Homemade Soft Pretzels
Servings: 12
Calories: 176kcal
Homemade Soft Pretzels are seriously about as good as they get. It may seem intimidating, but if you follow this recipe closely, you will be amazed at how delicious and authentic they turn out.
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Equipment
- Silicone mats or parchment paper with cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1½ cups warm water 105° to 115°F
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast or ative dry, 1 package
- 2 tablespoon barley malt syrup or dark corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, and malt barley syrup. Let rest for 8 to 10 minutes, until foamy.1½ cups warm water, 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast, 2 tablespoon barley malt syrup
- Whisk in the salt and melted butter.½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Working 1 cup at a time, use a wooden spoon to mix the flour. Keep working the flour into the wet mixture until a dough just starts to form. You may not use all 4 cups of the flour.4 cups all-purpose flour
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough with your hands for 6 minutes, adding more flour if the dough becomes wet to the touch.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll one piece of dough into roughly a 20-inch rope. Lift the two ends of the rope and twist them together about halfway down. Attach the two ends of the rope to the circular end of the pretzel dough (see the photos in the blog post or the video for visual reference).
- Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Carefully mix in the baking soda and stir until dissolved.½ cup baking soda, 8 cups water
- Working in batches, carefully lower the pretzels into the boiling soda water and cook for no more than 25 to 30 seconds. Use a slotted spatula to remove the pretzels from the water. Briefly let the water drip off the pretzels.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the partially cooked pretzels on baking sheets that have been lined with silicone mats or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the pretzels with the coarse salt.coarse sea salt
- Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes, or until deeply golden. Switch the baking sheets and turn them around after about 10 minutes of baking.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the pretzels to a baking rack. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Barley malt syrup is hard to find, but can easily be ordered online. It really contributes to the authentic pretzel taste. If you can't get your hands on it, dark corn syrup or even dark brown sugar will work, in a pinch.
You can prepare the pretzels all the way up to boiling them up to 12 hours before baking them. Cover them tightly and keep them refrigerated until 1 hour before baking. Let them rest on the counter to lose their chill. Uncover and bake as instructed.
Leftover pretzels will keep for up to 1 week and can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1475mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 2mg