Soft Pretzels
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Fun to make and even more delightful to eat, these buttery, slightly sweet soft pretzels taste just like Auntie Anne’s.
Every parent and grandparent should have a go-to soft pretzel for those rainy days when you need a fun baking project—just be prepared for a light dusting of flour all over the kitchen! My kids adore these homemade soft pretzels. They’re slightly sweet, buttery, and almost identical to Auntie Anne’s famous mall pretzels. The real enjoyment for kids comes from rolling and twisting the dough into classic pretzel shapes, though can shape the dough into pretzel bites, too. While I prefer using a stand mixer, kneading the dough by hand is just as effective.
Homemade soft pretzels are easily customized. For those who love the traditional salted version, follow the recipe as is. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, skip the coarse salt, brush the pretzels with butter after baking, and then sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. And for the adults, pair these pretzels with mustard or beer cheese dip for extra flavor.
Table of Contents
“I made these for a party. They were amazing. I love Auntie Anne’s pretzels and these tasted just like them.”
What You’ll Need To Make Soft Pretzels
Step-by-Step Instructions
Warm the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter in the microwave until the butter is just melted, about 90 seconds; do not boil. (Alternatively, warm the butter and milk in a small saucepan.)
Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour with the yeast and salt.
Mix on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the warm milk mixture to the bowl.
When the dough forms a cohesive mass, switch to the dough hook.
Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a clean, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. Shape the dough into a log and cut into six equal pieces.
Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 24-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch.
Combine the baking soda with warm water in a 2-quart baking dish and stir until dissolved. Gently dip each “rope” into the soda solution. This alkaline solution is what gives the pretzels their signature dark brown, shiny crust and distinctive flavor. The solution causes a chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction, which results in browning and a distinctive taste. Without this step, the pretzels would not have the same taste, texture, or appearance that we associate with them.
Let any excess liquid drip off, then form the dough into a pretzel shape directly on the prepared baking sheet (form a U-shape, then holding the ends of the rope, cross them over and under each other — making a twist in the middle — and press the ends onto the bottom of the pretzel). Sprinkle evenly with the coarse salt.
Bake until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter and brush on the baked pretzels.
Enjoy the pretzels warm out of the oven, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.
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Soft Pretzels
Fun to make and even more delightful to eat, these buttery, slightly sweet soft pretzels taste just like Auntie Anne’s.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2¼ teaspoons instant/rapid-rise yeast (1 package)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ cup baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Warm the milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter in the microwave until the butter is just melted, about 90 seconds; do not boil. (Alternatively, warm the butter and milk in a small saucepan.) Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the warm milk/butter mixture to the bowl. When the dough forms a cohesive mass, switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, the dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand.) Shape the dough into a ball, place in a clean, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a 2-qt baking dish, combine the baking soda with 2¼ cups warm water. Stir until the baking soda is dissolved; set aside. (Dipping the pretzel dough in a baking soda solution gives the pretzels a nice golden brown crust.)
- Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. (If the dough seems sticky, you can dust it with a bit of flour as needed.) Shape the dough into a log, then cut into 6 equal pieces; cover with a damp dishtowel so the dough doesn't dry out. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 24-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch.
- Using two hands, gently dip each "rope" into the soda solution. Let any excess liquid drip off, then form the dough into a pretzel shape directly on the prepared baking sheet (form a U-shape, then holding the ends of the rope, cross them over and under each other -- making a twist in the center -- and press the ends onto the bottom of the pretzel). Sprinkle evenly with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 8 to 12 minutes; watch the bottoms carefully as they can burn.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and brush on the baked pretzels. The pretzels are best enjoyed warm out of the oven or fresh on the same day (reheat in the oven or microwave).
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the warm milk and butter, let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.
- Note: If you prefer a cinnamon sugar topping, omit the coarse salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar plus about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon)
- Make-Ahead Instructions: After the dough has risen, it can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for a few months. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator before using. The dough can be shaped into pretzel bites while still cool, but allow about 30 minutes for the bites to puff up a bit before dipping and baking.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 pretzel
- Calories: 331
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 2540 mg
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe is A-mazing!! Capital A. I made it this morning and I’m making a batch tonight so I can try cinnamon sugar pretzels for breakfast. I literally only got 2 bites of one pretzel. My family devoured them! Thank you for the recipe! I used half all purpose flour and half bread flour because I ran out of AP. I’m going to do the same thing because they were so good! Don’t know what it changed. Everything else I followed exactly as written. I just printed this and I’m keeping it forever.
Wow! These are amazing. We made 3 with salt and 3 with cinnamon sugar and both were delightful. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!
WOW Jen…..so delicious! But when i punched the dough in the middle and the glass bowl shattered…..ouch. So after i got back from the ER and 18 stitches later i finished the pretzels….they turned out great even my guests loved them…..they thought the red swirls of blood were interesting and a bit crunchy because of the glass…..but they were a hit! I will definitely make them again. But i have zombie blood and now my friends are zombies cause i infected them…..bummer huh…..now they always want my pretzels.
LOL…….just kidding…….great recipie!
Oh my gosh — I’m glad you were kidding!! (Also glad you enjoyed the pretzels.) 🙂
Made these with my 3 year old granddaughter today. They were easy and turned out so soft on the inside and had a nice bite to it and had a great flavor. We melted butter and dipped them in cinnamon and vanilla sugar, what a treat!
I first made pretzels using a kit. They were good, so decided to look for a recipe online and came across this one. This recipe is easy, and absolutely delicious! Millions better than the kit! This will become a return to recipe for years! Thank you!
Made these pretzels for the first time and brought them to a party. Every person thought they were amazing. I brought cheese and mustard for people to dip them in but no one bothered – they ate them plain
Easy to make, the directions were very clear.
Will definitely make them again
These were delicious. Just as everyone described, they were soft and had a wonderful sweetness. I have read the comments on cutting down on the sugar to make them less sweet. However, what if I would like to make them denser next time? Would I just add more flour to the dough?
So glad you enjoyed, Danielle! Yes, adding a bit more flour should work.
I just made these. And they are so good! Do you think they’d make a good sandwich bun? I’m tempted to make another batch, roll them on balls, and see what happens.
Hi Amy, I do! Please LMK how they turn out.
Hey All-
Awesome recipe and I did make them as buns! They came out wonderful. Today is a snow day in Maine and my littles and I are making pretzels! We love this recipe so much. Thank you!
So glad they came out well as buns — thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂
I made these a few days ago and they are delicious. I made a dipping sauce with fresh chopped garlic and butter. So good!
Also, if you can’t finish them in a day, freeze and reheat them in the air fryer. Tasted the same (if not better) than when I first baked them!
I am dairy free and it works great!
Hey there! I’m vegan, and was wondering if I could substitute the milk for almond or soy milk?
Sure, Rema, that should work. Enjoy!
First time making pretzels. ABSOLUTELY AHMAZING. Thank you for the recipe and such clear instructions!!
Absolutely fantastic. My 7 year old granddaughter followed her first recipe and made them. 😀😀