I don’t know if it’s the little German suburb I live in right outside of Houston or what, but I love a good pretzel! I try to avoid the mall at all costs, but when I go, 9 times out of 10, I will stop at the pretzel cart just to get my fix. I have always wanted to make a delicious soft pretzel from scratch but for some reason it intimidated me. With football playoffs upon us I finally decided to give it a try because nothing goes hand in hand with football like beer and noting goes hand-in-hand with beer like a large, soft, buttery pretzel! This game day recipe for soft buttery pretzels is SUPER easy to make (I promise it’s not scary at all and has only a few ingredients) and hands down is better than any pretzel you would get at a mall! This is sure to be a fan favorite as you and your friends cheer on your favorite team at your homegating party.
Is your mouth watering yet?! Seriously guys, I loved the taste, the buttery-ness, the soft inside with the slightly crisp edges. Your homegating guests will love these. I made a batch or two over the holidays while family was in town per my husband’s request. They went absolutely gaga over these pretzels! Serve them up at your homegating party plain (my fave) or with a cheese sauce.
Here are a few tips on forming the the pretzel dough:
After preparing my dough I sprinkled the counter with some flour. When your dough is ready, sometimes it can feel a little sticky. The floured surface will help you not have sticky dough on your hands. It will also help as you roll the dough into the pretzel shape.
As you roll, keep in mind that you want to get the dough as thin as possible. Your pretzels will expand once baked.
The best part is to start to shape your pretzel! Start with a “U” shape then bring the pretzel ends inward. One twist (or two if you’re fancy), and bring the ends down to the center of the “U”.
You will then submerge each pretzel in a warm water and baking soda “bath”. This is very important but will cause your pretzel to lose its shape a little bit. Have no fear! Simply re-shape your pretzel once you get it on the parchment paper.
After “bathing” your pretzels, salt them immediately with the coarse salt.
Butter. Them. Up. and eat immediately fresh out of the oven. They are seriously the best when right out of the oven.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 Cup whole milk
- 1 Pack active dry yeast
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/4 Cups flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 Cups warm water
- Coarse Salt
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Warm the milk in the microwave. Make sure it's not too hot or it will kill the yeast (should be able to comfortably to keep your finger in it)
- Stir in the yeast and let sit for 3 minutes
- Add the butter and sugar and pour into mixer
- While mixing gradually pour flour in 1 cup at a time. Once you've added all flour add the regular salt
- Kneed dough for 10 minutes with a stand mixer (use hook attachment), or by hand until smooth and elastic.
- Set oven to warm while dough is mixing
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once and cover with a damp towel on top of the bowl
- Put bowl with towel on top in the warm oven to let rise for 1 hour
- Remove from oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Combine warm water and baking soda in a bowl and set aside
- Punch down dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface
- Take a large pinch of dough and roll out into a log as thin as you can without causing breaks in the dough
- Shape each piece of the dough into a pretzel then dip in the baking soda water
- Place each pretzel on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until slightly browned
- While hot, brush each pretzel with melted butter
Finish it off with your favorite brew in your team’s glass and I’d say you have a total score on your hands with this soft buttery pretzel recipe for your next homegating party!
