Homemade Soft Pretzels (Plain, Salt and Cheddar)

Homemade soft pretzels on a cooling rack.

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Soft Pretzels (Plain, Salt and Cheddar)

I’m finally sharing my recipe for the best Homemade Soft Pretzels which I can guarantee you will bookmark, print and make over and over again! The dough in incredibly easy to make and roll into the classic pretzel shape. Dress with your favorite toppings, bake and brush with melted butter.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Rise Time1

Total Time1 35

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Pretzels

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $5

Equipment

Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

4¼ cups All-purpose flour (600 grams)
2¼ tsp Instant yeast (7 grams or 1 packet)
1 tbsp Sugar (12 grams)
1 tsp Kosher salt (10 grams)
1 cup Warm water (235 grams)
¾ cup Milk (185 grams)

Baking Soda Bath

2 tbsp Baking soda
4 cups Hot water

Toppings and Finishing

Coarse salt - As much or as little as you prefer
Grated cheddar cheese - As much or as little as you prefer
¼ cup Melted butter - Use more or less depending on preference

Instructions

Prepare the Dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 4¼ cups All-purpose flour, 2¼ tsp Instant yeast , 1 tbsp Sugar, 1 tsp Kosher salt, 1 cup Warm water, and ¾ cup Milk. Using the dough hook attachment, knead on low speed until the dough comes together and is soft to the touch, about 8 minutes. NOTE: If you can, I would encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale.
Let it rise. Lightly oil the dough ball with olive oil or nonstick spray, let it rise in a warm place, covered with a towel or plastic wrap, in the same stand mixer bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Divide the dough. Preheat your oven to 475F (240C). Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the dough into 6 roughly equal pieces. To make the rolling easier, divide the dough into long pieces. Don’t flour your work surface. The tackiness will help with the rolling process.
Shape the Pretzels. Roll each piece into a 25 to 30-inch long rope and form an inverted U shape. Take both ends of the rope and place one over the other. Take both ends and repeat the movement so you end up with a twisted rope. Grab both ends and bring them upwards. Roll the ends under the top of the pretzel to secure them.
Prepare the Baking Soda Bath. In a shallow bowl, combine 4 cups Hot water with 2 tbsp Baking soda. Mix well to dissolve. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and then place it onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. This should be a quick dip, don’t let the pretzels sit in the solution too long.
Add Toppings. Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt, grated cheddar cheese or your toppings of choice.
Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until the pretzels are a deep golden brown.
Finish with butter. Brush the baked pretzels with melted butter, making sure to evenly coat. Enjoy right away or let them cool slightly.

Video

Notes

Refer to the post above for step-by-step recipe photos. And make sure to also watch the video!

Ingredient Notes:

Flour: My go-to flour is all-purpose flour. It’s accessible and everyone has it. If you have bread flour, you can use but it will give the pretzels a chewier texture. If you want to use whole wheat flour, I would recommend substituting only ¼ or ½ of the flour.
Liquid: My recipe uses a combination of water and milk (whole or 2%). But to keep this recipe vegan, you can use water only.
Instant yeast: Helps the dough rise efficiently. Active dry yeast can also be used but requires blooming in water first. You’ll find that most of my baking recipes use instant yeast because it’s just easier to work with. Why not make our lives a little easier?
Baking Soda. This is a key ingredient. It’s what will give the pretzels that distinctive deep brown crust.
Toppings. My favorite toppings for soft pretzels are plain coarse sea salt (or specialty pretzel salt) and aged sharp cheddar. The aged cheddar melts and adds this lacey, crispy crust around the pretzels. So good!

Other Tips:

Use a kitchen scale when measuring out the pretzel dough ingredients.
If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.

Nutrition