You Can Have Perfect Soft Homemade Pretzels in Under 30 Minutes!
I was recently hosting an activity for some young women that go to my church and I was looking for a fun baking activity for us to make together, which is always a favorite activity to do together. Who doesn’t love the smell of yeasty bread, brownies, or banana bread? I think our sense of smell is such an incredible gift we have that might be a bit underrated. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t smell a batch of freshly baked bread again! Anyway, I stumbled upon a recipe for quick and easy soft pretzels that we could make from start to finish within our one hour activity from one of my favorite baking blogs, Sally’s Baking Addiction. Little did I know that pretzels actually have everything to do with prayer, as strange as that sounds.
Maybe you already know the story, but pretzels were actually invented by an Italian monk clear back in 620 AD, who was preparing some unleavened bread for Lent, which is the Christian period of fasting and penitence before Easter. He was thinking about how Christians cross their arms across their body to the opposite shoulder when praying and twisted and formed the scraps of his dough to form a shape that resembled this. He made these and shared them with the children, in teaching them how to recite their prayers. He named the creation, “pretiola,” which is Latin for “little reward”. The three holes represent the Holy Trinity. The rest is history.
This recipe I’m sharing today is, like I said earlier, super fast and easy. You can whip up a batch of these pretzels in about 30 minutes, and that includes a quick dunk in a baking soda boil. If you think about a bagel or a pretzel, they have a very unique chewiness to them, with their golden, shiny exterior that is quite unique to the both of them. While you could get a similar golden finish by doing an egg wash, you wouldn’t get that same exceptional chewiness. All it takes is a quick 20-30 second dunk in a boiling pot of water and baking soda, after you have folded your pretzel and then you bake them. This dunk in the water also helps the salt stick a lot better to the exterior.
I made some delicious ooey gooey cheese sauce to dip in and we made about half salted ones to dip in cheese and half of them were dipped in cinnamon and sugar and we all loved both flavors. You could also do some with butter and parmesan cheese, or whatever your favorite seasonings are. I wish I would have had time to whip up some honey butter, but that would have been amazing with the cinnamon/sugar ones!
Have you made homemade soft pretzels or bagels before? The baking soda bath isn’t as intimidating as it seems, right? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
1 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature but around 100°F (38°C) is great)
2 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
3 3/4 - 4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
9 cups (2,160ml) water
Directions:
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Maybe you already know the story, but pretzels were actually invented by an Italian monk clear back in 620 AD, who was preparing some unleavened bread for Lent, which is the Christian period of fasting and penitence before Easter. He was thinking about how Christians cross their arms across their body to the opposite shoulder when praying and twisted and formed the scraps of his dough to form a shape that resembled this. He made these and shared them with the children, in teaching them how to recite their prayers. He named the creation, “pretiola,” which is Latin for “little reward”. The three holes represent the Holy Trinity. The rest is history.
This recipe I’m sharing today is, like I said earlier, super fast and easy. You can whip up a batch of these pretzels in about 30 minutes, and that includes a quick dunk in a baking soda boil. If you think about a bagel or a pretzel, they have a very unique chewiness to them, with their golden, shiny exterior that is quite unique to the both of them. While you could get a similar golden finish by doing an egg wash, you wouldn’t get that same exceptional chewiness. All it takes is a quick 20-30 second dunk in a boiling pot of water and baking soda, after you have folded your pretzel and then you bake them. This dunk in the water also helps the salt stick a lot better to the exterior.
I made some delicious ooey gooey cheese sauce to dip in and we made about half salted ones to dip in cheese and half of them were dipped in cinnamon and sugar and we all loved both flavors. You could also do some with butter and parmesan cheese, or whatever your favorite seasonings are. I wish I would have had time to whip up some honey butter, but that would have been amazing with the cinnamon/sugar ones!
Have you made homemade soft pretzels or bagels before? The baking soda bath isn’t as intimidating as it seems, right? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels - Sally's Baking Addiction
How to make easy homemade soft pretzels in less than 45 minutes. Don't forget the easy spicy cheese sauce! Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Serving size: 12
Calories per serving: 137
Ingredients:
Cook time:
Serving size: 12
Calories per serving: 137
1 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm– no need to take temperature but around 100°F (38°C) is great)
2 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
3 3/4 - 4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
coarse salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
1/2 cup (120g) baking soda
9 cups (2,160ml) water
Directions:
Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections (about 75g each).
Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.
Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, I like to get the water + baking soda boiling as instructed in step 6.)
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 1/3 cup sections (about 75g each).
Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.
Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels. If desired, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking in step 7.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce.
Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds or bake in a 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
