Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe as an Appetizer (or Dinner!)
Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe as an Appetizer
(Or Dinner!)
We love soft baked pretzels, love, love, love them. At times we’ll even actually make a separate stop into Sam’s Club to grab one of their soft baked pretzels and cheese dip – I tell ya… it’s a serious obsession…
So, recently when we were heading to a football party, I knew the kids would love to take some pretzels and cheese dip as our fun thing to contribute to the party. Only I had no idea how to make homemade pretzels. So, as nervous as I was, I set out to make soft pretzel bites. They were SO good!
I will say, to make about 80 pretzel bites it took me about 1 hour including cleanup – so not too bad at all.
Items I used for this recipe:
Here’s how I got these delicious morsels done – and you’ll find a printable recipe below as well. Or, pin this recipe so you’ve got it for when you’re ready to make these delicious soft pretzel pieces.
Pour warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer (I put notes below in case you don’t have a stand mixer) and sprinkle yeast over top of milk. Add honey and stir the mixture. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes and once it is nice and foamy, it is ready. To make my milk the right temperature, I microwaved the milk in a Pyrex measuring cup for 1 minute.
Next add your flour and salt to the mixer and knead on low for about 3 minutes. If you need to, add flour one tablespoon at time as needed. Your dough will be tacky, but not sticky.
Wash and dry a part of your countertop to roll out dough – do not flour the countertop, though.
Cut your dough into fourparts and roll each pretzel dough ball into 20-24 inch long line of dough.
Cut the line of dough into bite size pieces with a butter knife or dough cutterand place pieces onto a plate.
Fill a large potwith water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your water slowly. It will bubble up as you add it so be prepared for that.
Add your pretzel pieces to the boiling water 10-15 at a time for 30 seconds or so.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, brush each pretzel piece with egg wash with an egg wash brush like this and sprinkle with coarse salt. I love sea salt!
Bake in preheated450°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
YUM!
Tips:
If you won’t be serving these right away, you will not want to close them in a sealed container. The salt will fall off and they will become mushy. Let them dry and cool completely and then seal them in a bowl or container.
I bought my cheese dip from the store. My grocery had the “soft pretzel cheese dip” with the ethnic foods in the Mexican food area. It is so good and I use it on nachos, too.
The homemade soft pretzels are soft and fantastic - warm and chewy and delicious.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 80 pretzel bites
Author Kate
Ingredients
- 2¼teaspoonsactive dry yeastless then one packet
- 1¼cupswarm milk110°-120°F if you have a thermometer, otherwise 1 minute or so in the microwave
- 2tablespoonshoney
- 3¼cupsall purpose flourI use unbleached
- 1teaspoonsea salt
- ½cupbaking soda
- 1large egg
- coarse saltpretzel salt or I like sea salt if you have it
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Pour milk into the bowl of a stand mixer
Sprinkle yeast over top of milk
Add honey and stir
Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes until it is foamy
Add flour and salt to mixer
Knead for about 3 minutes until the dough comes together in one ball
Wash countertop (do not flour)
Place dough on countertop and form dough into a ball, cut into four pieces
Roll each quarter into an 20-24" strand and cut into pieces using a butter knife or dough cutter
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat
Make egg wash with one egg and 2 T of water
Carefully, add baking soda to boiling water
Place dough bites into boiling water about 10-15 at a time
Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds
Boil all pieces and place on parchment paper
Brush egg wash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt
Bake for 7-9 minutes until the tops are browned
If you do not have a stand mixer, mix the dough by hand with a spoon. Turn dough out onto floured counter top and knead for 3-5 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and proceed with directions.
If you like this Pretzel Bites recipe, you may also be interested in these posts below. Simply click on the picture to go to each post.
Recipe adapted from The Slow Roasted Italian.
FAQs
Pretzels are dipped in food-grade lye before baking. It gives them a characteristic shine and flavor.
How do you keep soft pretzel bites warm for a party? ›
Simply wrap all the pretzel bites tightly in foil, sealing the edges together, then place in your oven on “keep warm,” or 170F.
How do you serve soft pretzels at a party? ›
Toppings: Set out bowls of toppings for guests to customize their pretzels. Options might include grated cheese, diced onions, jalapeños, crumbled bacon, mini chocolate chips, and crushed candy bars.
How do you keep homemade pretzels from getting soggy? ›
Storing Freshly Baked Soft Pretzels
For those times when you have freshly baked soft pretzels, here's how to keep them tasting great: Cool Before Storage: Let pretzels cool completely to avoid moisture build-up. Individually Wrapped: Wrap each pretzel in plastic wrap to protect against dry air.
What's the difference between a pretzel and a soft pretzel? ›
Soft pretzels can usually be baked in 15 minutes; hard pretzels, meanwhile, must be baked for up to an hour. The longer baking time further dries out the pretzel. And, as we have discussed, the lack of moisture is what gives the hard pretzel its brittle texture.
Should homemade soft pretzels be refrigerated? ›
Remove from the oven and serve warm with spicy nacho cheese sauce. Cover and store leftover pretzels at room temperature for up to 3 days. They lose a little softness over time. To reheat, microwave for a few seconds, or bake at 350°F (177°C) for 5 minutes.
How long do homemade soft pretzels last? ›
How long do soft pretzels last? Soft Pretzels are best eaten the same day and even better when still slightly warm. If you do have leftovers, then you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
How do you get salt to stick to soft pretzels? ›
A: Simple. Wet your fingers and moisten the surface of the pretzel. Sprinkle salt immediately and it will stick.
What do Germans eat with soft pretzels? ›
In Bavaria's world-famous beer gardens, pretzels are also enjoyed with obatzda, a strong, cheesy dip made with butter, hot paprika, and Camembert. Frankfurt is home to a milder, creamier version known as schneegestöber, also enjoyed with pretzels and glasses of sour flat apple cider named apfelwein.
What goes best with soft pretzels? ›
From cheesy sauces to mustard, you have plenty of options to choose from.
- Cheese. The most common dip you find with pretzels are cheese dips. ...
- Mustard. If you want to embrace the pretzel's German roots, go with a mustard dip! ...
- Chocolate. Pretzels' saltiness makes them a great partner for sweeter dips. ...
- Spinach and artichoke.
A Twist on Toppings: 6 Delicious Toppings for Frozen Soft...
- Salt: Salt is the original soft pretzel topping, dating back to the earliest soft pretzel recipes. ...
- Cinnamon Sugar: For a sweeter twist on the classic soft pretzel, consider cinnamon sugar. ...
- Cheese: ...
- Honey Mustard: ...
- Marinara: ...
- Chocolate Sauce:
Wrap the Pretzels in a dish cloth and put them in a plastic container or put them directly in a paper bag - in both cases store the Pretzels a cool place. There is no way to have "fresh" Pretzels the next day without baking them again for a short time (after wetting the Pretzel a bit).
How do you keep soft pretzels warm and soft? ›
They need to be completely cooled. And then I just put each pretzel in its own Ziploc bag, seal it up, pop it in the freezer, and then when you're ready to eat it, you just take it out. and heat it in the microwave for about 60 seconds. It'll become warm and soft again.
How do you moisten soft pretzels? ›
Drizzle a small amount of water over the pretzel so that the pretzel is moist but not soggy. Wrap your pretzel in aluminum foil and place it in the oven for five minutes. If you want a crispier exterior, leave the aluminum foil off and just place the pretzel directly on the middle rack of your oven.
What is the secret ingredient in pretzels? ›
Traditional Bavarian pretzels are dipped in a lye solution before they are baked. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is essentially the same stuff that's used to make soap and clean drains. It can even dissolve glass.
What is the Flavouring on pretzels? ›
Salt is the most common seasoning, or topping, for pretzels, complementing the washing soda or lye treatment that gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor acquired through the Maillard reaction. Other toppings are mustard, cheeses, sugar, chocolate, cinnamon, sweet glazing, seeds, and nuts.
Why do pretzels have a distinct flavor? ›
Lye (sodium hydroxide for the scientifically inclined) is an alkali solution that changes the pH of the dough in such a way that it helps the crust gelatinize, achieve the dark color, and even makes the salt stick. It's also responsible for the distinct pretzel flavor and texture of the crust.
Why do pretzels taste the way they do? ›
On the one hand, lye gives pretzels their distinctive flavor, kind of a sharp flatness, if that makes sense. It's what keeps a pretzel from tasting like pretzel-shaped bread. On the other hand, lye is ridiculously dangerous. It will burn you if it gets on your skin and blind you if it gets in your eyes.
