I have been making these for years and adjusting the recipe for a long time. According to Google Drive, my first version of this recipe is from June 2012, so I’m marking that as the date here, even though I’ve modified it since then.
It’s a classic for a reason – these are fantastic soft pretzels!
Soft Pretzels
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 209kcal
Ingredients
Pretzel
- 450 g bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 11 g instant yeast
- 300 g warm water
Water bath
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp baking soda
Topping
- Coarse salt pretzel, flake or kosher salt
Instructions
- Measure the dry ingredients into a mixer bowl and mix quickly to combine. Add the 300g warm water while kneading in the stand mixer (add up to 50g more water, or a bit more flour, if needed to form a barely-sticky dough). Knead for around 8 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 1 hour.450 g bread flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 11 g instant yeast, 300 g warm water
- After it has rested, pull a piece of parchment paper the size of the baking sheet. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and cover with a clean towel. You want the dough to rest for about 5 minutes after each is divided, so do this at a reasonably gentle pace.
- Once it has rested after being divided, roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about two feet) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Make sure you connect the legs to the frame well, so it does not come apart later. (They should be fairly thin at this step, as they will continue to plump up.) Set aside and cover as you go, allowing them to rise again for 10 minutes under cover. They can be on a sheet pan, if you'd like, but you will be transferring them off before you bake them, so it should be a second sheet pan if anything.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF. In a deep skillet, heat 4 cups water and 2 tbsp baking soda (or 2 cups, 1 tbsp for a smaller pan) until it is barely simmering. Quickly and very carefully boil each pretzel in the mixture for about 30 seconds, placing the completed pretzels on a baking sheet and sprinkling with a very coarse salt as soon as they come out of the boiling pan.4 cups water, 2 tbsp baking soda, Coarse salt
- Bake the pretzels for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
Notes
Makes 8 pretzels
Nutrition
Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Facts
Soft Pretzels
Amount Per Serving
Calories 209
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 1410mg61%
Potassium 70mg2%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 1IU0%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.