Serve these soft, fluffy Homemade Pretzels at your next gathering. Enjoy them as they are or pair with your favorite dipping sauce.
We love making homemade soft pretzels with the kids or for a fun gathering like the big game. These Amish-style pretzels may look hard to make, but my simple twist technique makes them surprisingly easy!
The process is simple, with just a few steps, and the result is warm, fluffy pretzels perfect for sharing. Serve them fresh with dipping sauces like mustard, beer cheese, or sweet chocolate for the perfect pairing.
For a sweet twist, skip the coarse salt and dip the pretzels in butter. Then, coat them in cinnamon sugar for a delicious treat. It’s a perfect snack for those who love a balance of sweet and salty!
No matter how you make them, they’re sure to be a hit with any soft pretzel lover! Plus, they’re a perfect addition to a snack board filled with your favorite game-day treats!
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Homemade Soft Pretzel Ingredients
- Warm Milk: Warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Yeast: Use fast acting dry yeast to help the dough rise.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour to the dough plus additional for kneading the dough.
Salt: Table salt is used for the dough and coarse salt (or kosher salt) is used for the top of the pretzels. - Butter: Salted or unsalted will work. Two tablespoons butter softened will be used for the dough and ½ stick melted will be used to brush the tops of the pretzels after baking.
- Warm Water: This is combined in the baking soda mixture and use to help create the pretzel shape.
- Baking Soda: Will be used to make the mixture to shape the pretzels.
- Dipping Sauces: This is optional but feel free to add a side of mustard, sweet cream cheese or warm cheese sauce.
How to Make Homemade Soft Pretzels
In a small bowl, combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to proof until it becomes frothy.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until well combined.
Cut the softened butter into small chunks and stir it into the dough mixture (some bits of butter might not fully incorporate, but they’ll blend in while kneading). Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups of flour and mix until fully combined.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding up to ½ cup more flour if necessary, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, turning it once to coat the top. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 450°F and prepare a large baking sheet by greasing it with non-stick spray or covering it with a silicone baking mat. Punch down the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope, about 30 inches in length.
In a medium bowl, combine the warm water and baking soda, stirring well. Shape one dough rope into a pretzel, dip it into the baking soda mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this for the remaining dough ropes.
Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse salt and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown (check at 8 minutes to prevent burning as the bottoms may brown faster).
Remove the pretzels from the oven. Use tongs or a pastry brush to dip or baste the pretzels with melted butter.
Optional: sprinkle with more coarse salt. Serve warm with dipping sauces, if desired.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- You can make the pretzel dough ahead of time by letting it rise, then covering the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and storing it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Make these into small pretzel bites but cutting dough into small pretzel bites.
- This recipe makes 16 pretzels but you can reduce in half to make 8 or double to make 32 pretzels for a large crowd.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in microwave to desired temperature.
Recipe
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 (¼ ounce) package fast acting dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ½ cups flour plus additional for kneading
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 cups warm water
- ⅓ cup baking soda
- Coarse salt for topping
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, melted
- Optional for dipping: mustard sweetened cream cheese, warm cheese sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to proof until it becomes frothy.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until well combined.
- Cut the softened butter into small chunks and stir it into the dough mixture (some bits of butter might not fully incorporate, but they’ll blend in while kneading). Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups of flour and mix until fully combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding up to ½ cup more flour if necessary, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, turning it once to coat the top. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F and prepare a large baking sheet by greasing it with non-stick spray or covering it with a silicone baking mat. Punch down the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope, about 30 inches in length.
- In a medium bowl, combine the warm water and baking soda, stirring well.
- Shape one dough rope into a pretzel, dip it into the baking soda mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this for the remaining dough ropes.
- Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse salt and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown (check at 8 minutes to prevent burning as the bottoms may brown faster).
- Remove the pretzels from the oven. Use tongs or a pastry brush to dip or baste the pretzels with melted butter.
- Optional: sprinkle with more coarse salt. Serve warm with dipping sauces, if desired.
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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