There are few things more delicious in this world than a homemade soft pretzel. When done correctly, the soft texture and savory flavor will literally melt in your mouth! However, if you don’t have the right toolkit, you could end up with mediocre or even inedible soft pretzels. Obviously, we want to help you avoid a potential disaster in the kitchen! So, in today’s guide, we are going to teach you exactly how to make homemade soft pretzels with ease!
What Are Soft Pretzels?
If you’ve never had a soft pretzel before, you are in for a real treat! The original soft pretzel is believed to have German origins, though the exact history of both soft and hard pretzels is something of a mystery. In any case, soft pretzels are a type of baked pastry made out of dough tied into a knot (often known as a pretzel loop or pretzel bow). The distinctive shape makes soft pretzels stand out from most other types of pastries, which has only added to their popularity over the years!
The difference between hard and soft pretzels is just a matter of how long the pretzels have been allowed to sit out. Soft pretzels are generally served fresh, which is why they maintain a soft texture. Alternatively, hard pretzels have been allowed to “stale,” giving them a hard, crunchy consistency.
Moreover, hard and soft pretzels are often differentiated by their size. You can find small, hard pretzels in just about any grocery store, as they have a longer shelf life and are similar in nature to traditional crackers. On the other hand, soft pretzels are almost always much larger and sold in bakeries and similar venues that can prepare and serve fresh baked goods. This is why the soft pretzel makes for the perfect homemade treat!
How To Make Soft Pretzels
One benefit of making soft pretzels is that you don’t need a lot of uncommon ingredients. The standard soft pretzel recipe only requires water, a packet of yeast, butter, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and all-purpose flour. There are literally thousands of different homemade pretzel recipes out there, so you will certainly find different ones that insist you need more ingredients. However, it all depends on the type of soft pretzel you want to make and what type of toppings you want with your pretzel (more on that later!).
Most recipes require you to warm up a pot of water, add in the yeast, let it sit for a few seconds, and then add in all of the other ingredients. Mixing all of these ingredients together will form the basic dough that is the foundational element of any soft pretzel! Unlike many other baked goods that require you to wait hours for the dough to rise, you only need to wait about 10 to 15 minutes with soft pretzels.
Once you’ve got your dough mixed and you’re ready to move on to the next step, you just have to boil water and baking soda in a new pot. While your water is boiling, you can start to give your dough the distinctive soft pretzel shape! To do this, you just need to roll your dough out into long, snake-like pieces. Then, twist the ends around each other, ensuring that both ends are separated from one another and resting on the circular “body” of the pretzel. Once you’re satisfied with the pretzel shapes, you simply need to drop them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds before taking them out and putting them on a baking sheet.
At this point, you’re closing in on the home stretch. Before putting them in the oven, you should sprinkle your pretzels with salt and then allow them to bake. The exact amount of time they need in the oven will depend on the size of your batch. The more pretzels you want to make, the longer you’ll need to bake! That said, most soft pretzel recipes call for no more than 30 minutes in the oven.
Once you take your soft pretzels out, you will need to let them cool — but not for too long. As we previously discussed, the only difference between soft pretzels and hard pretzels is the amount of time they are allowed to sit out after baking. So, you’ll want to serve your soft pretzels warm and fresh so that they don’t start to go stale!
The Homemade Soft Pretzel Kit
Now that you have a better idea of what it takes to make delicious, hot pretzels, are you ready for a better way to get the job done? Rather than spending hours scouring the Internet for the absolute best DIY pretzels, you can let our soft pretzel baking kit do all the heavy lifting for you! Our kit provides all of the necessary ingredients, premeasured and ready to be used. Additionally, it includes an easy home soft pretzels recipe that can deliver tasty soft pretzels in no time!
Learning how to make your own pretzels from scratch can be tough, especially if you try to use an intricate or complex recipe you found online. While it may not require a lot of uncommon ingredients, it does require a certain degree of time and patience, especially when mixing, rolling, and shaping the dough. So, why not make your life a lot easier with a Baketivity Soft Pretzel Kit?
Not only does it simplify the entire process for you, but it also makes for a great bonding experience with the kids. Our kits are designed to be fun, educational, and simple enough that young children can understand the instructions. In short, we offer a great way for you and your family to learn and have fun together. Once it’s all said and done, you can all enjoy some delicious homemade hot pretzels together, too!
What's Good With Soft Pretzels?
Something about soft pretzels that we haven’t really touched on yet is their versatility. The traditional soft pretzel just has a little bit of salt and nothing else. It is a simple, savory, timeless baked good. However, when it comes to soft pretzel add-ons, the possibilities are virtually endless!
Let’s say that you’re hosting a fun get-together for your kids and their friends. You could absolutely serve standard soft pretzels as a snack, but you will probably want to kick things up a notch. So, if you’re wondering what to do with soft pretzels, wonder no more! The truth is that there are dozens, if not hundreds of different ingredients you can add to the finished product to make it even more delicious!
For example, dips and sauces are some of the most common ways to give soft pretzels even more flavor. Many people use standard yellow mustard or spicy mustard as a dipping sauce to serve with homemade pretzels. Alternatively, pretzel cheese dip is a delectable option that will surely be popular with the young ones!
Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg. What if you want to turn your soft pretzels into sweet treats? If so, you can use icing, sprinkles, cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, peanut butter, caramel — and the list goes on! As you can see, there’s really no shortage of ways to make soft pretzels into the perfect snack for parties, events, or just an afternoon at home with the kids!
