Soft Baked Amish Pretzels

Baked soft pretzel on parchment paper in pan.

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Soft Amish Pretzels are warm, buttery, and fresh from the oven in under 2 hours! Traditional methods, simple ingredients, no fancy equipment.

Prep Time30

Cook Time8

Resting time1

Total Time1 38

Course: Snack

Cuisine: German

Servings:

Calories: 87kcal

Author: Sara Smith | Eat Dessert Snack

Ingredients

1½ cups warm milk can use 1%, 2%, or whole
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
4½ to 5 cups all purpose flour
10 cups water
½ cup baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten for brushing onto pretzels

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large measuring cup, combine warm milk and brown sugar and mix well. Add yeast and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
1½ cups warm milk, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine salt, oil, and 4-½ cups flour. Once the milk and yeast have proofed for 5 minutes, pour into flour mixture.
2 teaspoons salt, ¼ cup vegetable or olive oil, 4½ to 5 cups all purpose flour
Knead (or mix) for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough becomes smooth. Dough should not be sticky and should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily. See Note 1.
Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 45 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size.
While dough is rising, prepare 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper, prepare the baking soda bath by combining water, baking soda, and salt in a large pot and bring to a slow boil, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
10 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup baking soda
When dough is ready, use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to divide dough into 8-10 equal pieces. See Note 2.
Roll pieces into a 24 inch rope.
Form into a U shape, then twist the ends over each other twice.
Pull the "legs" down and press them to the bottom edges of the pretzel to make the classic three hole shape. Sometimes a dab of water on the ends helps them stick together better.
Gently lower the pretzels one by one into the baking soda bath and boil for 30-45 seconds. Lift them out with a flat slotted spatula and place on the parchment paper prepared baking sheets.
Brush with beaten egg, and bake for 8 minutes (no longer than 10) at 450℉ until golden brown.
Optional: Brush with butter and sprinkle with pretzel salt before serving.
1 egg, beaten for brushing onto pretzels

Notes

Note 1. If the dough is sticky, add flour 1 or 2 Tablespoons at a time and mix until smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl easily.

Note 2. I usually don't divide all at once, I prefer to roll out one pretzel at a time so the dough doesn't dry out too fast.

To freeze and enjoy another day, let the pretzels cool completely after baking. Freeze in an airtight container or gallon sized resealable bag until ready to use.

To prepare, preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 10 minutes.

Nutrition