Red Meat Allergy Friendly Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels
Soft, chewy, and deeply satisfying, these whole wheat pretzels deliver that classic bakery experience with a slightly nutty, hearty flavor from the whole wheat flour. The ingredient list is refreshingly straightforward — yeast, honey, olive oil, flour, and salt — with absolutely no meat or meat-derived products anywhere in the mix, making them a genuinely worry-free snack or side. The baking soda bath is the secret weapon here: a quick 30-second dip per side before baking gives each pretzel that signature chewy exterior and gorgeous deep mahogany color you'd expect from a proper pretzel. Brushed with egg and finished with flaky sea salt, they come out of the oven looking and smelling like something from a specialty bakery. These are the kind of recipe that makes you wonder why you ever bought the frozen kind, and they're just as good torn apart warm as they are dipped in mustard or cheese sauce. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just craving something homemade and comforting, this is a recipe worth keeping in regular rotation.
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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
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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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