High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Classic Pretzels
Soft, chewy, and deeply golden, these homemade pretzels deliver that iconic bakery flavor with a satisfying snap of coarse salt on top. Store-bought pretzels and packaged snack versions are notorious for sneaking in sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, so making them from scratch is genuinely the cleanest route to the real thing. Every ingredient here is straightforward — flour, yeast, butter, sugar, salt — so you know exactly what you're eating with zero label anxiety. The real magic happens in the baking soda bath, which gives each pretzel that signature chewy, slightly tangy crust before it ever hits the oven. A generous egg wash and a shower of coarse salt finish them off with that glossy, deep mahogany color you'd expect from a proper pretzel shop. These are incredible fresh out of the oven, but they also hold up beautifully for snacking later in the day.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- 1 ½ cups warm water (110°f / 43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the baking soda bath
- 10 cups water
- ⅔ cup baking soda
For finishing
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp coarse pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy and fragrant.
- 2
Add the kosher salt, melted butter, and flour to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until the flour is incorporated, then increase to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, and springs back when poked.
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