Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe

My daughter is taking a cooking class at school.  A few weeks ago they made soft pretzels.  She brought the recipe home and has been asking to make them.  I bought all of the ingredients, only to read the recipe's directions on Sunday afternoon and then realizing this dough had to rise overnight.  We were ready to bake and eat pretzels, so I scoured Pinterest and came across this recipe from Shutterbeam and combined the two to make the most fabulous tasting soft pretzels...ever.  We made some with salt and some with cinnamon sugar.

This recipe makes about 8 soft pretzels.

Ingredients -

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water


1 tablespoon sugar


1 1/3 teaspoons table salt

1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz.)


4 1/2 cups all purpose flour


2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Pam cooking spray for the pan

10 cups water


2/3 cup baking soda


1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water


Pretzel Toppings:


cinnamon sugar (1/8 cup sugar + 3 teaspoons cinnamon)


Kosher salt

unsalted butter (about 1/4 of a stick; melted)

Directions -

Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in a measuring cup and sprinkle the yeast on top.

Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the yeast mixture and melted butter into the flour mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.

Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then spray it lightly with cooking spray.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. (I don't think mine quite doubled... because we keep our house pretty cool, but this did not affect the outcome).


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper (you MUST use parchment paper) and spray the paper with cooking spray and set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot.

In the meantime, spray your work service with a small amount of cooking spray and then turn the dough out onto work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.

Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.


Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula or tongs (that is what I used)

Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture

Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack.  Then once cool enough to handle brush your pretzels with the melted butter and then either sprinkle the salt or cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

Serve.

Before they were put in the baking soda/water bath

 Madison made hers into a braided twist.

out of the oven and ready for the toppings

the inside of a cinnamon sugar one