Super fluffy, buttery, salty and insanely addicting. Homemade baked soft pretzels are on the agenda today and I’ve got a recipe for you that won’t disappoint. Say goodbye to the baking soda bath and all that extra work, we won’t be using that method for these!
Buttery Soft Pretzels
I’ve been making soft pretzels since I was kid, so you could say I’m sort of an old pro by now.
Every time I make soft pretzels I get my kids involved and let them roll and shape the pretzels. But the most important job of all, the official pretzel taste tester, they do that job quite well.
They key to a great soft pretzel is extra butter. Butter makes everything better. Plus there’s always all the yummy pretzels dippings.
My son loves to dip his soft pretzels in cream cheese, so delicious. It’s actually a whole family thing, we all do it, we’re all guilty of being cream cheese pretzel dippers.
How long do these soft pretzels take to make?
Soft pretzels don’t have to take all day. These are a quick prep and a quick bake, since we’re leaving out the baking soda bath it knocks off a lot of the normal pretzel making time.
They take about an hour from start to finish.
Which is all I can muster to wait when that buttery, salty, soft pretzel craving strikes!
Why no baking soda bath?
Opting out of a baking soda bath cuts down the time it takes to make these by like half.
A baking soda bath is actually a cheat for at home pretzel makers, it’s used instead of lye, which can be a bit dangerous to handle if you aren’t a professional in that area. This is what gives pretzels that dark, shimmering outer crust.
I don’t know about you, but for me the whole pretzel experience is how soft and fluffy they are. You won’t get the extra crisp crust with this recipe but you will get super yummy fluffy pretzels. To create a bit of color I end the cooking process with a quick broil.
More Yummy Baked Goods
- Soft Pretzel Balls and Beer Cheese Fondue
- Perfect English Scones
- Three Cheese Stuffed Soft Pretzels
- Blueberry Crumb Muffins + Video
- Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Great Grandma’s Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby
Watch How to Make Buttery Soft Pretzels
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Buttery Soft Pretzels Without Baking Soda Bath
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c water
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tsp sepparated
- 4 c flour
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- kosher salt
- melted butter
Instructions
- Heat 1 1/2 cups of water in the microwave for 45 seconds so the water is warm
- Add the yeast and sprinkle 1/2 tsp sugar on the top, stir and let sit 5 minutes
- Mix together 4 cups of flour, salt and 1 tbsp sugar
- Pour in the yeast mixture and melted butter
- Mix until combined
- Use your hands to knead it a bit until the dough looks smooth
- Roll in to a ball, return to the bowl, cover and rise for 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- Cut 8-10 pieces and roll them out into ropes, and a pretzel shape or any shape!
- Brush the pretzels with egg wash and salt
- Bake for 12 min
- Turn oven to broil and broil for 1 minute
- Remove from the oven
- Brush the pretzels with melted butter
- Serve!
Such an easy and yummy recipe! I made pigs in a blanket with the dough and they turned out perfect. 4 happy boys devoured all of them. 😊🥨
I can’t wait to make pigs in a blanket now! So brilliant.