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Soft pretzel in a black bowl.

Easy Soft Pretzels

Easy Soft Pretzels are soft and chewy just like the mall pretzels everyone craves! Once you see how easy they are to make at home, you can enjoy them anytime.
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Servings: 8 Pretzels
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups warm water 100°
  • 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 ½ - 4 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • flake sea salt

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Add warm water to a large bowl with yeast, sugar and olive oil. Stir to combine.
  3. Add 3 cups of flour with a teaspoon of kosher salt. 
  4. Stir together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until dough comes together.
  5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3- 5 minutes until dough is no longer sticky. Adding flour 1 tablespoon at at a time as needed.
  6. Divide dough in half.
  7. Divide each dough half into 4 pieces. 
  8. Roll the dough into about a 18 inch rope. Dough can be rolled on the floured surface or between your hands. If dough is resistant to shape, allow it to rest a few minutes and try again.
  9. Form the dough into a U shape.
  10. Twist the ends twice.
  11. Fold the ends over the round part of the dough.
  12. Place on a lined baking sheet with about 2 inches in between.
  13. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a tablespoon of water.
  14. Brush the pretzel dough with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with salt.
  15. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Notes

Store and Reheat

  • Storage: Store pretzels in an airtight container up to 24 hours at room temperature or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. 
  • Freeze: Cooked pretzels can be frozen in a single layer in a freezer bag up to 3 months.
  • Reheat: Reheat thawed pretzels in air fryer at 350° 1- 2 minutes. For frozen pretzels 3- 4 minutes.