Big Soft Pretzels
on Apr 27, 2018, Updated May 06, 2024
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These Big Soft Pretzels are made from a simple dough, boiled, and then baked to golden perfection! This easy pretzel recipe will easily become one of your all-time favorite salty and chewy treats.
If you love soft pretzels you’ve got to also try my Hot Buttered Pretzels and Homemade Pretzel Rolls.
These Homemade Soft Pretzels Are So Chewy and Delicious
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.
Making Pretzels At Home Is A Fun Family Activity
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.
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 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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Big Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- coarse salt
Instructions
- Let the yeast, water, and corn syrup sit in a medium bowl for 5 minutes. Add the flour to create a smooth and elastic dough, kneading on the counter to get desired results.
- Let the dough rise until doubled, 30 to 60 minutes.
- After it has risen, combine the water and soda in a large pot and bring to a boil. Roll out the dough and shape into pretzels.
- Drop the shaped pretzels into the boiling soda water, 1 or 2 at a time, and boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove from water and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt while still wet.
- Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Use a deep pot – the baking soda makes the water boil over really easily.
Nutrition
Looking for other soft pretzel recipes? Here’s a few others I have and love:
- Parmesan Pretzel Bites with Parmesan Dipping Sauce
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
I can’t wait for you to spend an afternoon making these with someone you love. Nothing like a little time in the kitchen to bring people together. Enjoy from my kitchen to yours.
This recipe was originally published in July 2010 and has been updates in April 2018.
I’m German and this time of the year it’s usually the time for a local festival where they sell loaded american soft pretzels. Those were a fave for my family but with the current situation, the festival got cancelled months ago and this recipe might just save the day! I’ll them try tomorrow. Oh, I just hope they turn to be the go-to-recipe (those loaded pretzles are expensiiiiive af)
hello.
Hi Melissa! Why corn syrup and not sugar? I need to make these with my kiddos…but top some of them with butter and then cinnamon sugar because that is my faaaaave!
It makes them a little more chewy, but you can sure use sugar if you’d like. It won’t be that noticeable of a difference.
The smell and taste are so good. Trust me, I tried doing some cakes few days ago. The result was amazing.
I’m go glad you made them! How did they turn out?!
I’ve only made soft pretzels a few times, but they’ve always been a hit! I imagine this recipe would go over well in my house! And my husband would totally agree that nacho cheese sauce is a must!
We just love them too, hope you make time to try them out Leanne!
Have you ever made these pretzels or the King Arthur Buttered Pretzels with white whole wheat flour? Wondering if they would come out the same. Looks yummy. I want to make them with my grandkids.
This looks like a fun one to make with Andie. Can’t wait to try!