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The best salted pretzels on parchment paper
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5 from 2 votes

Homemade Soft Pretzels

This Homemade Soft Pretzels recipe makes the most perfectly soft and chewy pretzels, with just a few simple ingredients.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Rising Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Bread, Snack
Cuisine: German
Servings: 9 pretzels
Calories: 191kcal
Author: The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

  • 1 ½ Cups Water warm
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
  • 3-3 ½ Cups Flour bread or all-purpose
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt

Pretzel Poaching Liquid

  • 6 Cups Water
  • 6 teaspoon Baking Soda

Egg wash

  • 1 large Egg
  • 2 Tablespoons Water

For Salted Pretzels

  • 2 Tablespoons Pretzel Salt or coarse sea salt

Instructions

How to Make Pretzel Dough

  • Proof your yeast by adding the warm water, sugar, and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir well, and let sit for about 10 minutes until frothy.
  • When the mixture looks nice and bubbly, add 2 cups of the flour and your salt, and mix on low speed using the dough hook.  Add in the rest of your flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (you may not need to use the full amount).
  • Once all of your flour has been added, mix on low to knead the dough for another few minutes, then turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, or about 1 hour.
  • After your dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 9 equal balls. Cover the dough balls loosely with a kitchen towel and let them relax for about 2 minutes.

How to Shape and Bake Pretzels

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. At the same time, make your baking soda bath by combining the water and baking soda in a large pot and set it on high heat to bring it to a boil.
  • While the water starts to heat, you can shape your pretzels. One at a time, roll each ball of dough into a log until it is about 24" long. If it keeps shrinking back on you, move onto another dough ball and return to that one later (you can also "bang" the dough on the counter as you roll). Once your dough is 24" long, twist the ends and press onto the the opposite sides of the pretzel, as shown in the photos.
  • When your poaching water is boiling, add 2-3 pretzels at a time and poach for 20 seconds. Flip them over and poach for another 20 seconds. Do not over boil them! Remove them from the water using tongs or a slotted spatula and place on a baking tray.
  • As soon as all of your pretzels are poached, whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl.  Brush this egg wash over the tops of each pretzel, then sprinkle the pretzel salt, or coarse sea salt, over the tops.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 2796mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 2mg