Mushroom Free Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Total time1 hr 50 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time20 min

4.9

(16)

There is something deeply satisfying about pulling a batch of warm, golden-brown soft pretzels out of your own oven, and this whole wheat version delivers that classic chewy, salty experience from scratch. The ingredient list is refreshingly straightforward — whole wheat flour, olive oil, honey, yeast, and a quick egg wash — so there is nothing hidden or unexpected to worry about. The real magic happens in the baking soda bath, which gives each pretzel that signature dark, glossy crust and chewy bite you would expect from a proper pretzel shop. Rolling the dough into long ropes and twisting them into shape is genuinely fun, and the technique is more forgiving than it looks. A generous shower of coarse sea salt right before they hit the oven seals the deal. These are fantastic straight off the rack with mustard, but they also hold up beautifully as a snack later in the day once they cool.

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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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