Pescatarian Classic Pretzel Rolls
Chewy on the outside, pillowy in the center, and finished with a satisfying crunch of coarse salt — these pretzel rolls are the kind of baked good that makes people think you spent all day in a professional bakery. The secret to that deep, glossy, mahogany crust is a two-part technique: baking the baking soda first to intensify its alkalinity, then giving each roll a quick dip in the simmering bath before it ever sees the oven. That process is what separates a truly great pretzel roll from a plain dinner roll with salt on top. The dough itself is straightforward — flour, butter, yeast, and water — so there's nothing to stress over ingredient-wise, and it fits naturally into a seafood-forward or plant-leaning lifestyle without any substitutions needed. Each roll gets scored before baking, which lets steam escape and gives you that signature crackle when you pull it apart. Serve them alongside a bowl of chowder, pile them with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or just eat one warm off the rack with butter — honestly, that last option is hard to beat.
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Learn more →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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