Homemade Soft Pretzels
What Are Pretzels Made Of?
These are the simple, pantry staple ingredients you’ll need to make this soft pretzel recipe:
Water: You’ll need 5 ¼ cups of water, divided.
Yeast: The recipe starts with four teaspoons of active dry yeast dissolved in water with sugar.
Sugar: Dissolve a teaspoon of white sugar with the yeast and use ½ cup white sugar for the dough.
Flour: All-purpose flour gives the pretzel dough structure.
Salt: You’ll need salt for the dough and to sprinkle on top of
the pretzels.
Oil: Coat a bowl with vegetable oil before you let the dough rise.
Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it helps the dough rise.
Cook’s Note
You can substitute two tablespoons of garlic salt or cinnamon-sugar for the kosher salt if you wish.
How to Make Soft Pretzels
Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make homemade soft pretzels:
Activate the yeast with sugar and water.
Make the dough and knead it into a ball.
Place the dough ball in an oil bowl, turning the ball to coat.
Cover and let rise.
Turn the dough out, divide into equal pieces, roll into ropes, and shape into pretzels.
Dip each pretzel in a mixture of hot water and salt.
Sprinkle with salt and bake until brown.
How to Shape Pretzels
You’re probably familiar with the distinctive pretzel “knot,” but you might not know how to make the shape yourself. Here’s how:
Roll the dough into long ropes (about 15-18 inches each).
Twist the ends of the dough together.
Fold the dough in the opposite direction, over the bottom curve.