Homemade Soft Pretzels Appetizer Recipe

Homemade Soft Pretzels are a staple of American cuisine and a must for when you fix appetizers. Weather you serve them with a cheese sauce or a grainy mustard, everyone will relish in your cooking skills. Keep in mind that this is not your frozen pretzel where things are ready in a few minutes. Dough takes a long ass time to proof, knead and roll. This is an investment of time. Overall, the dough is very simple. First, proof your yeast in some warm water with some sugar. If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, proofing means to activate the yeast. This is done by mixing together the yeast, warm water and some sugar (yeast feeds off of sugar and will help activate it) and letting it sit until it is nice and frothy. If it bubbles up, you know your yeast is active and well. If it doesn’t bubble up, your yeast is dead (much like your heart after your team blows a lead). The yeast could be dead for a few reasons, too hot of water, not warm enough water, old yeast or too much sugar. it also depends on the temp of your house… All sorts of shit. After you figure out the dough situation, it is smooth sailing.

Ingredients:

Pretzel Dough

1 cup warm water
1 pkg dry active yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg white
sea salt

Baking Soda Bath

4 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda

Directions:

Add the warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly. If the yeast isn’t bubbly, it isn’t active and the pretzels will not work. Repeat this step with new yeast until it is bubbly. The temperature of your kitchen can make this time vary, could take up to 20 minutes.
Add the melted butter, salt and flour to the stand mixer. Turn on LOW and allow the stand mixer to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
The dough should be very soft, but shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl at all. You canm also do this by hand if you don’t have a mixer, that is what we did.
Put in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until double. (at least 1 hour on the counter)
Preheat oven to 425°.
After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal sized pieces.
Roll into pretzel shape.
Combine the water and baking soda in either a large pot on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Bring the soda water to a boil.
Once all of the pretzels have been shaped, gently place each pretzel (one by one) in the boiling soda water. Allow the pretzel to boil for about 30 seconds before removing and transferring to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining pretzels.
Brush each pretzel with egg white and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Check out this video on rolling pretzels. Not ours, but it shows you want you need. FYI the music is super stupid.

Optional Cheese Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup milk cheddar cheese (grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt the butter and flour over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Cook for 3 minutes.
slowly whisk in the milk.
add the cheese, whisk until melted and combined.
season with salt and pepper.

Like this Homemade Soft Pretzels recipe? Check out some more appetizer recipes HERE.