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This soft pretzel recipe makes buttery, slightly sweet pretzels with a golden crust and soft, chewy centers—just like the ones from Auntie Anne’s.
If Auntie Anne’s is your idea of the ultimate soft pretzel, this soft pretzel recipe comes remarkably close. The pretzels have that same buttery flavor and satisfying chew, and the recipe was even featured in Allyson Reedy’s 30 Breads to Bake Before You Die, a collection of 30 standout bread recipes.
The dough is enriched with milk, butter, and brown sugar, and a quick dip in a baking soda solution gives the pretzels their distinctive flavor and golden crust. It’s easy to work with, whether you use a stand mixer or knead it by hand, and shaping the pretzels is much simpler than it looks. Finish them with coarse salt and melted butter, or skip the salt and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar for the sweet mall-pretzel version.
“These are amazing. We made three with salt and three with cinnamon sugar and both were delightful. This recipe is a keeper!”
What You’ll Need To Make Soft Pretzels
- Milk: Using milk instead of water makes the dough richer and helps give these pretzels their soft texture and mall-style flavor.
- Butter: It goes into the dough for richness and is also brushed generously over the warm pretzels after baking.
- Light brown sugar: Adds the slight sweetness that gives these pretzels their Auntie Anne’s-style flavor.
- Instant/rapid-rise yeast: I like instant yeast because it can be mixed right into the dry ingredients—no need to proof it first. Active dry yeast works too; see the recipe notes for instructions.
- All-purpose flour: For the softest pretzels, be careful not to add too much. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Baking soda: A quick dip in a baking soda solution before baking gives the pretzels their characteristic flavor and deep golden crust—no boiling required.
- Coarse salt: Gives the pretzels their classic salty finish. I typically use coarse salt, but pretzel salt works well if you have it.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Soft Pretzels
Make the dough: Warm the milk and butter just until the butter melts, then stir in the brown sugar. Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add the warm milk mixture and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead the dough: Knead until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. If it’s very sticky, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, but resist adding too much—the dough should stay soft.
Let it rise: Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and set it in a warm spot. It’s ready when it has roughly doubled in size.
Divide and roll: Gently deflate the risen dough and divide it into equal pieces. Keep the pieces covered with a damp towel as you work so they don’t dry out. Roll each piece into a long, even rope; if the dough springs back as you roll, let it rest briefly and try again.
Dip and shape: Dip each rope in the baking soda solution and let the excess drip off. Form it into a U, cross the ends to make a twist, then bring them down and press them onto the bottom of the pretzel. Shape the pretzels directly on the prepared baking sheet so you don’t have to move them again.
Bake and finish: Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt, then bake until deeply golden brown, keeping an eye on the bottoms, which can darken quickly. Brush generously with melted butter while they’re still warm.
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant/rapid-rise yeast (1 package)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ cup baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Warm the milk and 2 tablespoons (28 g) of the butter in the microwave until the butter is just melted, about 90 seconds; do not boil. (Alternatively, warm the butter and milk in a small saucepan.) Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, yeast, and fine salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the warm milk/butter mixture to the bowl. When the dough forms a cohesive mass, switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, the dough can be mixed and kneaded by hand.) Shape the dough into a ball, place in a clean, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (235°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a 2-qt (2L) baking dish, combine the baking soda with 2¼ cups (540 ml) warm water. Stir until the baking soda is dissolved; set aside. (Dipping the pretzel dough in a baking soda solution gives the pretzels a nice golden brown crust.)
- Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn it out onto a clean work surface. (If the dough seems sticky, you can dust it with a bit of flour as needed.) Shape the dough into a log, then cut into 6 equal pieces; cover with a damp dish towel so the dough doesn't dry out. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 24-in (61-cm) rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch.
- Using two hands, gently dip each "rope" into the soda solution. Let any excess liquid drip off, then form the dough into a pretzel shape directly on the prepared baking sheet (form a U-shape, then holding the ends of the rope, cross them over and under each other—making a twist in the center—and press the ends onto the bottom of the pretzel). Sprinkle evenly with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 8 to 12 minutes; watch the bottoms carefully as they can burn.
- Melt the remaining butter and brush on the baked pretzels. The pretzels are best enjoyed warm out of the oven or fresh on the same day (reheat in the oven or microwave).
Notes
- Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the warm milk and butter, let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.
- If you prefer a cinnamon sugar topping, omit the coarse salt. Brush with butter after baking and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar plus about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon).
- Make-Ahead Instructions: After the dough has risen, it can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for a few months. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator before using. The dough can be shaped into pretzel bites while still cool, but allow about 30 minutes for the bites to puff up a bit before dipping and baking.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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So amazingly easy to make and equally delicious! These pretzels were a HUGE hit with my kids (and myself)! That is an accomplishment in itself with 6 picky eaters!! We can’t wait to make them again! Thanks for sharing!
One of my favorite recipes ever. I feel like it should be top secret cause it’s so yum.
Simply delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
These were simple to make and delicious. They seemed to be more bread-like than Auntie Anne’s pretzels (I forgot to add the butter after they were done, which may be why) and they rose quite a bit more than I was expecting, but everyone was happy with how they turned out.
The only other deviation I made from the recipe was using a silicone baking mat instead of a sprayed sheet of parchment paper, and I didn’t have any trouble with pretzels sticking.
This recipe is definitely a keeper in my house! Next time I plan to divide the dough into more pieces to see if I can get the pretzels more snack-sized 🙂
These pretzels came out perfect, although they only took 5 minutes in my convection oven. Easy recipe to follow. My husband loved them😋. Is there a recipe for honey mustard dipping sauce that you like?
Glad you liked them! You could give the dipping sauce from these chicken tenders a try. 🙂
Soooooo good!
First attempt at pretzels! Great tasting though had major issue getting them off the paper, even with spraying non-stick spray on it. Any ideas?
Hmmm….they really shouldn’t stick. Are you sure you used parchment paper and not wax paper?
Oh my these are soooooo good! They were easy to make thanks to your great directions!!
It’s my second time making pretzels with this recipe, but for some reason my dough keeps coming out very dry. When I try to form it into a ball, it’s not sticking together because the dough is so dry. I’ve been following the recipe to a T, so I’m not quite sure what I could be doing wrong? Should I use less flour? Please help!
The pretzels have come out delicious by the way, but not very pretty aesthetically because my dough is so hard to work with 🙁
Hi Amy, Yes, it does sound like the dough has too much flour. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.
These were the bomb and reminiscent of Auntie Ann’s! The pretzels were so fluffy and delicious. Easy to make with the step by step photos and instructions. My kids have always loved Auntie Ann’s pretzels and we’d always get them on mall outings way back when. It was such a fun activity making these with my twenty year old daughter today during this crazy time. We are especially enjoying trying new recipes from your site during these challenging times. Jenn, thank you again for your awesome recipes!
I forgot to also add we made 3 salted pretzels and 3 cinnamon sugar pretzels. They all were yummy!