Soft Pretzels

4.97 from 101 votes

Soft pretzels that are warm, buttery, salty perfection. Delicious on their own or dipped in your favorite cheese sauce!

Prep Time30

Cook Time6

Total Time36

Course: Bread, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Soft Pretzels

Servings: Pretzels

Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
Warm 1 1/4 cups water to between 100-110℉ and add to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Stir until yeast and sugar are dissolved.
Add 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, mixing with a large spoon until combined. If dough is sticky, add up to an additional 1/2 cup flour. You should have a soft, smooth dough. No additional kneading is necessary.
Cover and let dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions (about golf ball size). On a clean surface, roll each portion into a rope about 12 inches long. To shape, form each rope into a “U,” cross the ends over each other twice to make a twist, then fold the twisted ends down to the bottom of the “U” and press gently to seal, creating the classic pretzel shape.
Heat 1 1/2 cups water to about 110℉ in a liquid measuring glass.. Dissolve 1/4 cup baking soda in the water. Working one at a time, dip shaped pretzels into the baking soda solution. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake 6–8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack. While still warm, brush tops with 1/4 cup salted butter (melted) and sprinkle with flake or coarse salt as desired.

[yeetvid]

For sweet pretzels, replace salt with cinnamon sugar. For cheesy pretzels, sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top before baking.