Carrageenan Free Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels
Soft, chewy pretzels with a deep mahogany crust and a satisfying whole wheat flavor — these are the kind of snack that disappears fast off the cooling rack. The dough comes together with just a handful of pantry staples: whole wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and yeast, with zero additives or stabilizers hiding in the mix. That matters more than you might think, since many store-bought pretzels and packaged doughs rely on processed ingredients that can be tricky to vet. Here, every component is straightforward and easy to verify. The real magic happens in the baking soda bath, which gives each pretzel that signature chewy bite and glossy, crackly exterior without any specialty ingredients. A brush of beaten egg and a shower of flaky sea salt before they hit the oven takes them from homemade to genuinely impressive. Warm from the oven with a little mustard on the side, these are hard to beat.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- 1 cup warm water (about 110°f / 43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the baking soda bath
- 8 cups water
- ⅓ cup baking soda
For finishing
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt or flaky salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl). Let stand for 5–8 minutes, until the surface is foamy and the mixture smells yeasty.
- 2
Add the whole wheat flour, fine sea salt, and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook (or stir with a wooden spoon) until a shaggy dough forms, then increase to medium speed and knead for 6–8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. If kneading by hand, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
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