Soft Pretzels
Mahogany, chewy, twisted pretzels with proper crust chemistry.
Tools for foolproof bakes
Weighing beats scooping every time. These inexpensive tools make every recipe more reliable.
Digital kitchen scale
Weigh to the gram, the single most accurate way to bake.
Check price →
Measuring cups & spoons
A solid stainless set for when a recipe calls for cups.
Check price →
Glass measuring jug
Read millilitres and cups at a glance for liquids.
Check price →
As an Amazon Associate, GramCups earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Before You Start
The deep colour and taste of a pretzel come from an alkaline dip, and the home-safe version is a strong baking soda bath. This is the full twisted-knot bake, sibling to the air fryer pretzel bites on this site, at oven scale: six big pretzels, coarse salt, and the correct amount of theatre in the shaping.
Instructions
-
1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and fine salt. Add the water and the first melted butter and knead 8 minutes to a smooth, medium-firm dough. Cover and prove 1 hour.
-
2
Divide into 6. Roll each piece into a 55 to 60 cm rope, thinner at the ends, fat in the middle.
-
3
Shape: lift the rope into a U, cross the ends twice, and fold them down onto the fat belly, pressing to stick. The twist is easier than any description of it.
-
4
Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water in a wide bowl.
-
5
Dip each pretzel in the soda bath for 20 seconds, drain, and lay on lined trays. Scatter with coarse salt.
-
6
Bake 13 to 15 minutes until deep mahogany. Brush with the finishing butter as they leave the oven and eat warm, with mustard or cheese sauce.
💡 Baker's tips
- Roll the ropes on an unfloured counter. The slight grip is what lets the dough lengthen, and flour makes them spring back like elastic bands.
- Salt after the dip while the surface is tacky. Salt applied to a dry pretzel bounces off, and salt applied before the dip dissolves.
🔀 Make it your own
- Skip the salt, brush post-bake with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.
- Slice horizontally and build a sandwich, the pretzel roll being the best roll.
📦 Storing & freezing
Pretzels are a same-day bread, ideally same-hour. Airtight overnight, refresh 3 minutes at 180°C. The salt draws moisture overnight, so store leftovers unsalted if planning ahead.
❓ Frequently asked
What makes pretzels taste like pretzels?
The alkaline dip. Baking soda (or lye commercially) raises the surface pH so the crust browns deep and develops the distinct pretzel flavour. It is chemistry, not flavouring.
Why is my pretzel pale?
The bath was too weak, too brief, or the oven too cool. A full ⅓ cup of soda, a 20 second dunk, and a hot 220°C oven produce the mahogany shine.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
