Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe as an Appetizer (or Dinner!)
Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe as an Appetizer
(Or Dinner!)
We love soft baked pretzels, love, love, love them. At times we’ll even actually make a separate stop into Sam’s Club to grab one of their soft baked pretzels and cheese dip – I tell ya… it’s a serious obsession…
So, recently when we were heading to a football party, I knew the kids would love to take some pretzels and cheese dip as our fun thing to contribute to the party. Only I had no idea how to make homemade pretzels. So, as nervous as I was, I set out to make soft pretzel bites. They were SO good!
I will say, to make about 80 pretzel bites it took me about 1 hour including cleanup – so not too bad at all.
Items I used for this recipe:
Here’s how I got these delicious morsels done – and you’ll find a printable recipe below as well. Or, pin this recipe so you’ve got it for when you’re ready to make these delicious soft pretzel pieces.
Pour warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer (I put notes below in case you don’t have a stand mixer) and sprinkle yeast over top of milk. Add honey and stir the mixture. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes and once it is nice and foamy, it is ready. To make my milk the right temperature, I microwaved the milk in a Pyrex measuring cup for 1 minute.
Next add your flour and salt to the mixer and knead on low for about 3 minutes. If you need to, add flour one tablespoon at time as needed. Your dough will be tacky, but not sticky.
Wash and dry a part of your countertop to roll out dough – do not flour the countertop, though.
Cut your dough into fourparts and roll each pretzel dough ball into 20-24 inch long line of dough.
Cut the line of dough into bite size pieces with a butter knife or dough cutterand place pieces onto a plate.
Fill a large potwith water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your water slowly. It will bubble up as you add it so be prepared for that.
Add your pretzel pieces to the boiling water 10-15 at a time for 30 seconds or so.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, brush each pretzel piece with egg wash with an egg wash brush like this and sprinkle with coarse salt. I love sea salt!
Bake in preheated450°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
YUM!
Tips:
If you won’t be serving these right away, you will not want to close them in a sealed container. The salt will fall off and they will become mushy. Let them dry and cool completely and then seal them in a bowl or container.
I bought my cheese dip from the store. My grocery had the “soft pretzel cheese dip” with the ethnic foods in the Mexican food area. It is so good and I use it on nachos, too.
The homemade soft pretzels are soft and fantastic - warm and chewy and delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 80 pretzel bites
Author Kate
Ingredients
- 2¼teaspoonsactive dry yeastless then one packet
- 1¼cupswarm milk110°-120°F if you have a thermometer, otherwise 1 minute or so in the microwave
- 2tablespoonshoney
- 3¼cupsall purpose flourI use unbleached
- 1teaspoonsea salt
- ½cupbaking soda
- 1large egg
- coarse saltpretzel salt or I like sea salt if you have it
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Pour milk into the bowl of a stand mixer
Sprinkle yeast over top of milk
Add honey and stir
Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes until it is foamy
Add flour and salt to mixer
Knead for about 3 minutes until the dough comes together in one ball
Wash countertop (do not flour)
Place dough on countertop and form dough into a ball, cut into four pieces
Roll each quarter into an 20-24" strand and cut into pieces using a butter knife or dough cutter
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat
Make egg wash with one egg and 2 T of water
Carefully, add baking soda to boiling water
Place dough bites into boiling water about 10-15 at a time
Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds
Boil all pieces and place on parchment paper
Brush egg wash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt
Bake for 7-9 minutes until the tops are browned
If you do not have a stand mixer, mix the dough by hand with a spoon. Turn dough out onto floured counter top and knead for 3-5 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and proceed with directions.
If you like this Pretzel Bites recipe, you may also be interested in these posts below. Simply click on the picture to go to each post.
Recipe adapted from The Slow Roasted Italian.
FAQs
On the one hand, lye gives pretzels their distinctive flavor, kind of a sharp flatness, if that makes sense. It's what keeps a pretzel from tasting like pretzel-shaped bread. On the other hand, lye is ridiculously dangerous. It will burn you if it gets on your skin and blind you if it gets in your eyes.
How do you keep soft pretzels soft for a party? ›
Room Temperature: The best way to store your pretzels at room temperature is by using a bread box. Bread boxes let the right amount of air circulate so your bread (or pretzels!) remain moisture-free without going stale. If you don't have a bread box, you can opt for a paper bag or a storage container.
What is the secret solution for Auntie Anne's pretzels? ›
While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.
What is the best flour for pretzels? ›
Bread flour provides more structure
Gluten helps provide structure, allowing a baked good to have more body and sturdiness. As a result, bread flour will make it easier for a pretzel to hold its shape. This can be an advantage to beginner bakers, especially since the shape of a pretzel is so important.
What is the secret ingredient in pretzels? ›
Traditional Bavarian pretzels are dipped in a lye solution before they are baked. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is essentially the same stuff that's used to make soap and clean drains. It can even dissolve glass.
What gives soft pretzels their flavor? ›
Lye. The dough is simple; take a basic yeast-risen dough that can be readied in an afternoon. But the trick to great pretzels is dipping the pretzels in a liquid wash before baking — and not just any wash, but a combination of water and lye. That's what gives pretzels their terrific color, texture and flavor.
How do you keep soft pretzel bites warm for a party? ›
Simply wrap all the pretzel bites tightly in foil, sealing the edges together, then place in your oven on “keep warm,” or 170F.
How do you keep homemade pretzels from getting soggy? ›
Storing Freshly Baked Soft Pretzels
Individually Wrapped: Wrap each pretzel in plastic wrap to protect against dry air. Room Temperature for Short-Term: Store them in an airtight container at room temperature if enjoying within a couple of days.
Should homemade soft pretzels be refrigerated? ›
Pretzels are best when eaten fresh and hot, but will still be good for up to a day later. Store them in a paper bag at room temperature.
Does Auntie Anne's use lye or baking soda? ›
Well, the cheery ladies were very clear with me: they do NOT use lye. No sodium hydroxide/poison/caustic soda—none whatsoever—in their pretzels. (They do, however, dip their pretzels in a baking soda solution.)
Auntie Anne Pretzels are somehow more delicious than your average pretzel. A healthy dose of sugar makes for a tasty dough, and a topping of melted butter and salt makes them positively addictive. Another reason the popular pretzels are so good is they are made and served fresh and warm.
Does Auntie Anne's bake or fry their pretzels? ›
Is this the same product that is sold at Auntie Anne's franchise locations? Products sold at Auntie Anne's franchise locations are baked fresh in-store.
Do you use baking soda or powder for soft pretzels? ›
Baking Soda + Boiling Water Pretzel Bath
Slowly pour in your baking soda and whisk until completely dissolved. Dip your pretzels in the bath using a slotted spoon for 30 seconds, flipping once during this time. Drain and place back onto your greased parchment lined baking sheets.
What is the best salt for homemade soft pretzels? ›
Ideally, you would use pretzel salt when making pretzels. But this type of salt is not always easy to find in the store. That's why many people turn to kosher salt instead. And indeed, these two types of salt have a lot in common.
Why do you boil soft pretzels before baking? ›
Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes. It turns out that most pretzels are boiled, often in a lye solution, before baking to ensure that the exterior comes out just right.
What is the Flavouring on pretzels? ›
Salt is the most common seasoning, or topping, for pretzels, complementing the washing soda or lye treatment that gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor acquired through the Maillard reaction. Other toppings are mustard, cheeses, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon, sweet glazing, seeds, and nuts.
What is the chemical dip on pretzels? ›
The dipping stage normally takes just 10-15 seconds of exposure to the hot alkaline solution which is about 200°F. Traditionally the solution was a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. Today, most production involves the use of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate solutions which are not as caustic as NaOH.
What makes pretzels smell like pretzels? ›
After removing other scent molecules individually, the researchers found two molecules that are essential to the unique pretzel scent: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which has a roasted smell, and 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, which has a caramel smell.
What is the lie for making pretzels? ›
Lye is primarily used to make pretzels, and it's the reason for their unmistakable shiny, mahogany color. To prepare, shaped pretzels are dipped in a lye bath, then baked in the oven. This method can also be used with rolls or buns. Once lye-dipped pretzels are baked, they're totally safe (and delicious!) to eat.
