My kids love pretzels. Not the hard kind you purchase in a bag at the store, but soft pretzels that Auntie Anne’s sells.
Since I don’t like paying a premium for mall food, I decided to see if I could recreate soft pretzels at home. I also wanted to try the bread machine, since it makes everything so easy!
These soft pretzels rise like crazy, so make the dough thinner than you think it should be to account for the rise.
Bread Machine Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups flour you can use all white or a combination or white and wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- melted butter for brushing
- Top with coarse salt or cinnamon and brown sugar
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended but the manufacturer.
- Set your machine on the dough setting.
- When the dough has finished the cycle in the machine it should look like this.
- Remove from the pan and place on a floured surface.
- Divide the dough in about 7 to 8 pieces and then roll out with your hands so the dough forms a snakelike shape about 1/2 inch thick.
- Take your “snake” and form it into a pretzel shape.
- Dip your pretzel into a pan filled with 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Do not let your pretzels sit in the water or they will taste nasty. Just dip and then set on a baking sheet.
- If you cover your baking sheet with parchment paper the bottom of the pretzel will not burn and it will also be easier to clean up when you are finished.
- Let the pretzels rise for about 25 minutes. (the first time I made the soft pretzels I rolled the dough too thick, so when they rose they turned into one big lump.)
- Bake in a 400 degree over for about 10 minutes. Remove pretzels from the oven and brush with melted butter. Top with coarse salt, or cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Enjoy!
If you don’t have a bread machine, you can still make homemade soft pretzels. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes then let the dough rise until doubled. The follow the rest of the directions according to the recipe.
Bread Machine side note: Years ago I stopped baking bread in my bread machine. Even though I have a Zojirushi machine that bakes the loaves in a regular shape instead of that weird vertical loaf, I like the taste of bread baked in the oven.
You can use any bread machine to knead the dough and hold it through the first rise, which takes most of the work out of baking fresh bread. You can also use the bread machine to make delicious foods like cinnamon rolls and homemade bagels.
kriswithmany says
I agree – the dough should be much thicker than that. Mmmmm. I need to make homemade breadstuffs very soon!
Jerri says
I love pretzels! Here’s yet another reason for me to wish I had a bread machine!
Michele says
I make pretzels quite a bit (I’m from Philadelphia so we grew up eating tons of them!). And yes, yours look too wet and need to be rolled thinner. Also you forgot the extra twist to make it a true pretzel shape! 🙂
Stephanie says
Sometimes it doesn’t matter how they look if they taste good! I have been wanting to try homemade pretzels but haven’t gotten around to it. I have a Zojirushi too..one of the best investments we have made 🙂
Jess says
Must be the week for pretzels…I made some this week also. I used a recipe I found on Food Network site. It is from Alton Brown. It turned out quite well. I love Auntie Anne’s and have tried some of the copycat ones, without much luck.
Sherry says
DD was just asking me a couple of weeks ago about making pretzels. YUM! I have a recipe for some blueberry ones somewhere…
Elizabeth says
Toni,
Here’s the recipe that I use which is also good if you’re up for a comparison recipe, although they also taste somewhat roll-like if you make them too fat…http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/making-homemade-soft-pretzels
It doesn’t have you put the pretzels in water. I also didn’t have to use parchment paper to keep the bottom from browning too much.
Jerri,
Don’t let not having a bread machine stop you from making all of the yummy goodness…just make it part of your upper body exercise routine 😉 It really only takes about 10-15 minutes which really isn’t too bad. The recipe link above shows the hand made method 😉
Lisa@BlessedwithGrace says
How fun!!! May not have looked “pretty”, but how cares if it tasted good. Thanks for participating in Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and sharing your recipe.
Kelli says
My son and I were planning on baking today, and after reading your post we tried these pretzels right away this morning. I took your advice and rolled them out thinner – and they turned out great! Just a little butter and salt on the top, and they were absolutely delicious. Now my husband had better hurry home for lunch before we eat them all! 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Brenda says
Looks like the kids are enjoying these!
Cat Mom of 3 says
We made them using your recipe and they turned out beautiful!! Thanks Toni.
Karen says
I made these today but didnt bother letting them rise or putting in the water mixture. Just brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar – then baked. turned out wonderfully:)
Thanks,
Karen
Lindsey says
These look yummy! They remind me of the “pretzel rolls” the university I went to had in their cafeteria…. which I ate almost every day for lunch with tuna. MMMMMMM…. now I need to try them!