on Jan 11, 2015, Updated Jan 19, 2023 13 Comments My family is a bit obsessed with soft pretzels. While my husband and I have loved them for as long as we each can remember, Sam was first introduced to them on a trip to Walt Disney World. The look in his eyes with his first bite had us both determined that we had to make pretzels for him at home. My husband is the one that is our official pretzel maker though. For over six weeks, he worked on making the the best ones he could make and perfecting his pretzel making skills. I have to tell you, we loved them all, but were happy being his taste-testers as he kept working on the recipe. I’m happy to be the beneficiary of something so delicious without any of the work! But they always disappeared before I could snap a photo of them. Imagine that! Ha! While making your own soft pretzels at home may seem intimidating, don’t let it be! There is definitely a process to be followed in making them, but the steps aren’t complicated at all! I thought it might be helpful to show step-by-step photographs of the process and grabbed my camera as my husband made his soft pretzel recipe yesterday. I had to snap fast, especiallyof the finished pretzels since there were hands reaching for them even as I did!
How to Make Soft Pretzels Step-by-Step
The easiest way to make your pretzel dough is to knead it with the dough hook of your stand mixer. Once all of the flour has been well combined, turn your mixer to medium speed and knead for 7 – 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky to the touch. Don’t rush this step. The smoother your dough, the easier your pretzels are to make! Of course, if you don’t have a stand mixer or prefer to knead your dough by hand, you absolutely can! You’ll just want to add about 10 more minutes to the kneading time. Pour your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 turns. Then, place into a buttered bowl to double in size. The time that it takes for the dough to double in size will depend on many things – temperature, humidity, etc. – but generally takes about 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours. Once your dough has doubled in size, divide it into eight to twelve even pieces. Form into pretzels and place on a parchment lined baking sheet where the parchment has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bring your baking soda and water to a low simmer in a 4-quart saucepan. Place pretzels, only one at a time, into the saucepan. Initially they may sink to the bottom of the pan, but will rise slowly. Once they have risen, remove them back to the parchment lined baking sheet using a slotted spoon to drain them. Allow to dry completely, about 5 minutes. Once the pretzels have dried, brush them with melted butter and generously sprinkle them with sea salt. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. And devour! Here’s my husband’s Soft Pretzel Recipe. I think you’ll love them as much as we do! Enjoy!Robyn xo
