• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • New Magazine!
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

BAKEHOUSE LIVE: Quick Soft Pretzels

Jump to Recipe

Hello friends!

Here’s my go-to recipe for quick soft pretzels.  I’ll offer sweet and savory options below though I think they’re best served with BEER CHEESE.

I’ll be using active dry yeast for this recipe though instant yeast will also work if that’s what you have on hand.

I’ll also be using all-purpose flour for the recipe though bread flour or a portion of whole wheat flour can be substituted.  I would avoid 100% whole wheat flour though I think you could sub up to half the all-purpose for whole wheat.

These pretzels are easily made both sweet and savory.  Pictured above is a salt and pepper pretzel.  I also baked cinnamon sugar pretzels in the same batch that were equally delicious!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Bakehouse Live: Quick Soft Pretzels

  • Prep Time: 35 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 47 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 pretzels 1x
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the pretzels:

  • 10 cups water + 1/2 cup baking soda for boiling the pretzels
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 pack (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the sweet topping:

  • 4 tablespoons melted butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar still together with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the savory topping:

  • 1 large egg, beaten with a small splash of water for egg wash
  • coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. Set 10 cups of water in a large stock pot over medium-high heat to boil on the stovetop. Have 1/2 cup of baking soda standing by. Make sure the pot has tall sides as the water will temporarily double in size when you add the baking soda. Allow the water to slowly come to a boil while you make the dough.
  3. Add warm water to a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water, followed by a little sprinkle of sugar. Measure 3 cups of flour atop the yeast mixture. Add the salt, remaining sugar, and softened butter. Use a firm spatula or wooden spoon to stir the dough together into a moist and shaggy ball.
  4. Add 3/4 cup more flour and measure the remaining 3/4 cup flour into a small bowl. Stir the dough with the additional flour.
  5. Generously flour a clean countertop with the measured flour from the small bowl. Bring the dough out of the bowl and begin to knead it on the counter. The dough will be soft and sticky. Continue to slowly add flour from the small bowl and you knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes. Try not to allow your hands to get too sticky with dough. Rub dough from your hands, wash them clean, and continue kneading if this happens.
  6. You may not need to add all of the flour from the small bowl. You want a dough ball that holds its shape, is mostly (though not perfectly) smooth, bounces back to the touch, and is still a bit sticky. The stickiness will help when we roll the dough into ropes.
  7. Divide the dough into 8 or 10 pieces. You can eyeball this of weigh each dough ball to the same weight.
  8. Begin to roll each portion of dough into a rope. My ropes ranged from 20 to 25 inches. You want a very lightly floured counter to roll your ropes. The dough sticking to the counter a bit helps roll the ropes – it’s that little bit of tension. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.
  9. Place each shaped pretzel on a lightly floured place on your counter and continue until all pretzels are shaped.
  10. Your water should be boiling by now. If it’s not, crank the heat and get a nice rolling boil. Carefully add the baking soda. The water will rise, fizz, and fuss but then calm down.
  11. Keep the water at a boil and with floured hands, gently lower two shaped pretzels into the water. Allow to simmer for 20 seconds. They’ll float to the top. Use a big slotted kitchen utensil to remove the pretzels from the boiling water and onto the prepared baking sheets. Give an inch or so between pretzels. Repeat until all of the pretzels are boiled.
  12. To make sweet pretzels, brush generously with melted butter. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
  13. To make savory pretzels, brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
  14. Bake pretzels, one pan at a time, for 12-13 minutes. The pretzels will rise and crack as they bake up to golden brown. Rotate the pan once during baking. Repeat with the second pan.
  15. Serve pretzels with melted butter, mustard, or beer cheese. Enjoy warm!

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

Gluten-Free Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Berry crostata topped with whipped cream with coffee.

A Single Serve Berry Crostata Recipe

POPULAR CAKES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Slice of coconut cake on small white plate with coffee.

My favorite Coconut Cake is actually made with cake mix

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
I grew these 🌱sprouts🌱 from seeds in just a I grew these 🌱sprouts🌱 from seeds  in just a few days and now I eat them on everything. It’s my little bit of kitchen zen - listen, we’ll take it where we can get it. xo
I must write hundreds of To Do lists over the cour I must write hundreds of To Do lists over the course of the year but the Summer Bucket List is my favorite. Seven years running - this year I’m getting my butt in the seat of my motorcycle and somehow, on a boat at sunset. ⁣Also, blueberries. Chasing these big and little loves all summer long. 
⁣
What’s on your Summer Bucket List? Inspiration linked in the bio. xo 🌻💋
My EASIEST Strawberry Sheet Cake is also my absolu My EASIEST Strawberry Sheet Cake is also my absolute favorite. Get into a box of white cake mix and fresh 🍓🍓 purée! Topped with a thick layer of strawberry cream cheese frosting - this cake is a little pink dream! ⁣
⁣
The Easiest Strawberry Sheet Cake recipe linked in the bio for you! 💋
Our resident reader, @tobyfels shares my favorite Our resident reader, @tobyfels shares my favorite list of the summer on Joy the Baker this year: The Best Books for Summer 2022!  As a person who reads Beach Reads all year long, this is IT! With titles by @ashleymcoleman_ @anarasong @annleary @bonnie_garmus_author @heyashposton @annabelmonaghan @greerhendricks @sarahpekkanen @shelbyvanpeltwrites @marilynsimonrothstein @@misterosman and @kirstin.chen. The guide to your bookworm summer linked in the bio!
Over here testing the limits of “you are what yo Over here testing the limits of “you are what you eat” and will soon be taking my final form as a summer tomato. ⁣🫠🍅
⁣
This Mediterranean Feta and Fresh Tomato Tart is an absolute show stopper with a buttery crisp, press-in crust, whipped feta, and layers of fresh tomato, cucumber, onions, and olives. I’ll leave the recipe linked in the bio - it’s really very special. Join me. We are 🍅🍅.
Adding fight for our liberty and find tampons to t Adding fight for our liberty and find tampons to the Summer Bucket this year. #summerbucketlist
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up