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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Just made these pretzels. They are very, very good! I made Alton Brown’s version last week (where I had to boil them in baking soda water prior to baking), but we love these ones much more. They’re also simpler to make. One recipe yielded 8 pretzels – not as big as at the mall, but big enough for a portion. Thank you for another reliable and yummy recipe.
Can the dough be made in a bread maker?
Sure, Amber, that should work. Enjoy!
These pretzels are crazy awesome!
Love them and this website. Thanks Jennifer.
Hi Jenn! Can i get the exact measurement of the active dry yeast? Will try this recipe soon. Thank you!
Hi Wella, One packet of yeast contains 1/4 ounce or approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast. Enjoy!
What is the nutritional content per pretzel? (Calories) thank you
Hi Tabatha, Each pretzel has 317 calories. (I added all of the nutritional info to the recipe.)
Thank you so much for replying so quickly. The information is very helpful. These pretzels taste amazing and are a perfect treat 🙂
Delicious first time I ever made pretzels.
Made the pretzels and did the following:
1. used white sugar instead of brown.
2. Skipped completely the baking soda step. In Puerto Rico, the mall pretzels aren’t chewy on the outside but completely soft. They’re also sold only with sweet toppings. I also didn’t use any salt but cinnamon and sugar topping.
3. Instead of using butter, before baking, I used cooking spray.
The results were:
1. Very pale pretzels, soft but fluffy!!!
2. Will need to use the brown sugar.
My question is can you freeze the dough and for how long and before or after the rise?
Hi, these are really best made fresh, but you could get away with freezing the dough (after it rises) for up to 3 months. You can find some additional tips here on thawing and baking the dough.
These pretzels are amazing!! I am not a dough person. If it requires kneading and proofing, I usually steer clear. Jenn has written this recipe so that even I can create delicious food with dough. Her detailed instructions from the extra flour to slapping the dough were extremely helpful. My entire family raved about the final product and can’t wait for me to make them again. Thank you Jenn!
I made these today. Recipe really Should come with a warning: hugely addictive. Very easy and so delicious. Was also quick to make and caused no mess in my kitchen whatsoever. Boyfriend who is an extremely picky eater and generally does not like to eat had four of them on the spot. Thank you Jenn for another delicious recipe !!
Malak
Amazing, but highly addictive! My boyfriend and I scarfed down the whole batch in one night.
Hi, Can you freeze these and reheat ?
Hi Allen, I’ve never tried freezing these but I think they’d be best fresh out of the oven. I don’t think they’d be nearly as good after being frozen- sorry!