A Healthy Twist: Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe

Aylin Erman |

Sep 10, 2024

They are a mainstay at sports arenas, food courts, promenade shops and movie theaters, but they rarely get face time in the home kitchen. Soft pretzels are a festive snack that are actually not all that intimidating to make on your own. In fact, doing so can cut out the preservatives, additives and other mysterious ingredients. This homemade soft pretzel recipe uses only a handful of pantry items that you most likely already have on hand, and it gives you the option to nix sugar altogether as well as turn the result into something more full of fiber with the addition of whole-wheat flour. However imperfectly their shapes and sizes, these soft pretzels end up with a taste and texture that are failproof and undeniably delicious. Enjoy!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Makes 6-8 pretzels

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 package (a little over 2 teaspoons) yeast
4 1/2 cups flour (half white flour, half whole-wheat flour)
1 egg
Chunky sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine water with sugar, sea salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix until dissolved and the mixture becomes foamy.

Add flour, cup by cup, mixing in between until evenly combined. Add more or less depending on consistency. Eventually, the mixture should form into a soft ball that can easily be rolled.

Grab a handful of the dough and roll into a long strip, about 10 inches long. Holding the ends of the dough roll, pull them upwards, inside, criss-crossed, and down.

Place the soft pretzels on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and using a brush, lightly coat the surface of each of the pretzels. This will help them brown beautifully while cooking.