Buttery Soft Pretzels: Some Notes
When I first read the recipe, I couldnt help but want to fiddle: the recipe called for active dry yeast and 4 teaspoons of it, which seemed like a lot, but which made sense given the short, one-hour rise. It also had a fair amount of sugar, 1/2 cup, which I thought might be able to be reduced, though I never found the pretzels to be too sweet tasting.
I made the recipe once as written, converting the volume measurements to weights, and then I started playing around: I reduced the yeast from 4 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons, and I made two more batches, one with 1/4 cup of sugar, and one with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Friends, as much as I wanted to like the lower-sugar batches, I didnt they didnt brown well in the oven, and their texture suffered as well. The children remarked: These are good Mom, but whats different? There is a photo below just above the recipe box of the just-baked 1/4-cup sugar batch. As youll see, they dont have quite the same gleam.
How To Make Baked Soft Pretzels At Home
1/4 cup bagel salt
Combine yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer or in a large bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Watch for little bubbles to pop onto the surface of the water. After 5 minutes, stir the water to dissolve the yeast.
Stir in the flour and salt. Knead the dough on low for 5 minutes in a stand mixer, or knead by hand for 5-7 minutes. After kneading for 2 minutes, if the dough is very sticky add a bit more flour .
In the end, the dough will be smooth and will form a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Remove the dough from the bowl. Clean the bowl and grease the bowl with 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Place the ball of dough inside the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at least 1 hour. We set our bowl on top of our dishwasher, which had just finished running. The surface was nice and warm. Place your bowl in a warm location top of the fridge, top of the stove, top shelf in the kitchen.
Once the dough has doubled in size remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 8 portions.
Homemade Baked Soft Pretzels So Much Better Than What You Get At The Mall These Soft And Tender Pretzels Finished With Butter And Coarse Salt Are Total Comfort Food
I dont know anyone who doesnt love a giant pretzel, and these Homemade Baked Soft Pretzels are almost as fun to make as they are to eat!
Yes, they take a little bit of extra effort, and require a few more steps than a typical bread recipe. But thats a good thingotherwise Id be making them and eating them every day.
Sure, you could drive to the local mall and buy a big soft pretzel, but the whole pretzel making process is so interesting and fun. And of course, the finished product is well worth the effort.
These pretzels are soft, chewy, buttery and salty, just like a good pretzel should be. And you can customize them with different seasonings, or cinnamon sugar, depending on your mood.
And lets not even get started on all the amazing things you can dip these pretzels in!
The trickiest step in making authentic pretzels is the boiling process, which happens after the dough has risen, but before you bake the shaped pretzels.
Whatever you do, do not skip this step! Its what gives the pretzels that shiny, chewy outer crust. Without the boiling, youll just end up with pretzel shaped bread.
Which would probably still be satisfying and delicious, it just wouldnt have that true pretzel texture and flavor.
Your pretzels might unravel a bit during the boiling process, but dont worry too much about your pretzels being perfectly shaped. Just tie them back together the best you can. Theyll still be delicious!
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How Long Do The Soft Pretzels Take To Make
They take about an hour from start to finish.
Which is all I can muster to wait when that buttery, salty, soft pretzel craving strikes!
Soft pretzels don’t have to take all day.
These are a quick prep and a quick bake, since we’re leaving out the baking soda bath it knocks off a lot of the normal pretzel making time. Because when you did the pretzels into the baking soda it adds quite a bit of time to the process.
How To Make Homemade Pretzels
![Ben](https://www.bakingclub.net/wp-content/uploads/bens-soft-pretzels-bake-at-home-kit-2-pack-bake-up-to-24-soft-pretzels.png)
My experience is that it takes a bit of practice to get the best result. Making the recipe does require a bit of time, so I’d recommend following the instructions to achieve the best result. I enjoyed every bit of this process. This could be a great family activity at home with the kids! I will certainly be making this recipe again soon.
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How Do You Shape Homemade Soft Pretzels
Heres how to do a classic knot. By this stage, you should have divided the dough into small pieces already. Begin by rolling one into a 20-inch rope, then fold into a U. Next, overlap the ends. Cross them again over each other. Lift ends and press firmly to the rounded part of the U.
Remember, no need to make perfect shapes! Form it into letters, stick shapes, bites, twists, and hearts if you want, and just have fun with it.
How To Make Homemade Soft Pretzels
There are few things more delicious in this world than a homemade soft pretzel. When done correctly, the soft texture and savory flavor will literally melt in your mouth! However, if you dont have the right toolkit, you could end up with mediocre or even inedible soft pretzels. Obviously, we want to help you avoid a potential disaster in the kitchen! So, in todays guide, we are going to teach you exactly how to make homemade soft pretzels with ease!
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What To Dip Pretzels In
Cheese sauce for pretzels is the most popular and common cheese dip served with pretzels at the shopping malls. You can make homemade cheese sauce by melting Velveeta cheese with milk or using jarred queso dip. Look for a mild cheese sauce labeled Cheddar cheese sauce, Jalapeno or Nacho flavored Cheese sauce will have a Mexican flavor profile.
Another way to flavor dips is to add 2 Tbsp of Franks hot red sauce to every cup 1/2 cup of cheese sauce for a spicy kick. I also love dipping these pretzels into a sweet mustard sauce
What Other Flavor Variations Can I Make
Cinnamon sugar instead of sprinkling coarse salt on top and brushing with egg you can brush the pretzels with butter and sprinkle over some cinnamon sugar, simply mix a little cinnamon with brown or white sugar.
Cheese you can add some grated cheese such as cheddar or parmesan into the dough so its distributed throughout the pretzels and then sprinkle some on top before baking too.
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Buttery Soft Pretzels Without Baking Soda
Super fluffy, buttery, salty and insanely delicious. Say goodbye to the baking soda bath and all that extra work, we wonât be using that method for these soft pretzels without baking soda!
Homemade baked soft pretzels are on the agenda today and I’ve got a recipe for you that won’t disappoint.
This recipe was first published on 09/06/2018.
This recipe for soft pretzels without the baking soda is my absolute favorite way to make pretzels! Truth be told, you don’t ‘need’ to dip them in a baking soda bath, see all that gorgeous golden sheen in my photos?
100% made by a quick trip under the broiler and a brushing of melted butter.
I’ve been making soft pretzels since I was kid, so you could say I’m sort of an old pro by now.
Every time I make soft pretzels I get my kids involved and let them roll and shape the pretzels. But the most important job of all, the official pretzel taste tester, they do that job quite well.
They key to a great soft pretzel is extra butter. Butter makes everything better. Plus there’s always all the yummy pretzels dippings.
My son loves to dip his soft pretzels in cream cheese, so delicious.
It’s actually a whole family thing, we all do it, we’re all guilty of being cream cheese pretzel dippers.
Lye Baking Soda And Shaping
Making a traditional soft pretzel at home can be done in much the same way as at a professional bakery: Mix the dough, leave to ferment, shape, dip in an alkali bath, and then bake. While there’s a variety of ways to shape pretzels, which we’ll look at later, the part that sometimes separates the home baker from the professional baker is the way they prepare the alkali bath: When making pretzels at home, most use common baking soda, whereas many bakeries use lye for the bath.
Lye is a strong alkali that can be dangerous if misused, but it’s lye that enhances the Maillard reaction on the outside of the dough. This reaction gives each pretzel a chewy crust, mahogany color, glossy sheen, and that unmistakable pretzel flavor typical of a German soft pretzel.
Using a baking soda bath, which isnt nearly as caustic as lye, produces a similar result, but not nearly at the same intensity. The exterior crust will still be somewhat soft the coloring looks brown rather than deep mahogany there’s far less of a sheen on the crust and the typical pretzel flavor is there, just not at the same magnitude.
Even though each approach to the alkali bath results in a different outcome, both styles taste quite delicious. Let’s take a look at each method for preparing a pretzel bath. You can decide which works for your kitchen.
Making pretzels at home with a lye bath
Don’t expect to find food-grade lye in grocery stores, but it’s readily available online in the US.
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Success Tips For Homemade Pretzel Rolls
The most delicious ways to eat these pretzel rolls? Enjoy them with beer cheese dip or bacon spinach dip, as buns for ham & swiss sandwiches, with soup , as a side with walnut crusted chicken, with the topping from crab pretzels, or straight from the pan. Theyre big, soft, fluffy, and pretzel-y!
- Prep Time:1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time:25 minutes
How To Make Soft Pretzels From Scratch
![Seriously Soft Sourdough Pretzel](https://www.bakingclub.net/wp-content/uploads/seriously-soft-sourdough-pretzel-the-perfect-loaf-homemade-pretzels.jpeg)
I think once you try this easy soft pretzel recipe youll be stunned at how easy they are to make. Weve been craving carbs and these pretzels are so simple to make we whip them up once a week to satisfy that craving.
To get started, make the pretzel dough. You can do this with a stand mixer and the dough attachment or by hand. Either way, its super simple.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. I like to use an instant yeast because you dont have to get it started in water. But if you only have dry active yeast, simply proof it before adding to the dry ingredients.
Next, add the water and butter to the dry ingredients and mix until the dough becomes a ball. This will take about 4-5 minutes in the stand mixer, an additional 5 minutes if youre doing the work by hand.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl coated with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.
Once the dough has risen, roll into a log and cut into 12 even size balls.
Bring a pot of water with baking soda to a boil while youre shaping your pretzels and preheat the oven to 450F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Roll each dough ball into a long thin log and shape into a pretzel by looping the two ends up and over each other. Press down on each cross to help them stick.
In a small bowl, whisk one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt.
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Dough For Soft Pretzel Bites
I never stray from my original soft pretzel dough, so thats what youll use for these pretzel bites. You need just 6 basic ingredients to get started including warm water, yeast, a little sugar to feed the yeast, melted butter, salt, and all-purpose flour. . You can use either instant or active dry yeast in this dough. I usually use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast.
The dough doesnt require extended rise time and the baking soda bath is pretty quick, so besides the baking step, the longest stretch of time this recipe requires is shaping.
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with bakers yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
What To Serve With Soft Pretzels
Theyre already divine with just flaky salt on top, but these are also great for shmearing, spreading, and dunking!
It goes with virtually any dipbeer cheese dip, chocolate, balsamic olive oil, caramel, zesty honey mustard, dulce de leche, and virtually any flavor you wish!
You can also make some hearty dips for smearing on top. Try it with hot cheesy crab dip, taco dip, or this crowds favorite buffalo crack chicken dip. You can also keep it simple with some cream cheese or a dusting of plain sugar or spiced sugar!
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How To Make Soft Pretzels
This recipe is made from yeast bread dough that is curved into pretzel shapes, boiled then baked. A quick overview of the steps needed:
- PREPARE DOUGH This is a typical yeast dough and can be made in a stand mixer. After the dough has risen, divide into 8 equal parts.
- SHAPE DOUGH Roll into ropes and shape into pretzels .
- BOIL Gently lower into boiling water for several seconds.
- BAKE Remove, drain and brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with topping. Bake until toasty brown.
Soft baked pretzels can be customized into different shapes and sizes. Its fun to turn into initials for the kids. Or, simpler shapes, like pretzel sticks.
How To Shape A Pretzel
To shape a pretzel youll want to stretch and roll the dough out to a long rope Then holding up the ends to make a u-shape youll want to keep your left hand still and use your right hand to twist and wrap around the left strip. This Pretzel making technique was demonstrated in Auntie Annes Pretzel Video
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The Basic Pretzel Dough Ratio
I took a look through a whole gaggle of pretzel recipes before diving back into my own pretzel-making: Debs recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which was the recipe I tried all those years ago Martha Stewarts excellent recipe, which was Debs own inspiration the basic pretzel recipe from Pretzel Making at Home by Andrea Slonecker and many, many others.
I discovered something interesting in my research: All the recipes were basically the same. They had the same basic ratio of liquids to flour , with only very slight variations. Some used beer and some added a touch more sugar, but on the whole, the recipes were the same. Even more of a revelation, this is also the basic ratio of liquids to flour as in most sandwich breads.
Resting Soft Pretzel Dough
There isn’t a ton of ‘resting’ time for this recipe. The initial bit of rest time after the dough comes together and then you move right along in to making them.
You’ll skip the traditional pretzel resting time after you form them in to pretzels. Go straight in to brushing with the egg wash and baking.
All the resting time that we are skipping saves so much time.
Now it doesn’t mean that you can’t rest them. You totally can. But know you don’t have to. If you watch in my video, after my dough has puffed up I don’t have any more resting time allotted.
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How Do I Make Sure I Make 12 Even Sized Pretzels
Weigh the dough in ounces before dividing the dough. Divide the weight by 12. This will tell you how much each dough ball should weigh. As you are pinching dough off, weigh each one and add or remove dough as needed to keep them a similar size. You can also eyeball it, and keep them about the size of golf balls.
Master The Classic Ballpark Treat From The Comfort Of Your Own Kitchen
![Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe](https://www.bakingclub.net/wp-content/uploads/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe-taste-of-home.jpeg)
The secret to a perfect soft pretzel recipe is a little food science: it’s all about baking soda. Follow along as we show you how to make pretzels at home starting with the pretzel ingredients, shaping the dough into that classic pretzel twist, mastering the baking soda bath, and baking to chewy perfection. You’ll be running a pretzel factory from your kitchen in no time.
Most of the ingredients you need to make pretzels are already in your kitchen. The simple list of ingredients is:
*Pretzel salt tip: If you can’t find pretzel salt locally and don’t want to order it online, try any kind of coarse salt, such as kosher or sea salt.
Get our Classic Soft Pretzels recipe for amounts and directions.
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