If I pull yeast out of the freezer my husband starts salivating. He automatically starts begging for pretzels!
This is the easiest and BEST homemade pretzel recipe out there, and they are SOOOO good! Grab some mustard and you have a winner!
Homemade Buttery Pretzels
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 4 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
Directions
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
- When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.
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I tried this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and they were so good. I have had to make them three times since. I have also wrapped the dough around a hotdog and they are really good.
Thanks for the recipe I got it off your site.
Don’t you just love finding recipes and seeing that you already have everything to make it? Making these right now with my 4 1/2 year old.
What’s the deal w/the last step? Just curious what the baking soda does for the whole sha-bang….I would worry it would make them taste bad, but apparently not? Do you brush yours w/butter and sprinkle salt on after they’re baked?
It gives it the crusty outside, that is so yummy! Yes I do add butter and kosher salt or pretzel salt to the outside~
I’m afraid I must’ve done something wrong. I used my mixer, put the dough hook on and let it go to town for a while. Dough never got smooth, just a big, dense blob 🙁 Bread making of any kind eludes me. I’m glad it’s working for other folks though.
Sounds like too much flour? Maybe use less than what it calls for and slowly add it in a little at a time
Thanks – I’ll give it one more shot – just when I finally was having success w/the whole yeast thing and getting the water temp right for that! Figures 🙂 Thanks!
Does the sugar make these pretzels sweet? I grew up in Germany and the pretzels there taste very different than the ones sold here…
Had to come back and let you know they worked out after all – I was amazed. The dough didn’t rise as much as I thought it should’ve, but I was amazed it rose some, and since I’d used 5 cups of flour, I thought I’d roll it out and go for it. They turned out great! So, moral of the story – don’t give up! thanks 🙂
Oh wow! I am so glad! Thanks for the update!
Made these for my kids they were great. Then made second batch with spicy jalapeño and cheese sausage came out delicious
Just made these. I did half with salt and half with cinnamon sugar. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s say YUMMY!!!! I’ve been told that I need to make these again and soon!
Thanks for a great recipe.
I made these for our superbowl party, an it was a HIT!!!! Thank You!!!
These are soooooo good!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will be making these again and again : )
Just tried these and totally failed 🙁 I did sub half whole wheat flour, I doubt that was the problem though. My dough from the beginning was very dry. I had to add a lot additional water, maybe 1/2 cup. I just dont know what i did wrong! I will have to try these again some time.
oh that is sad! don’t give up, because they are really good!
Have you tried freezing these to see how they turn out? I was curious about making a couple of batches and then freezing and reheating them. I want to start stocking up and preparing snacks/meals for when I deliver our little one (as I tend to have severe complications that leave me virtually bed-ridden after delivery). If I don’t, who knows what the family will eat with my husband in charge of meals! 🙂
I have not tried that! Good idea though!
Just made these pretzels, they are amazing. I did not use a mixer and just did it by hand. I greased the bowl covered with a plastic wrap and a towel and put it in a warmed oven. (I turned the oven on to 300 then off, so by the time I was done mixing the down it was a perfect warm.) Thank you!!!
They are in my oven right now hopefully they turn out…I’m excited!
I made these this afternoon! My husband and kids LOVED them! (So did I) im making Caramel for them now! & I will be making these again! Move over Auntie Anne…. These are way better!
Tiffany,
I am going to attempt to make these pretzels today. Do you use a Kitchen Aid mixer for this? If so, do you use only one attachment, or two? I finally have one, but haven’t used it much. I have been craving baking lately. 🙂
Also, how do I check the water temp? Is there a thermometer I can buy for that?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Yes I have used a Kitchen Aid to do mine and use the 2 attachment set, not the beaters. Just test it by sticking your finger in the water. You want it warm not hot.
Super easy with a good result, although I find the dough a bit sweeter than what I expect from a pretzel. Might reduce sugar next time & put a full teaspoon salt in. Used a bread hook on my kitchenaid & gave it a good workout- it stuck the mixing bowl to the stand as the dough is quite tough! Also burnt the bottom of half of mine in 6 min (oven runs hot, but didn’t want to reduce temp too much in case it affected the baking rise- will experiment!). My 2 1/2 year old loved making his own pretzel shapes & eating them after.
I remembered this post from a while back and my husband made a comment that a soft pretzel would be good with our soup for dinner. So I grabbed the opportunity to try this recipe. They are delicious. My 4 year old has already eaten 2 if them… They have been out of the oven less than 30 minutes.
Thanks
Can anyone tell me (roughly) how many pretzels this recipe makes? I realize it will depend also on how large we make them, but since I have a family of 6, trying to make sure the recipe as-is will make enough for us all, or if I’ll have to double up. Thanks!
I double for us…. I would say do 1 and then try 2 next time?
I have made this recipe several times and they are a hit every time! One thing that I like to do with them is roll them out into long ropes then cut them into 1-inch segments. That way you get a bite-sized snack and aren’t committed to a full pretzel. Simply delicious!