Homemade soft buttery Pretzels with an amazing Salsa Verde Cheese Dipping Sauce. They’re so easy to make you’ll wonder why you waited so long to make this delicious treat at home!
Have you ever had a craving that you just can’t shake? I’ve been craving Hot Buttery Soft Pretzels, the kind like you get at the mall, for months!
I’d wake up in the morning craving them, and go to bed at night sad that another day had passed… my cravings not met! Sniff, sniff!
I decided it was time to break down and make some! However, true confessions… I’d never made homemade pretzels, and to be honest, they intimidated me a bit. Years ago, my daughter would make homemade pretzels from a boxed mix we’d purchased at the market. She took it upon herself to make them herself… I just enjoyed the benefits of her labors. So I was clueless! (Not the first or last time in my life! I assure you!)
I wanted a homemade pretzel that was chewy on the outside, but not so chewy they were tough! They also had to be fluffy and soft on the inside. The perfect combo…for the perfect “pull” when you tug them apart for dipping.
Speaking of “dipping”…that requires an amazing cheese sauce to dunk those buttery sticks of delight into! Not your typical cheese sauce, but one with rich, warm flavors! A Salsa Verde Cheese Sauce seemed like the perfect solution…and boy is it ever! The world of Pretzel dunking will never be the same!
I found an amazing Homemade Pretzel recipe by Alton Brown on the Food Network. It’s quick, easy, and in my ever so humble “carb expert” opinion, the BEST pretzel recipe out there!
I can’t believe how easy and fun, these Home Soft Pretzels are to make! So let’s get baking!
How To Make Homemade Chewy Soft Pretzels
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine hot water, sugar, and kosher salt.
TIP: Be sure the water temperature is 110 to 115 degrees. Water that is too hot can kill the yeast! You do not want to be a yeast killer! It makes rising to new heights difficult! (That was really bad! The puns are rolling off the fingertips today my friends!)
Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. You can lightly mix the yeast into the warm water. I find it helps to activate the yeast.
Mixing the Pretzel Dough
Add 2 cups of flour and 1/4 cup melted butter, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed. Add another 2 ½ cups of flour. Continue mixing at low speed until all the ingredients are well combined.
Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
TIP: It’s important to increase the speed so that the dough will knead and cling to the dough hook.
Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, or use a new clean bowl… I’m all about saving on washing dishes, oil the bowl well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough over, so the oil side is up.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap.
TIP: I love the reusable plastic covers that I purchase in the plastic wrap aisle. You can wash and dry them and reuse them. They’re super handy!
Place the covered dough in a warm place for about 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 450° degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Set the pans aside.
In a large pot, 8 quarts or larger, bring 10 cups of water and 2/3 cups of baking soda…YEP…2/3 cups baking soda, to a rolling boil.
How To Shape Pretzels
While the water is coming to a boil, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface. I used my counter top and sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope…just like making snakes with play dough! (I may or may not do that particular activity with the grandkids! It’s why I’m an expert!)
Make a “U” shape with the rope…
Holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and twist…not your body…the dough. I know you were thinking about doing a little happy dancing!
Press the ends onto the bottom of the “U” in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place the formed pretzels onto the parchment-lined half sheet pans.
Hot Water Bath for Pretzels
Now for some FUN! Seriously, this part is fun…but you need to be careful because it’s BOILING HOT water! This step is what makes the outside of the pretzels chewy!
TIP: I ALWAYS place the pot on the BACK burner to prevent it from tipping over and spilling! Please always use caution when working with boiling fluids.
Carefully place the pretzels into the boiling baking soda water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. I used a large flat spatula to place the pretzels into the boiling water and to gently splash water over the top of each pretzel. Slide the spatula under the pretzel and remove from the boiling water.
Note: They’ll rise slightly in the boiling water.
Return the pretzels to the half sheet pan. Brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture, or “egg wash” and sprinkle with pretzel salt. (This step adds the final “chewy” factor and allows the salt to stick!)
Bake until golden brown, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving!
You can bake them longer, until they are darker than mine…but I felt that was perfect!
If you’re going to eat them immediately…and I double dog dare ya not to…brush them with melted butter!
If you want to store the pretzels, then I recommend waiting to brush them with butter until they are ready to serve. Overnight, the melted butter can dissolve the salt and make your pretzels look like they have a serious medical condition. They still taste amazing…they just don’t look pretty!
Look how YUMMY!! Are ya drooling yet? Well hold on…we still need to make that EPIC Salsa Verde Cheese Sauce. I made mine while the pretzels were baking.
How To Make Epic Pretzel Cheese Dip
In a small sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth, whisk in 1 cup of milk and stir until slightly thickened. Add 1 cup of grated cheese, continuing to stir.
Add in one pouch of Velveeta Cheese Sauce. Stir until smooth and creamy over low heat.
Now to “Kick up” this cheese sauce! Add in 1/3 cup Salsa Verde and salt to taste. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add more milk until you reach the desired consistency.
This one simple addition makes the most incredible cheese sauce! It does not make it “spicy hot”…it just adds an incredible depth of flavor that pairs beautifully with these perfect chewy soft homemade pretzels!
It was love at first “dunk”…by my fourth dunk we were in an official relationship!
These big soft buttery pretzels are the PERFECT Game Day snack…or they’re a great “Save the Crazed Mom” with Carbs treat!! Either way, it’s a WIN!!
I can’t lie…after the photo shoot of these delectable gluten laden delights…I just sat there…eating! I couldn’t stop myself. They’re AMAZING!!! If you can stop after one bite…you’re a better person than I am!
If you liked these delicious treats….you’ll love these other Game Day Recipes!
- Mini Tostada Bites
- Easy Philly Cheese Steak Sliders
- Grilled Citrus Spiced Wings
- Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Peppers
- Copy Cat Winger Wings
- Homemade Naan Bread from Sandra’s Easy Cooking
- Navajo Tacos with Fry Bread
- Loaded Cheesy Cowboy Queso
- Homemade Pizza Rolls
Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today! I’d love to have you follow Norine’s Nest on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, where I share my favorite recipes every day!
Happy Nesting Friends!
Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels Recipe
Homemade soft buttery Pretzels with an amazing Salsa Verde Cheese Dipping Sauce. They're so easy to make you'll wonder why you waited so long to make this delicious treat at home!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 package active dry yeast, or 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cups baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water
- Pretzel Salt
- Non-stick cooking spray
Salsa Verde Cheese Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1–4 oz packet Velveeta cheese sauce
- 1/3 cup Salsa Verde
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Combine the water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and melted butter using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, or use a new bowl, and then oil the bowl well with non-stick cooking spray. Return the dough to the bowl, turn dough over to oiled side up, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.
- Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan.
- In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other, twist, and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
- Place the pretzels, carefully, into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Brush with melted butter if serving immediately.
How To Make Salsa Verde Cheese Sauce for Dipping
1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Add in milk while whisking continually until mixture thickens creating a roux.
2. Add in grated cheese and the pouch of velveeta sauce. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add in 1/3 cup Salsa Verde and stir. Allow mixture to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
3. Serve Warm.
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KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1 pretzelAmount Per Serving: Calories: 504Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 6321mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 16g
Amanda mancuso
Saturday 14th of September 2024
These are fabulous and super easy!
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Wednesday 18th of September 2024
Hi Amanda! Thank you for using this recipe and we are so glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my very favorite recipes! I have to be careful when I make them because I can eat a lot of them! Yikes! Hope you'll come back again soon! Norine
Larissa
Sunday 18th of August 2024
This looks amazing! I want to try and make these. Do you think using the bread maker for the dough would be ok?
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Monday 19th of August 2024
Hi Larissa! It should be. I've never done it, by mainly because it's such an easy dough to make in my mixer, but it should work just fine. Enjoy! Norine
Amanda
Wednesday 31st of July 2024
Can this recipe be used to make pretzel bites instead of big pretzels?
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Wednesday 31st of July 2024
Hi Amanda! YES!!! I've done it many times. Just roll them into long "snakes" and cut them the size you'd like for bites and follow the rest of the instructions. Hope this helps. We love them as pretzel bites. Happy Baking, Norine
Ashley
Friday 26th of July 2024
I just made these for the first time and they look great! My husband and 5yo love them. But I can definitely taste the baking soda. I used the 10c water to 2/3c soda and only left them in for 30 seconds so is it just me? The only thing I can think of is that I started boiling the water at the beginning of the rolling out process and turned it off once I realized I would’ve boiled out all my water by the time my 5yo and I got them all rolled out. Could reheating that water be why I can taste the soda?
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Wednesday 31st of July 2024
Hi Ashley! It could be. I add the baking soda right before I start dunking them. I have the water boiling and ready to go, but only add the baking soda right before I'm ready to use it. You can also reduce the amount of baking soda, but you may not get the same "chew" as you do with the 2/3 cup. Also remember they don't need to "hang out" in the soda hot tub for a long time. The longer they are floating in there the more likely they are to absorb more of the baking soda. Just a thought. Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Hope you come back again soon. Norine
Miranda
Tuesday 16th of July 2024
I'm confused. You call for 2/3 baking soda in the directions, but made a comment about substituting baking powder for soda and using 3×s as much. I made these pretzels as directed and they look nothing like the picture. I'm sure they'll still taste decent, but I'm disappointed. I was really looking forward t0 huge, fluffy pretzels.
Thanks, Miranda
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Wednesday 17th of July 2024
Hi Miranda, I know back in 2020, the year that we all will remember, a follower asked if they could keep their soda water and re-use it from week to week. At the time I did some research and found that you can substitute baking powder for baking soda. However, I do not recommend using baking powder in the post or the recipe card directions, as Baking Soda produces the BEST results. According to my search results, and the all knowing Google "Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder." I myself, do not recommend it within the actual recipe because I don't want to use THAT much baking powder. It was a suggestion to a follower looking for a solution during the shut-down of 2020. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention and I'm truly sorry that this favorite recipe didn't provide you the results you were hoping for. I always recommend that in order to achieve the same results I present in my photos, that my recipes are followed exactly. If you made the pretzels as directed within my post and recipe card, you should have had the similar results. If not, I am truly sorry. Could it be that you killed you the yeast? That really should be the only reason these pretzels didn't turn out big and fluffy? Thank you for your comments and information. I appreciate it. Norine