There is nothing like a hot, salty pretzel just out of the oven. Chewy, soft, salty and almost a little malty. So delicious, and I can’t believe it is possible to make these at home! And seriously- it is so easy!
I made the dough last week during the day and then I let the girls form the pretzels when they got home from school. Pia and Coco had the best time trying to twirl the dough into just the right shapes.
I absolutely love these pretzels piping hot and fresh out of the oven and totally slathered in this really spicy and sweet onion mustard. So good.
Tons of these pretzels would be so incredible piled in a big basket for your superbowl party, or even just as the best afterschool snack EVER for your kids on one lucky afternoon!
For the Soft Pretzels:
Combine water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top and wait 5 minutes, until mixture starts to foam. Add flour and butter and begin to mix with dough hook attachment on low speed, until ingredients are combined.
Turn up the mixer to medium speed and work until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the dough, coat the bowl with cooking spray, return the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot in your kitchen until it doubles in size, about one hour.
Preheat oven to 450. In the meantime, coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray. In a deep saucepan or roasting pan, combine the water and baking soda. In a bowl, beat egg and water. When you’re ready, bring the water to a boil.
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope about 2 feet long. Twist into a pretzel shape.
Give each pretzel a 30 second bath in the boiling water mixture, remove with a flat spatula and place on the greased cookie sheet.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake for 12 minutes until a deep, golden brown is achieved. Cool on a rack before serving.
For The Mustard:
In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the diced onion and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sweat the onion for 20 minutes until very soft and tender and slightly golden.
Add to the bowl of a food processor and combine with the mustard and the brown sugar.
Puree on high until well combined. Serve the mustard with hot pretzels!
Adapted from Alton Brown
Recipe: Soft Pretzels with Sweet and Spicy Onion Mustard
Ingredients
- Soft Pretzels
- – 1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
- – 1 tablespoon sugar
- – 2 teaspoons salt
- – 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
- – 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- – 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- – cooking spray
- – 10 cups water
- – 2/3 cup baking soda
- – 1 large egg yolk beaten
- – 1 tablespoon water
- – kosher salt
- Sweet and Spicy Onion Mustard
- – 2 Tbs butter
- – 1 yellow onion, diced
- – kosher salt
- – ¼ cup brown sugar
- – 8 ounces Dijon mustard
Instructions
- For the Soft Pretzels:
- 1. Combine water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top and wait 5 minutes, until mixture starts to foam. Add flour and butter and begin to mix with dough hook attachment on low speed, until ingredients are combined.
- 2. Turn up the mixer to medium speed and work until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- 3. Remove the dough, coat the bowl with cooking spray, return the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot in your kitchen until it doubles in size, about one hour.
- 4. Preheat oven to 450. In the meantime, coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray. In a deep saucepan or roasting pan, combine the water and baking soda.
- 5. In a bowl, beat egg and water. When you’re ready, bring the water to a boil.
- 6. Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope about 2 feet long. Twist into a pretzel shape.
- 7.. Give each pretzel a 30 second bath in the boiling water mixture, remove with a flat spatula and place on the greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 12 minutes until a deep, golden brown is achieved. Cool on a rack before serving.
- For The Mustard:
- 1.In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- 2.Add the diced onion and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sweat the onion for 20 minutes until very soft and tender and slightly golden.
- Add to the bowl of a food processor and combine with the mustard and the brown sugar.
- Puree on high until well combined. Serve the mustard with hot pretzels!
Preparation time: 1 hour(s) 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 8
Print Recipe
I could eat a soft pretzel every day! These in particular look fabulous. Great recipe 🙂
Ooooh, me too Katrina! Thanks so much 🙂
Love the pretzels. would it be OK if I coat them in cinnamon sugar? Just thinkin’!
Totally!!! I would brush them with melted butter when they come out of the oven, and then toss them in cinnamon sugar. YUM.
How delightful! You are such a fun mother.
Ha! I don’t know if they would agree with that. I probably wasn’t that fun when I had a nervous breakdown over the state of their bedroom last night . I sounded just like my own mother. It was so scary!
This is one of my most favorite recipes ever! I just made a batch last week and can’t stop thinking about them! lol
Oh Awesome Tara! Glad you like it!
We have had a thing with homemade pretzels lately. I love how browned and golden these are. And the mustard – truly amazing!
Thanks! Yeah, they are addictive, huh!?
We love making soft pretzels! Yours are gorgeous!
Thanks Maria!
I LOVE pretzels and mustard. Oh god, you seriously have me craving this so hard right now. I love the sweet & spicy onion mustard you created, that just sounds AMAZING on the homemade pretzel. This is such perfect at-home baseball watching food for this spring! But I want it now too 🙂 haha
Yes!! Pretzels always make me think of baseball games!! Perfect!
Beautiful! And, my favorite soft pretzel recipe, too. But, seriously, gorgeous.
Oh good niki- everyone seems to use this recipe, so I thought I would try it, and I’m glad- it is really good!!
Oh my goodness these are absolutely gorgeous Heather! I need!
oh nooooo…i have this weakness for soft pretzels…and these look amazing…i don’t know how i’m going to resist making batches of these…and actually SHARING it!!!
omg LOVE soft pretzels with mustard!!! best snack ever
I think I have to agree Gaby!!
OMG-These are gorgeous. I have to try this! love the pics as well 🙂
Thank you so much Naomi!
Wow these look wonderful!
Thank you Erika!!
i have a serious addiction to soft pretzels and these look fabulous. I’m going to have to try them with salt and with cinnamon sugar. thanks for the great recipe!
No problem Michele! I think that these would be wonderful brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar! YUMMMM
These look so delicious.
I haven’t had a soft pretzel in way too long! Thanks for the delicious reminder. 🙂
No problem Eileen!!
LOVE these pretzels and fun mustard combo 🙂
I could go for one of these (or two of these) right about now!
These pretzels are gorgeous! Your girls did a great job shaping them! I love the mustard sauce too!
Thank you so much Amanda!!
Gorgeous!! Makes me want to jump up and start a baking project right now.
These are the best pretzels I have ever had! I just made a batch and had to force myself to stop eating them. I uses spicy brown mustard rather than Dijon and added a touch of honey to the mix. It was amazing. Thank you for the recipe!
YAY Lori!!!!! I am so glad that you liked them!!
These look yummy – I would eat them if YOU made them for me. haha … you’re just so good at whipping up the baked goods!
Those homemade pretzels look amazing!
If I made them into sticks (instead of knots) for a party, do you think I would have to adjust the cooking time?
Probably not by more than a minute or two- but I would keep a close eye on them!
I made these yesterday, and they turned out perfect. The dough was beautiful. I might try to make them into rolls next time.
Oh great Melissa!!!
Just made these…WOW!!!! Thanks for the recipe a few notches better than the other recipe I have!
Love the pretzel recipe. Great job on the pics and the writing. Thank you.
Rob
Oh I made these today with my daughter..DELICIOUS..I think we could have baked them a few more minutes for a darker crust..but they were sublime..and your sauce also..
Her 3 yr old even enjoyed:) But the 5 yr old and 7 yr old when they came home from school? Oh just such a lovely reaction:) (She made a Nutella dip for them..:) )
Thank you!
I may share on my little blog..hope that’s ok:)
My husband..said we could sell them:)
I won’t..but he said that:)
AWESOME monique!! Share away!
Made these today – first time EVER making pretzels. They turned out AMAZING! My whole family loved them. Great recipe: easy to follow and delicious! Thanks 🙂
Oh great Jennifer!! So glad that they turned out well!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. My family loved the pretzels.
That makes me happy Noreen 🙂
Hi Heather! My first recipe from your site. Deeeeeeeelish indeed! I’ve always been curious as to the best way to store the remaining pretzels (applies to fresh breads I bake too I suspect). I cooled them on a rack but then what? Zip lock seems to cause moisture. Thx for your tips and congrats on your accomplishments!!
Thank you so much Bruce!! I think I would try a tupperware? But I don’t have a tried and true method for fresh baked products-sadly I’m afraid they just have a short shelf life.
I just made these into 16 smaller pretzels for a beer tasting potluck. They taste amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
thank you for the great recipe 🙂 looking forward to making these tomorrow morning 🙂
Oh good Margaret!! Have a great weekend!
I am about to try my hands at making jalapeno pretzels! These look so beautiful!
these are gorgeous Heather!