Shellfish Free Soft Pretzels with Salt

Total time1 hr 45 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time15 min

4.9

(12)

Few things beat the satisfaction of pulling a tray of golden, bakery-style pretzels out of your own oven. The dough comes together with pantry staples — flour, yeast, butter, and a little sugar — and the stand mixer does most of the heavy lifting during the knead. The real magic happens in the baking soda bath, which gives each pretzel that signature chewy, slightly alkaline crust you just can't fake any other way. A generous egg wash before baking drives the color to that deep, glossy mahogany, and a shower of coarse salt on top seals the deal. Every ingredient here is straightforward and naturally free of any seafood or shellfish concerns, so there's no label-reading stress involved. These are best served warm, ideally with a good mustard on the side, though they have a way of disappearing before they even make it to a plate.

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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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