Pork Free Soft Pretzels with Salt
Few things beat the satisfaction of pulling a tray of golden, deeply browned pretzels from your own oven, and this recipe delivers that bakery-style result with straightforward pantry ingredients. The dough comes together with flour, butter, yeast, and a little sugar — nothing complicated, nothing to second-guess. What makes these taste like the real deal is 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 gorgeous mahogany color and satisfying crunch on the outside. Every ingredient here is naturally free of pork and pork-derived products, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or swap anything out — just follow the steps and enjoy. These are best served warm, ideally with a good mustard on the side, though they disappear fast enough that the dipping sauce is almost optional.
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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 standard packet)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine 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 fine 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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