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Close-up of a golden, glossy Soft Pretzel Recipe l sprinkled with coarse salt on a plate, background softly blurred.

Soft Pretzel Recipe

Bakery-style Soft Pretzel Recipe: chewy inside, bronzed outside, thanks to a baking-soda boil and a patient rise.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 pretzels
Course: Bread, Snack
Cuisine: American, German-inspired
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 1 ½ cups warm water - ~110°F / 43°C
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast - 1 packet 7 g
  • 1 tablespoon sugar - for yeast bloom
  • 4 cups bread flour - 480 g
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt - fine
  • 2 tablespoon butter - melted 28 g
Boiling Bath & Topping
  • 10 cups water - for boiling
  • ⅔ cup baking soda - ~150 g
  • 1 large egg - beaten egg wash
  • 2 tablespoon coarse salt - pretzel or sea salt
Optional Finishes
  • 2 tablespoon melted butter brush after baking - Mrs. Chen trick
  • — — cinnamon sugar - sweet version
  • — — everything seasoning - savory

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer (Dough hook; or knead by hand)
  • 1 Large pot (For boiling baking soda bath)
  • 1 Slotted spoon (To lift pretzels from bath)
  • 2 Baking sheets (Lined with parchment)
  • 1 Parchment Paper (Or silicone mats)
  • 1 pastry brush (For egg/butter wash)
  • 1 Kitchen scale (Optional but accurate)

Method
 

  1. Warm water, sugar, yeast; rest until foamy and active
    Top-down shot of a foamy, activated yeast mixture in a metal bowl
  2. Add flour, salt, butter; mix and knead until smooth elastic dough forms
    Shaggy, just-mixed pretzel dough in a metal bowl with flour scattered around the work surface.
  3. Let dough double, divide pieces, roll ropes, twist classic pretzel shapes
    Side view of a risen dough ball resting in a clear glass bowl on a marble counter.
  4. Boil water with baking soda; dip pretzels 30 seconds for chewy brown crust
    Overhead view of pretzel dough stages: smooth dough balls, long rolled ropes, raw pretzel shapes, and salted twisted sticks on a light surface.
  5. Brush with egg, bake golden, butter hot pretzels, cool briefly before serving
    Five golden soft pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt on a parchment‑lined baking sheet.

Nutrition

Serving: 150gCalories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.8gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 150IUCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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