Beef Free Classic Pretzel Rolls

Total time2 hr 5 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time20 min

4.6

(29)

These chewy, golden rolls deliver everything you love about a soft pretzel — that distinctive dark crust, the satisfying chew, and a generous shower of coarse salt — all in a handheld, pull-apart format that's impossible to resist. The secret to their deep color and bold pretzel flavor is a two-part technique: baking the baking soda before it ever hits the water bath, which intensifies its alkalinity and gives the crust that signature mahogany finish. Each roll gets a quick dip in a simmering alkaline bath before baking, which is exactly what sets a real pretzel apart from ordinary bread. The dough itself is beautifully simple — flour, yeast, butter, salt, and water — so there's nothing here that would raise any flags for anyone avoiding beef or meat-based ingredients. An egg wash brushed on just before scoring gives the crust a glossy, bakery-worthy sheen that crisps up beautifully as the rolls cool on the rack. Serve them warm alongside a sharp mustard or a creamy dip, or slice them open for the most satisfying sandwich base you've ever made at home.

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the dough

1 cup warm water (105–110°f / 40–43°c)
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

For the boiling bath

¼ cup baking soda
8 cups water
1 tbsp granulated sugar

For finishing

1 large egg
1 tbsp water
1–2 tbsp coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt

Instructions

1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty, about 5–8 minutes. If the yeast does not foam, it is not active — start over with fresh yeast.
2
Add the flour, fine salt, and softened butter to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until the flour is incorporated, then increase to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, about 6–8 minutes. The dough should spring back slowly when poked.

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