Homemade Soft Pretzels
A Treat Inspired by Our Germany Studies
April 26th is Pretzel Day and that felt like the perfect excuse to make homemade soft pretzels again.
We originally made these while studying Germany for our homeschool because pretzels are such a recognizable part of German culture and food traditions. The kids thought twisting the dough was fun, I liked that it turned into both a cooking lesson and a cultural one, and the whole house smelled like a bakery for an afternoon. I just love the smell of baking bread!
Homemade pretzels might sound harder than they actually are. I think the twisting and the boiling step make them seem intimidating, but once you do it once, it’s surprisingly manageable… and fresh pretzels right out of the oven are completely different from the frozen kind.
🥨 A Little About German Pretzels
Traditional German pretzels are usually darker on the outside, chewy, and have that classic deep pretzel flavor from being boiled before baking.
They’re often served with mustard, alongside soups, with meats and cheeses, or simply warm with butter. While ours probably aren’t perfectly authentic German bakery pretzels, they gave us that homemade version of the experience… and that’s enough for me.
🥨 Why We Loved Making These
These homemade soft pretzels are…
- Fun for kids to shape
- Great for cultural studies
- Perfect for movie nights or snack boards
- Surprisingly freezer-friendly
- A fun alternative to regular bread or rolls
There is something about a delicious baked pretzel. With as much time as our family has spent at the ball parks with 10 years of little league and what will amount to 6 years of high school ball… I feel we are pretzel coinsurers at this point. Trust me when I say… these are good!
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ll add the exact printable recipe card below, but this is the general ingredient lineup we use.
Dough:
- flour
- yeast
- warm water
- brown sugar
- salt
- butter
For Boiling:
- water
- baking soda
Topping Ideas:
- melted butter
- coarse salt
- cinnamon sugar
- garlic butter
Optional Dips:
- cheese sauce (queso, cheddar, or nacho)
- mustard (spicy or beer mustard)
- icing
How These Come Together
The process sounds more complicated than it feels. You simply…
- make the dough
- allow it to rest
- divide and roll into ropes
- twist into pretzel shapes 0r other shapes
Then comes the part that makes pretzels taste like pretzels… the baking soda bath.
Each pretzel gets quickly dipped into boiling water before baking. This helps create that chewy outside and deeper color. After resting, bake the pretzels… and enjoy!
🥨 A Few Things I Learned and Noticed
After making these a few times, here’s a few things that might be important…
- The baking soda bath really changes the texture, don’t skip it
- They taste best warm and can be reheated, just keep an eye on them
- Traditionally, the pretzel shape is universal, but pretzels have been shaped into many things throughout history (hearts, crosses…)
🥨 A Few Things That Help
You definitely don’t need fancy baking tools, but these help:
- a large baking sheet
- parchment paper
- a sturdy stock pot
- a dough scraper
- kitchen scale
- pastry brush (silicone or natural)
- coarse pretzel salt
👉 I’ve linked the kitchen tools and baking supplies we use most often here.
🥨 Final Thoughts
These homemade soft pretzels ended up being one of those projects that felt bigger than just making food.
It slowed us down for an afternoon, gave the kids something hands-on to do, tied into homeschool naturally, and made the kitchen smell amazing. And while they may not look like perfect German bakery pretzels… they tasted homemade in the best possible way.
If you make these homemade soft pretzels, I’d love to hear how they turn out! Comment below or tag @bemandfam on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your version.
BEM and Fam 🙂
👉 Save This for Later
PS. This post has some affiliate links, read more about those here.
👇 Print the Homemade Pretzel Recipe
- 1 pkg yeast 2 ¼ tsp of yeast
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp melted butter
- ½ cup baking soda
- 2 quarts water
- 1-2 tbsp melted butter
- coarse salt
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Melt your butter and allow to sit so it isn't so hot.
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Mix the yeast and brown sugar into a bowl, then pour in the lukewarm (around 100-110 degree) water, allow to sit for about 1-2 minutes. It should bubble a bit or look frothy. This is proofing your yeast.
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Mix flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl or mixer bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the yeast/water mixture and melted butter into the well. Mix with spoon or dough hook until everything starts coming together. Then, I pour it all on a lightly floured surface and hand knead the dough for about 4 minutes. You should end up with a soft dough ball. If it gets too tacky when kneading, just sprinkle with a little flour.
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Once mixed let the dough rest for 30 minutes. I usually place a tea towel over it. During this time, prep the baking sheets (I used 2) with parchment paper, you can lightly butter or grease it if you would like... I usually do.
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Cut the dough into 75g equal parts, then roll each piece on the table into about a 20 inch rope. Think playing with playdough! Bring the ends together and twist them twice, bring them down to form the pretzel shape.
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Bring baking soda and 2 quarts of water to a boil. Once boiling, add each pretzel into the water for about 15 seconds. Use a spatula to remove, let water drip off for a second and place back on the baking sheet. Do the same to all pretzels.
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. Fill large stock or pasta pot 3/4 full and bring the water to a boil. Carefully and slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. There will be a reaction when the baking soda hits the water and it will bubble furiously for a moment and then relax. Stand back a bit just to be safe. Using a slotted spoon, gently drop each pretzel into the bath for 10 seconds, then turn over for another 10. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Cover with tea towels and put in the refrigerator for an hour or up to 24 hours.
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When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400℉. Brush melted butter on each pretzel and then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake the pretzels for about 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- This could make 6 bigger pretzels, just do 150g portions and give a couple extra minutes for baking.
- Do not allow for more time in the soda bath, it can alter the pretzel.
- You can also brush with more butter after baking.
- Store at room temperature for about 3 days and you can reheat them with a microwave or popping them in an air fryer for a few minutes.
