Homemade German Soft Pretzels

These German Soft Pretzels are chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside! This recipe is easy to make and uses baking soda instead of real brine, so they are much safer to bake at home.

Soft Pretzels have my heart! I don’t know if it’s my Bavarian genes or what, but I could eat these every single day (just like Apple Fritters, German Plum Cake… or Spaetzle!)

My recipe is easy to make with a simple and foolproof yeast dough. You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make your own pretzel dough at home – just a few basic pantry staples!

And there’s no real brine happening here, just a solution of salt and baking soda to dip the pretzels in before baking – and they turn out absolutely perfect this way!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient notes

Pretzel dough

Flour: If you have it, you can use bread flour for this recipe. It works just fine with regular flour too, though!

Butter: Make sure to take your butter out of the fridge a good 30 minutes before making the dough, or it will not be evenly distributed. Alternatively, place the butter under a bowl you rinsed in hot water (and quickly dried off) for 5 minutes.

Yeast: You can make this with regular dried yeast (vs active), but the dough will take longer to double in size. If you use organic yeast, it may take several hours to rise.

Milk: This recipe works as a plant-based version, too. Use a plant-based beverage in place of the milk (rice works just fine) and a neutral oil in place of the butter. You may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of flour if the dough feels very wet.

“Brine”

This isn’t real brine like they use in bakeries, but a make-shift and much safer/available version for us home bakers.

For the “brine”, you need:

• water
• baking soda
• salt

Baking soda: You need a lot of baking soda for this recipe, and there are no substitutes. Baking powder is not the same, so that’s not an acceptable substitute.

Toppings: You’re also going to need something to sprinkle on your pretzels before baking – coarse salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds… Whatever you like best!

How to make German Soft Pretzels

1 Making sure the dough is started right:

Make sure the ingredients you’re using are at room temperature – including the milk. Don’t heat up the milk though, or it will kill the yeast.

Then, this yeast dough is super simple to make – once you have thrown everything into the bowl of your stand mixer, fit it with the hook attachment and knead on low speed.

The only way the pretzels turn out nice and fluffy though is if the dough gets kneaded long enough. In my mixer, it needs about 5 minutes.

2 The proofing:

To proof, shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with a clean tea towel (so the dough doesn’t dry out).

Then, let it stand at room temperature until it has doubled in size and is puffy.

How long this takes will depend on a few factors:

• Your yeast: Instant yeast works fast, it will be done in about 40 minutes. Regular yeast needs a bit more time, about 1 hour. And organic yeast can take up to 3 hours!

• Your room temperature: Warmer room temperatures help the yeast to work faster.

• Your altitude: The higher your altitude, the faster the yeast. If you are at a high altitude and notice your yeast baked goods are always exploding, try using half the yeast a recipe calls for.

I’m sure there are other factors, too, but these are the ones I mainly notice to make a difference.

3 Shaping the pretzels:

Once your dough has finished its first proof, it’s time to shape your pretzels.

I highly recommend using kitchen scales to make sure you divide the dough into 12 even portions.

And I love using my dough scraper to divide the dough, it works so well!

Then, shape the pretzels as so:

4 Second proof:

The second proof is shorter, about 20 minutes or until the pretzels are slightly puffed up.

Don’t skip it, or your pretzels will explode in the oven and lose their shape. But don’t let them proof too long either, or the yeast doesn’t have any power left and they won’t get big and soft in the oven – you just want them slightly puffed up.

5 Dipping the pretzels in a baking soda solution

Once your shaped pretzels are nice and puffy, it’s time for the last active step: Dipping them into a solution of baking soda and salt.

Bakeries use a real brine, so the taste of your homemade pretzels will not be exactly like a bakery pretzel. If you ask me, they actually taste better because they’re homemade 😉

This makeshift “brine” is much safer to make at home, other than the fact that it’s boiling water and you can severely burn yourself with it. So… Don’t do that.

Bring 1 quart of water, ½ cup (yes!) of baking soda and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. This will be quite foamy, so make sure to use a pot with higher sides.

Take the pot off the heat, then use a slotted spoon to dip each pretzel into your brine for 15-20 seconds. Do not leave them in too long, or they will come out very tough!

Also, make sure you submerge them fully, then let them drain on the spoon for a few seconds before placing them on a lined baking sheet a few inches apart from each other (you need two baking sheets, 6 pretzels per sheet).

6 Giving the pretzels a nice look

Before you bake the pretzels, sprinkle them with your favorite topping: Coarse salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds… Or Everything But the Bagel seasoning, whatever you like best.

Bake the pretzels until they’ve reached pretzel color – a deep golden brown.

Take them out and IMMEDIATELY brush them with water, milk or half and half to make them shiny.

Then move them to a wire rack to cool.

Storage tips

These store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 2 days.

Please don’t store them in an airtight container, or they’ll get soft and damp.

Instead, wrap them loosely in a clean tea towel. They are best eaten on the day they’re made though!

Freezer tips

You can freeze your homemade pretzels for up to 4 months.

Let the baked pretzels cool completely on a rack before packing up for the freezer. I prefer to freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 – 2 hours before transferring them to a freezer bag. That way you can take them out individually!

Place the flash-frozen pretzels in a freezer-friendly bag or container and label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 4 months).

To defrost, place the pretzels unwrapped on a rack on the counter (this is important, or your pretzels will get soggy) and let come to room temperature for a few hours. You can warm them in the oven at 300F or for a few seconds in the microwave if you like.

Serving ideas

Soft pretzels are a great alternative to bagels for sandwiches!

But they’re also a really cool thing to bring to a football party – my Bacon Cheeseburger Dip works great with these.

More homemade bread recipes

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Recipe first published in 2014 and updated in 2019. Updated again on 01/26/2021 to make the layout more user friendly.