Food & Cooking Recipes Appetizers Soft Pretzels 5.0 (1) These soft and chewy pretzels are a fun cooking project. Prep Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 9 hrs 30 mins Servings: 12 Yield: Makes one dozen large, two dozen medium, or four dozen small Jump to recipe This recipe for soft pretzels comes from Lina Kulchinsky of Sigmund's Pretzels in New York. You’ll need a stand-mixer to bring together the yeasted dough, which is made with bread flour, brown sugar, and butter. After an eight to twelve hour rest, the dough is ready to be shaped into pretzels and poached in a bath of water, beer, brown sugar, and baking soda. This mixture mimics the traditional lye that was used to alter the dough’s pH, allowing them to bake up dark brown and extra flavorful in the oven. Top them with pretzel salt, seeds, or grated cheese and bake for picture-perfect soft pretzels your guests will devour. How to Measure Flour the Right Way, According to Bakers Credit: Marcus Nilsson Key Equipment for Making Soft Pretzels Stand-mixer: This is one of those recipes where a stand-mixer comes in especially handy. While you can technically knead the dough by hand—after all, pretzels were being made long before electric mixers were widely available—it will take some time and elbow grease to work it to the correct texture. Large pot: A large, wide pot is used to briefly poach the pretzels in the beer mixture prior to baking. Avoid using too narrow a pot as you don't want the pretzels to stack on top of one another as they cook. Slotted spoon or spatula: Use a wide slotted-spoon, spider strainer, or spatula to gently submerge the pretzels in the poaching liquid as well as to remove them when they're done. Large baking sheets: This recipe makes 12 large pretzels, 24 medium pretzels, or 48 small pretzels, so you'll need two baking sheets to bake them on. Be sure to coat the pans generously with oil or a nonstick cooking spray to keep the dough from sticking. To shape the pretzels into a twisted heart shape, pull the ends upward to form a U-shape, then bring them together and twist two times. Bring ends straight back toward you (through the center) to form a pretzel shape, then gently press ends onto bottom of pretzel to adhere. Directions Proof yeast until foamy: In a medium bowl, mix together warm water, yeast, and 1/2 cup brown sugar; let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Work butter into flour and salt; add yeast mixture: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour and coarse salt using your hands. Add butter and continue to combine with your hands until mixture is crumbly. Add yeast mixture and, still using your hands, combine until a shaggy dough is formed and water is absorbed. Mix until dough is soft and elastic; cover and chill: Using the dough-hook attachment, mix dough on medium-low speed until tight, elastic, and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to overnight. Heat oven and prepare pan; Preheat oven to 450°F, with rack in upper third. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll, cut, and shape dough: Roll out dough into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut dough into twelve 14-inch-long strips, each about 1 inch wide. Working with one piece at a time, form dough into desired shapes and sizes. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Prepare second pan; heat beer mixture: Coat a second large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a wide stockpot, combine 8 cups water, baking soda, beer, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Simmer pretzels in beer mixture: Simmer pretzels, one at a time (or two, with smaller pretzels), about 30 seconds each, holding them under surface of water, if necessary, with a wide slotted spoon or spatula. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. (You can gently reshape pretzels if they become misshapen.) Sprinkle with desired toppings and bake: Sprinkle pretzels with pretzel salt and/or desired toppings, using one topping or combining different ones. Transfer to oven and bake 5 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and bake until deep brown, 3 to 6 minutes more. Cool slightly and serve warm: Transfer pretzels to a wire rack; let cool slightly. Serve warm, with mustards and cornichons. Making Ahead and Reheating Pretzels can be made in advance and frozen in an airtight container. Thaw on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven until crispy on the outside and warm throughout. More Homemade Snack Recipes to Try: Brown-Butter Nut Mix With Rosemary and Thyme Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle Waffle Chips Elote-Style Popcorn Roasted Spiced Chickpeas Cheese Crisps Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.