Big soft pretzels made from a simple dough, boiled, and then baked to golden perfection are one of our all-time favorite salty and chewy treats.

Few things are more delicious and welcoming than a big soft pretzel, and lucky for you, few things are as fun as making them, too. This soft pretzel recipe makes pretzels that are chewy, salty, and even better than the jumbo pretzels you can get at a basketball game.

Before I started making soft pretzels at home, they sounded intimidating. Why go through the effort of making a yeast dough, shaping it into pretzels, boiling it, and THEN baking. But then I tried it and I realized they were super simple, though they do have a few steps. And they are so delicious – they are worth any of the effort they might take. We’ve turned soft pretzel making into a fun activity at our house. I’ll normally get something rolling in the slow cooker (like a soup) and because dinner is out of the way, I’ll make pretzels with the kids when they get home from school. The effort of making the pretzels turns into a hands-on enjoyable time in the kitchen with the kids and we get something delicious to go along with our dinner. If my kids are wanting to bake pretzels in the summer, we’ll just start in the morning and eat them for lunch.

Simple, slow food is perfect for making kitchen memories with your people.

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How do you know if yeast is still good?

Fill up a small measuring cup with a little warm water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of your yeast and then add a pinch of sugar and lightly stir it together. Wait for 5 minutes. If the yeast is still active, you will see little bubbles along the top of the water and it will start to foam. I think the date on the yeast package is a good guide, and I like to store my yeast in the fridge to help keep it fresh. When in doubt, get new yeast. Nothing is worse than an unrisen loaf of bread!

Tips and Tricks for Making Homemade Soft Pretzels:

Make sure your yeast is fresh (see note above).
The pretzel salt isn’t a must for this recipe (kosher salt works just fine), but it sure is fun to have around. I just get this kind on Amazon.
If your pretzels don’t look like the perfect pretzel, don’t worry. They still taste great. When my kids help make pretzels, we get all kinds of fun and funny-shaped pretzels.
I have a slotted scoop that I use when I fry things. That is also what I use to get my pretzels out of the boiling water. Works great! (I have this one)
These are awesome dipped in nacho cheese sauce. I’m not sure if it’s an Indiana/Midwestern thing or not, but nacho cheese with breadsticks and pretzels is a must.
Why boil the pretzels you might ask? It’s a traditional pretzel making technique that helps the outside to be chewy!

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