough hook attachment.
  5. Increase mixer speed to medium high and knead dough for 6 minutes. You will know when dough is ready when you press into it and it bounces back. Homemade soft pretzel dough will be soft touch but not tacky/sticky.
  6. Add a small amount of oil (about 1/2 Teaspoon) to a large mixing bowl and grease the base and sides of bowl.
  7. Transfer homemade soft pretzels dough to greased bowl. Turn and flip dough in bowl to ensure all sides of the dough are coated in oil before covering bowl with plastic wrap.
  8. Allow homemade soft pretzel dough to rest and rise in a warm area of kitchen for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
  9. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400F (200C).
  10. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and 1/2 tablespoon water. Place egg wash mixture in fridge until ready to use.
  11. Deflate dough by gently knocking it down before transferring to a clean work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces about 3.5-3.7 oz (103-105 g). For smaller pretzels, dough may be divided into 6 equal pieces.
  12. Roll each piece of dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form the rope into a U shape and twist the two ends together about 2-3 times.
  13. Lift and bring the twisted ends to the opposite end (base) of U shape forming the classic pretzel loop. Press the twisted ends into the base of the resulting pretzel shape. This is important to ensure that pretzel dough holds its shape during the pre-bake bath.
  14. Bring 6 cups of water and molasses/honey (optional) to boil in a large deep bottom pot, whisk in baking soda and add the shaped pretzel dough into boiling mixture 1-2 at a time for 30 seconds. Do not go beyond the 30 second mark.
  15. Using a slotted spatula, remove boiled pretzel dough from water taking care to allow as much of the excess water to drain off before placing on prepared baking sheet.
  16. Retrieve egg wash from refrigerator. Using a pastry brush, brush the pretzel dough with the egg wash, sprinkle with flaky or coarse sea salt and bake for 14-15 minutes.
  17. Cool homemade soft pretzels on baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving. May be served warm or at room temperature. 

Dill Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 

  1. In a small mixing bowl, add the mustard, honey and chopped dill and whisk to combine.
  2. Transfer dill honey mustard dipping sauce into small serving dish. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat/serve with homemade soft pretzels. 

Notes

  • Homemade soft pretzels are best eaten the day it is prepared but will last 2-3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. The texture of pretzels may not be as soft as the day it is baked.
  • Baked homemade soft pretzels stored in airtight container will last up to 1-2 months in the freezer. Simply thaw at room temperature until soft or heat up in a conventional/toaster oven to eat/serve warm.
  • Unbaked homemade soft pretzels (before pre-bake bath) will last 1-3 months in the freezer when individually frozen before transferred to an airtight container. When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator until no longer frozen before boiling (pre-bake bath) and baking.
  • For that classic pretzel texture that is chewy on the outside but soft on the inside, briefly boiling the pretzel dough in a mixture consisting of water and baking soda is an essential step that should not be skipped. This boiling process is very brief – a total of 30 seconds per pretzel dough.
  • Homemade soft pretzels can be made without a stand mixer. In fact, that is how I made it for years before I purchased a stand mixer. See notes in body of blog post for instructions on how to my pretzels by hand. 
  • I used a mixture of bread and all-purpose flour in recipe; however, you may just use all-purpose flour.
  • I used spicy brown mustard for dipping sauce but you may substitute with your preferred kind of mustard
  • Homemade soft pretzels may easily be made vegan by substituting the butter in dough with a plant-based oil and using plant-based sweetener in mustard sauce i.e. maple syrup, agave or brown rice syrup.
  • Recipe yields 4 large pretzels or 6 smaller pretzels. For a large yield, recipe may be easily doubled. Recipe will also make great pretzel bites as well. 

 

Find it online: https://nourishedendeavors.com/homemade-soft-pretzels/