Description
The best quick and easy salted soft pretzels are buttery, salty, and so delicious. They are golden brown and chewy on the outside, yet warm and soft inside.
Ingredients
For the pretzels:
- 4 grams active dry yeast
- 300 grams water (300 ml)
- 6 grams salt (1 teaspoon)
- 20 grams brown sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 450 grams all-purpose white flour
- 15 grams butter, melted (1 tablespoon)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1/4 cup salt flakes (for sprinkling)
For the water bath:
- 10 cups water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Prepare the Dough:
- Combine yeast, water, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Let the yeast mixture rest 5 minutes until it turns foamy.
- Add in flour and melted butter. Stir well with a silicone spatula to combine until it forms a shaggy dough and no dry flour is visible in the bowl. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula.
- Knead the dough on a clean surface for 5 to 7 minutes until the surface of dough is smooth. Transfer the dough back into the bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it rest for up to 1 hour at room temperature until the dough doubles in size. TIP: Lightly brush some oil over the dough ball to prevent it from losing moisture.
Shape the Pretzels:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Divide the dough into approximately 12 equal pieces, using a bench scraper. Shape each piece into a ball, and then roll each dough ball into a long rope approximately 20-inches long.
- Bring the two ends of each rope together to form a circle, with the ends on the bottom. Then, twist the ends a couple of times and pull them up and press them down into a pretzel shape.
- Cover the shaped pretzels with cling wrap, as you prepare the water bath.
Prepare the Water Bath:
- Add water, baking soda and brown sugar in a large pot and bring it a boil. Drop pretzels in, 3 or 4 at a time. Make sure they have enough room to float around. Boil the pretzels for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. The longer you boil the pretzels, the chewier and browner the pretzels get after baking.
- Transfer the pretzels onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let them dry for 5 minutes. You may have to use two baking sheets or do this in two batches. I fit 6 pretzels per baking sheet.
- Brush egg wash over the pretzels and generously sprinkle salt flakes on top. Egg wash makes the pretzels brown during baking and also helps the salt flakes stick to the pretzels.
Bake the Pretzels:
- Bake the pretzels in a 400F preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer the pretzels to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Equipment used: kitchen scale (or measuring cups and spoons), mixing bowl, large pot, 1/2 sheet baking pan.
How to store: Homemade pretzels are best served fresh. To store pretzels in the short-term, keep them in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 3 days at room temperature.
How to freeze: You can freeze pretzels in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
How to reheat: To reheat from frozen, you can simple place the pretzels inside the toaster or toaster oven and toast on the freezer setting. You can also quickly reheat in the air fryer at 300F for 10 minutes. Otherwise, allow the pretzels to thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Reheat thawed pretzels in the toaster, air fryer or oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (1 hour rise time)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American