Name: Fluffy Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels Recipe
Prep time: 85 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 97 min
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup warm water, around 110 degrees Fahrenheit; 1/2 cup warm milk; 1 tsp. granulated sugar; 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast; 4 tbsp. melted butter; 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour; 2 cups White flour; 1 1/2 tsp. salt; 8 cups water; 1/2 cup baking soda; 1 large egg; 1 tbsp. water; Kosher or Pretzel salt, optional (Feel free to top the pretzels how you wish!); Sesame or Poppy Seeds, optional

Whenever I think of soft pretzels, I usually associate them with my childhood (and airports/malls…those pretzel stands are everywhere!). My dad always heated up these frozen soft pretzels for breakfast (which, in hindsight, was probably not the best soft pretzels in the world…) and ate them with a Serbian-style yogurt. A side note: in Serbia, most bread products are eaten with this thick-style of yogurt, similar to Bulgarian yogurt that you might find in the supermarket. So pretzels are now ingrained in my memory as something I would share with my dad, which I guess is fitting (soft and fluffy pretzels breed soft and fluffy life moments, I guess).

This soft pretzel recipe is (hopefully) an improvement on those frozen ones my dad and I would have for breakfast when I was younger. They’re tender, fluffy, and have that trademark pretzel-like crust, made using baking soda (more on that in the recipe!). Now, traditionally, pretzels are actually dipped in a lye solution, but that can 1. be hard to obtain for a home kitchen and 2. be relatively dangerous for a home cook. Baking soda works remarkably well, however (although I’m sure purists might have some qualms…), and it’s safe!

I added whole wheat flour to this recipe for both flavor and health–I find that whole wheat flour gives the pretzel a more rustic taste, like those you might find in Germany or Austria. The recipe itself is more an amalgamation of American-style pretzels and German Bretzels, but I think the whole wheat flour adds a bit of the European-style taste.

One thing I absolutely LOVE about the recipe (aside from the taste!) is how easy the pretzels keep. You can freeze them wonderfully for several months, either when their fully baked or par-baked, and reheat them in the oven fresh whenever you want one. So feel free to double or even triple this recipe if you want to have a lot extra lying around for those pretzel-fueled moments of hunger (this is definitely a thing, don’t fight me on this!).

Here’s the tasty, fluffy pretzel recipe:

Fluffy Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels Recipe

There's nothing like a soft, fluffy pretzel to have for breakfast (or in the afternoon with a beer!)…it's one of life's simple, but delicious, pleasures! This soft pretzel recipe is made with Whole Wheat flour for added flavor, and some added health points (although I'm pretty sure the butter mitigates that a bit…I'm going to blissfully choose to ignore that, though!). It's still tender and absolutely delectable–in fact, most people I've served this too prefer it over the normal white-flour pretzel (and no, I didn't hold them hostage during this process…). Plus, this recipe is easy to make and the pretzels freeze amazingly well; feel free to double (or even triple!) this recipe if you want to have some pretzels in the reserve!

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Prep Time 1 25

Cook Time 12

Total Time 1 37

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, European, German

Servings 8 pretzels

Ingredients

For Pretzel Dough:

1 1/4 cup warm water, around 110 degrees Fahrenheit The water temperature you'll want to use will be according to your yeast instructions–the one I provided is the most typical for active dry yeast, but consult your yeast package first!
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tsp. granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast Feel free to substitute fresh yeast here as well–make sure to convert it correctly, though! This amount here is equal to 1 packet of active dry yeast.
4 tbsp. melted butter
2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups White flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

For Boiling:

8 cups water
1/2 cup baking soda

For egg wash and topping:

1 large egg
1 tbsp. water
Kosher or Pretzel salt, optional Feel free to top the pretzels how you wish!
Sesame or Poppy Seeds, optional

Instructions

To Make Pretzel Dough:

In a large bowl, mix together the warm water, warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until combined and slightly frothy (this is for the yeast to activate–consult instructions on your yeast packet if you need more guidance for your particular brand or type of yeast!).
Stir in the melted butter.
Add the flour and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix together until just combined. Then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, around 4-5 minutes. This step could also be made on a dough hook in a stand mixer, if you wish (I think I just love the feeling of dough in my hands…more homemade-feeling that way!).
NOTE: If the dough feels too wet, add a touch more flour. If it's too dry, add a bit more water. Just make sure to add a little at a time and gradually–you don't want to overwhelm the dough in either direction!
Form the dough into a round shape and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel (making sure the dough isn't being touched–it will need to rise) and set in a warm place for 50-60 minutes, until approximately doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take out the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces (if you want smaller pretzels, feel free to divide into more pieces…the size is arbitrary). Roll out each piece into a long rope, around 20-24 inches long.
Shape each piece into a pretzel by bringing the rope into a U-shape, then twisting the ends down to each side. Make sure each end is securely attached to the pretzel, so it doesn't come apart (I find tucking the ends under the pretzel can help).
Place the pretzels on baking sheets and set aside.
In a pot or saucepan, boil the 8 cups water with the baking soda. Carefully, place each pretzel, one by one, into the boiling water for 25-30 seconds, then remove them and put them back on the baking sheet. The purpose of this step is to form that pretzel-like crust that would usually be achieved with lye.
TIP: I find that using a slotted, wide spatula is best for this (or even two spatulas). If the pretzel comes apart a bit, just push it back together once it's on the baking sheet again.
Brush each pretzel thoroughly with egg wash, then sprinkle on the toppings of your choice.
Bake the pretzels for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 4-5 minutes before eating (unless you want a pretzel burn…they're tempting hot, though!).

Notes

You can change the ratio of whole wheat flour to white flour in this recipe if you would like (although I wouldn’t do more than 80-85 percent whole wheat, as it might get too tough); you can also make this with only white flour (but I really recommend trying the whole wheat!).

These pretzels freeze beautifully. I advise you to bake the pretzels until they’re about 2-3 mintues from being done (so not raw, but not quite as golden brown as you want) and then take them out. Let them cool, wrap them, then freeze them. When you want to eat them, just preheat an oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and cook them for 8-10 minutes. If you want to have salted pretzels this way, I recommend first baking them without salt, freezing them, then brushing them with some water and sprinkling with the salt when you want to heat them up again.

Feel free to be creative with toppings. Cheese, black pepper, herbs, and other spices and flavorings would be delicious additions to the traditional pretzel taste 🙂

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzel Recipe.

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Happy baking, everyone!

Recipe: Fluffy Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels