Good old fashioned Homemade Soft Pretzels made from scratch. Better than pretzels from the fair.

We are making an old recipe for Homemade Soft Pretzels. This will be a Saturday snack for a fun treat everyone enjoys. It’s a game day snack for my family but you can make these anytime the crew will be hanging around the house.

The success of this recipe is credited to the dipping of the pretzels in the baking soda bath. Do not skip this step. It will give your fresh-baked pretzels that rich brown color and the soft chewy center they are famous for.

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How to Make Homemade Soft Pretzels

Anytime homemade bread is cooking in the kitchen your house smells amazing. These pretzels are no exception.

Make these for game day or family movie night. The process should take less than 2 hours.

Ingredients Needed to Make Soft Homemade Pretzels from scratch

• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, divided
• 8 cups water
• 1/2cup baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. water
• Sea Salt

Directions for making soft pretzels

Step 1

Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, like these. Grease a large bowl with one tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

Step 2

In another large bowl add the warm water, yeast, 1 tsp. salt, and brown sugar. Stir to blend and set aside for about 5 minutes to allow the yeast to rise.

Step 3

After the yeast has risen, add the remaining olive oil to the bowl with the yeast.

Gradually add four cups flour, one cup at a time, stirring vigorously with a fork and scraping the sides, until the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the dough without any lumps.

Step 4

Sprinkle remaining flour onto a clean, dry work surface and lightly coat hands with additional flour. Drop the dough onto the work surface and knead in the remaining flour just until the dough is no longer sticky. Do not overwork.

Step 5

Shape dough into a ball and add to the clean bowl coated in olive oil. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for one hour to let the dough rise. It should double in size.

I like to set mine on the top of the stove and turn on the hood vent light to help the process.

Step 6

When the dough is almost done resting, position the oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds and pre-heat the oven to 450°F.

Step 7

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your lightly floured fist.

Rest for a couple of minutes, then drop the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces.

Step 8

While the dough is resting, fill a large pot with 8 cups water and one-half cup baking soda and bring to a rolling boil.

Shaping the homemade soft pretzels

Step 9

Step by step photos of shaping the pretzel

Roll each section of dough into a thin, long rope as shown above.

The second step in shaping the pretzel is to bend the long rope of dough into a “U” shape.

Now twist the loose ends of the rope around each other, twice before attaching each tip toward the bottom of the “U” to form a traditional pretzel shape, as shown.

Transfer pretzels to the prepared baking sheet.

Kitchen Tip: If the pretzels are allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes once shaped, they will continue to rise or “puff up” to form a nice full shape.

Step 10

Drop each pretzel, one at a time, into the boiling baking soda bath and boil for 20 seconds before flipping. Boil for another 20 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spatula to a wire rack to drain excess liquid.

Step 11

Gently pat pretzels dry with a paper towel and transfer back to the prepared baking sheets.

Step 12

Beat egg and water together in a small bowl and brush each pretzel with the egg wash.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and place in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip: For even browning, rotate the baking sheets and move the baking sheet on the bottom rack to the top (and vice versa) halfway through baking.

Step 13

Remove your homemade pretzels from the oven and cool.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

• Melted butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup granulated Sugar

After removing from the oven, brush each pretzel with melted butter.

Blend the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

Dip the tops of the warm buttery pretzel into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and enjoy!

More Snack, Appetizer and, Game Day Recipes

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Thank you for sharing!