Hot-Buttered Soft Pretzels (Bretzels)

With Oktoberfest celebrations nearly upon us, behold these Alsatian classics: hot buttered soft pretzels! Or, should I say, Bretzels – as that’s how you’ll find them called in Alsace.

These salt-topped chewy twists are one of the most iconic culinary treats of the region (if not the treat!). Now, if you live in Alsace, you may not find the point in making homemade pretzels, as they can literally be found in any food market, bakery and even “bretzellerie” (street shops devoted to making and selling only bretzels).

But for the rest of us, I think having a solid soft pretzel recipe in our baking repertoire is a must. And if you’ve never made soft pretzels before, you’re in the right place!

This recipe will show you how easy homemade soft pretzel can be, and this is why :  

• It requires the most basic ingredients (that you probably already have in your kitchen): water, dry yeast, sugar, salt, baking soda and butter.
• This pretzel dough is soft, easy to work with and very forgiving. You can use a stand mixer to form it, but it’s just as easy to make it by hand.
• A resting time of 30 minutes if you all need (no rising overnight like some other recipes).
• The step where pretzels are dropped in boiling water before baking is usually what intimidates people. Here, the pretzels simply get a quick bath (in baking soda and lukewarm water) before being baked – it’s much easier, and just as efficient to create that iconic flavor and golden brown shell.

And although I do love the traditional shape of pretzels (which I have done here), there is actually no wrong way to shape a pretzel. As a matter of fact, in Alsace, a pretzel can also be shaped in a simple log and be used as a sandwich bun (we call this a “moricette”).

This recipe will give you 8 soft, tender yet dense and chewy pretzels. They are on the smaller size (about 4-5 inches wide). You can easily double-up the recipe to create 8 giant pretzels or 12 big pretzels.

I topped them with big coarse sea salt (as I did not have pretzel salt). Sesame seeds, caraway or poppy seeds make for great toppings too.

Hot-Buttered Soft Pretzels

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 pretzels Prep Time: 45 minutes Cooking Time: 9 minutes 9 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.8/5

( 74 voted )

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
1 cup warm water (can still comfortably put your finger in it)*

For the water bath:
1.5 cups boiling water
2 tbsp baking soda

For topping:
Pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt)

Optional, for brushing:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• This soft pretzel dough is sensitive to weather conditions. In the winter, you might need to use more water and in the Summer less water. The dough should remain moist, soft and easy to work with (not too sticky, but not too dry either).

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. Stir in the water, and knead the dough (by hand, or with the hook attachment), for about 5 minutes until it all comes together in a smooth, soft ball. Sprinkle some flour on the dough ball, cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the water bath. Stir the baking soda into the boiling water. NOTE: Be careful when you add the baking soda, as the water will “bubble up” for a few seconds. Make sure you use a larger pan than you think you need. Pour the water in a square pan (or baking dish). Set aside to cool to lukewarm temperature.  

Preheat your oven to 475°F(245°C)

Transfer the dough to a floured working surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a thin log (12 inches/30cm long). Twist each log into a pretzel (twist the ends twice together, fold over, and tuck the ends underneath).

Place the pretzels in the baking soda-water bath (work in batches, 4 pretzels at a time). Let pretzels bathe in the water for about 1 minute per side, and then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet (at least 2 inches apart).

Sprinkle the pretzels generously with the salt. Allow to rest uncovered for 15 minutes.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the pretzels are a dark golden brown.

While the pretzels are baking: melt the 3 tablespoons of butter. Right when the pretzels are out of the oven, brush them generously with the melted butter.

Pretzels are best enjoyed warm, or the day of.

If you try this hot-buttered soft pretzel recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram.

Bon Appétit!

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour website.