Capsaicin Free Classic Pretzel Rolls

Total time2 hr 5 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time20 min

4.6

(29)

Soft on the inside, deeply bronzed and chewy on the outside, these pretzel rolls deliver everything you love about a classic soft pretzel in a handheld roll format. The secret to that signature color and flavor is baked baking soda — a simple oven step that intensifies the alkaline bath and gives each roll its characteristic mahogany crust without any specialty ingredients. For anyone avoiding capsaicin, this recipe is a genuine win: the entire ingredient list is naturally free of chili, pepper heat, or spice-adjacent additives, so there's no label-scanning required. The dough itself is straightforward — flour, butter, yeast, and salt — and the process is as satisfying as the result. A quick simmer in the baking soda bath followed by an egg wash and a generous shower of coarse salt is all it takes before they hit the oven. They come out crackling and fragrant, with a pull-apart interior that's pillowy and rich. Serve them warm alongside soup, pile on deli fillings, or eat one plain off the rack — they honestly don't need a thing.

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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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