German Style Soft Pretzels

Many years ago, I got my first taste of a soft pretzel. It was at a local fair, and I was in LOVE! Again, in high school, while on  field trip to a German deli, I had my second taste, and I decided that I just HAD to learn how to make them myself. Fast forward a few (okay MANY) years and I hadn’t found a recipe that tasted right. I couldn’t figure out what I was missing, and why my pretzels didn’t taste like the ones I had had before.

Just a few years ago, I finally found the secret to those perfect, german-style soft pretzels and I’m going to share it with you. Are you ready? Let’s get making some pretzels!

Ingredients:

For the pretzel dough, you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110° – 115°F) water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt (I used kosher salt, but I’ve also done it with table salt)
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast (active dry)
• Approx. 4 – 4.5 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half all purpose for this batch)
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top.
2. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast begins to foam. 
3. Add the flour, salt, and butter to the bowl.    
4.  Using the dough attachment, mix on low until combined. Turn up to medium and mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add flour (one Tbsp at a time) until it pulls away. If the dough is too dry, add water (one Tbsp at a time) until it holds together and pulls away from the bowl. 
5. Remove the dough from the bowl. Clean the bowl and oil it with vegetable oil or Pam spray. Return the dough to the bowl.
6. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (approx one hour) 
7. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and lightly brush with some vegetable oil. Set aside. 
8. Bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add in 2/3 cup of baking soda to the water (this is the secret ingredient, people!) 
9. While the water is coming to a boil, it’s time to shape our pretzels! I’m still only “okay” at doing this, but -hey- they taste amazing either way! Turn your risen dough out onto a slightly greased surface and divide into 8 pieces (you could do more if you want smaller pretzels.) 
10. Roll each piece into a rope about 20-24 inches long – the longer the rope, the skinnier the pretzel. Then shape into pretzel shape following the diagram below. You can use beaten egg yolk to help stick the ends down if pinching them, alone, doesn’t seem to work. You can also shape them into any shape at all! Try making your initial, or maybe braid three ropes together. Get creative!  You can also stretch out the sides a bit, like this: 
11. Drop the pretzels, one by one, into the boiling water/baking soda mixture for only 30 seconds.
12. Use a slotted spoon to remove and place on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.
13. In a small bowl, beat together one egg yolk with a 1 Tbsp water. Brush this egg mixture on the tops of each pretzel, then sprinkle with sea salt (optional.)   
14. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown in color and the surface develops some cracks. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

I can’t even tell you how yummy these are – especially when served with a simple honey mustard dip, though (let’s face it) they rarely last long enough for me to make a dip at all.

I hope you’ll give these a try, and let me know how they turn out for you!

 Wouldn’t these pretzels be amazing served with this delicious cream of asparagus soup?

If you loved this recipe, you might also enjoy our famous dinner rolls: