From the moment I took a big bite of a soft pretzel at a baseball game when I was seven years old, I’ve been in love. That also happened to be the same baseball game where I sat in a bowl full of nacho cheese sauce and ruined my favorite white jean shorts that I rolled up at the knees. No wonder I like soft pretzels so much better than nachos.
Pretzels have since been a favorite snack of mine. A fat, fluffy pretzel coated with salt and dipped in mustard? Nothing beats it. Except maybe a fat, fluffy pretzel dipped in warm, smoked cheddar sauce. Or the cinnamon sugared version of said pretzels. The minute my teeth plunge into that spongy dough, I’m in heaven. Bring on the carb coma.
When I stumbled across TK member erinraatjes’s recipe for Pretzel Rolls, I immediately knew I had to try them. I’ve eyed a similar recipe by Alton Brown for months, and this gave me the push to finally test it out. All I could think of was bacon cheeseburgers on pretzel rolls and tuna melts of pretzel rolls and BLTs on pretzel rolls. And toasted marshmallows with chocolate sauce on pretzel rolls, but I’m a little scared to admit that out loud.
The rolls were everything I could have dreamed and more. They really are as easy as the recipe specifies and came out just as I hoped. Take a look!
You probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen. Super easy and affordable, all you need is flour, active dry yeast, water, salt, sugar, baking soda, butter and one egg. How simple is that?
First combine the water and the yeast together, and let it sit until it gets foamy. It should take about 15 minutes.
Once you see some bubbles, it’s time to add the other ingredients.
Add the flour, salt, and sugar, mixing on low speed.
Add the butter, increasing the speed a bit to bring the dough together.
Once the dough looks like this, you’re good to go!
Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with a towel, setting it in a warm place. I turn on my oven and set it on top for one hour. Since the oven is on, you might as well bake some cookies. That’s what I do.
After an hour, the dough will have risen and will look somewhat like this. Set it on a floured workspace and knead a few times. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, too.
Cut the dough into about 18 pieces that are 2 ounces each. I used my handy dandy kitchen scale to ensure all of the pieces were 2 ounces, but that really isn’t necessary. Just make sure they are uniform in size. Pull the sides up on each piece of dough and bring to the middle, pinching together to create a small ball of dough.
Flip the ball over, pinched-side down, and cup your hand over the dough, rolling it into a smooth ball between your hand and your workspace. It sounds complicated, but once you do it, it’s easy.
Set the dough balls on the baking sheet and cover them. Let rise for 30 minutes. I set mine on top of the stove again.
After 15 minutes, heat two quarts of water in a large saucepan until it comes to a boil.
Once the 30 minutes are up and your water is boiling, add ¼ cup of baking soda to the water and turn it down to simmer. It’s sort of like a science experiment. One that I finally didn’t fail.
Drop the risen rolls in the water for 30 seconds, and then flip for 30 seconds more. Remove with a slotted spoon and set back on the baking sheet.
Once all of the dough balls have taken a bath, brush each with some lightly beaten egg. You can also slice a little “x” in the top and cover them with salt.
Throw them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. They may not look pretty now, but just wait until you see what happens.
Voila! Pretzel rolls.
Do they look too pretty to eat? I thought so too, but that didn’t stop me. What I love about these is that you can make them into whatever size your little heart desires. Quarter pound burgers? Done. Tiny sliders? Done and done. Easily customizable and incredibly delicious.
Thanks so much to Erin for the fabulous recipe! Check out her beautiful blog The Misadventures of Myrtle Grace, too!
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Description
I’ve been dreaming about pretzel rolls ever since I had them at our local farmer’s market. They were so expensive, I was hesitant to buy them again. I’ve seen recipes, but this one is easy. WAY easy.
Ingredients
- 1-½ cup Warm Water (110°F)
- 1 package (1/4 Oz. Packet) Active Dry Yeast (not Quick Rise Yeast)
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- 4-½ cups Unbleached All-purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- ¼ cups Baking Soda
- 1 whole Egg, Lightly Beaten
- Pretzel Salt, To Sprinkle On Top
Preparation Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water and the yeast and let rest 5 minutes until foamy.
Add the sugar, flour, salt, and butter; mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Cut the dough into 18 pieces (2 ounces each). To shape, take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand.
Place the ball on the baking sheet pinched seam side down, with at least 1” between each roll. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled.
Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions.
In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Add the baking soda and lower heat to a simmer. Put the rolls into the poaching liquid, seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds then carefully turn the roll over in the liquid. Poach other side for 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pans, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
With a pastry brush, glaze each roll with the lightly beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely. Top each roll with a sprinkle of pretzel salt. With a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash or “X” in the top of each roll.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.
63 Comments
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Ty on 8.2.2011
I never had pretzel rolls before but heard someone rave about the ones you can buy at trader joe’s. I wanted them to gussy up the cheeseburgers I’m making tonight but didn’t feel like shelling out $10+ for 12 rolls. Which led me here. Thank God. If a bread newbie like me can make these awesome rolls seriously ANYONE can. Mine turned out absolutely perfect.
Jan on 7.4.2011
Wonderful Thanks
The Slow Roasted Italian on 6.24.2011
I saw this posted on another blog (with a track back – obviously : ))
It looks amazing, I am going to make it this week!
Amy on 6.15.2011
I just made these for a multicultural lunch in my daughter’s class. They really taste like soft pretzels. It is a little time consuming(waiting), but easy for someone who has never baked bread with yeast. I didn’t have the dough hook; but mixed a bit, then used my hands for the rest. Thanks for the recipe!
Cynthia on 5.3.2011
Will definitely be making these! They look amazing!!!
Poorboy on 4.27.2011
You’re welcome campingmom! Going to make these for the 3rd
time in one week, they are that good. But because I can’t help
myself from tweaking recipes, I am inserting a small square of
jalapeño cheddar in the center of each roll. I hoping the cheese
remains intact while baking. Maybe I’ll cross myself with a little
flour and say a little prayer.
campingmom on 4.26.2011
These look sooo good! Will be trying soon! Thanks for the tip Poorboy! I always tend to burn things so this im sure will help!
jmag71 on 4.25.2011
My son helped me make these over the weekend and they were a hit!
thanks so much for the recipe
janie
BetsyL on 4.22.2011
I made the dough in my bread machine
LOTS less work 
Just took them out of the oven and letting them cool now. Hubby wants one for breakfast as it is midnight now ~
Fun and easy to make. IF they taste as good as they look, I may just make another batch to take to the MIL’s to go with Easter dinner
Poorboy on 4.22.2011
Just made these pretzel rolls, absolutely awesome
Great taste , look great with a soft center and
a bit chewy. Baked them 15 minutes, some
With a small slit, some larger slits and some
none at all. Baked in two batches ate three before
the second batch was finished baking. Oh yea,
cover with foil the last 5-7 minutes to keep from getting
too dark
Noelle on 4.21.2011
I will so be posting about these. I made these today for company tomorrow. Egg salad sandwiches here we come!
Andrea on 4.21.2011
I threw all the ingredients into my Breadmaker on Dough cycle and it worked like a dream! Not very Pioneer Woman, I know, but whatever works in my busy day
Thanks for the recipe, everyone loves them!
shannon on 4.20.2011
totally cannot wait to try these. i haven’t ever used yeast before so i’m a little scared
but they look so good i MUST try! maybe i can make my own pizza crust after this! lol
Lynn M on 4.20.2011
Just made these this morning, and while mine aren’t quite as pretty as the pictures, they sure do taste yummy!!
A suggestion for the instructions above for those of us who aren’t adventurous cooks and don’t have a lot of experience. When I added the baking soda to the boiling water, I learned a hard lesson – never add the entire 1/4 cup at once! The water foamed and boiled over the pot and all over my stove. Next time I’ll add the baking soda to the water a little bit at a time.
Thanks for the great recipe – I can’t wait until my family gets home and tries out my homemade pretzel “balls”.
Linda B on 4.20.2011
So Yum! We had these at a winery a few weeks ago and they were fabulous and the favorite of our hosts. Guess who is getting the second batch I make?
Karen Clark on 4.19.2011
Spago at The Ritz in Bachelor Gulch serves these and they are to die for ! I will try them for Easter! Thanks!
Cheryl on 4.19.2011
Had these rolls on a cruise. They were delicious. I’ll be making them soon!
Shawntel on 4.19.2011
So good!!! I made these today after seeing the post. Thank you!
Laura L. on 4.19.2011
You’ve given me the kick in the you-know-what to finally try and make these. I’ve been wanting to try them since I had them last fall at a pub in Gettysburg, PA. These rolls are their specialty, and I had the ham, swiss (?), and grilled pineapple on a pretzel roll. Yummmmmmmmm
kathy m. on 4.19.2011
made them yesterday=yummy.
Mrs. Jen B on 4.19.2011
LOVE! I see these at Whole Foods all the time and can hardly ever pass them up…I’ve got to make them happen myself. I don’t think my husband will ever recover.
Amy @DYKTMP? on 4.19.2011
I’m going to eat 15 of these at once! I love it!
Brenda on 4.19.2011
Bought these at Trader Joes a while back and loved them. They don’t carry them any more so now I can recreate them. So cool.
B.C. on 4.19.2011
Thanks, Jessica – I make bread frequently, and have two different recipes I use, and have never had yeast not ‘work’ before unless it was old or had been improperly stored… and neither of those was true for the supply I had on hand. Since I’d never *not* had sugar as part of the initial step, that’s all I could come up with as the source of my problem. They were delish, so I’ll be making them again, and will just make sure to add the sugar during that first step.
Jennifer Jo on 4.19.2011
Dip the boiled dough into sodium hydroxide for an authentic German pretzels! It makes all the difference in the world! http://bit.ly/eDCNpV
Allie on 4.19.2011
These look amazing! Can we expect a follow-up post with a recipe for the smoked cheddar sauce? (Please?
Sweet T on 4.19.2011
I made these last night and they were delicious.! They tasted like a pretzel, but were far better than the kind you get at a football game!
Jill on 4.19.2011
My KitchenAid mixer is arriving on Thursday!! This might be the first thing I make!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on 4.19.2011
B.C – yes, yeast can be a beast! It could have been the age of your yeast (before you bought the new stuff) or the temperature of your water? Mine was pretty foamy after about 10 minutes and I didn’t add any sugar. However when I make my own pizza crust, I always add some honey. I’m no expert on yeast at all, but I’ve also heard outside temp/altitude/humidity can play a factor? Either way, if you need the sugar to make the yeast foamy, I say go for it! Doesn’t hurt the recipe.
jordana on 4.19.2011
Is there any way to make these without using a kitchenaid mixer or similar? When I saw the dough hook, I figured that’s what you were using. I don’t have one of those, although I want one real bad, but I want to try this recipe.
erinraatjes on 4.19.2011
If you have strong arms and you are willing to kneed… No mixer required. :). Guess you’ll appreciate them even more.
B.C. on 4.19.2011
I have a question. I tried to make these yesterday, and began with seven failed attempts. My yeast + water never foamed even a little bit after 3 attempts, so I opened a fresh brick of yeast and got the same results. Then I broke down and went to the store and got a strip of packets, and after two unsuccessful attempts with that yeast, it occurred to me typically when I make breads, I ‘feed’ sugar to the yeast/water combo in the beginning. So… I jumped back in and started out with the sugar+yeast+H2O. Worked like a charm.
Did I need to have done that? How foamy should it have looked after 5 – 10 minutes of just yeast + water?
jessica hermiller on 4.19.2011
Question:I don’t own a fancy mixer.can I make these by hand or are we looking at a lot more work?
Corinne on 4.19.2011
Thanks Jessica and Beth for the helpful tips! I’ll be making these this weekend!!
Kim in MD on 4.19.2011
I have never had pretzel rolls! Thanks for the gorgeous, step-by-step tutorial! I am making these this weekend!
Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 4.19.2011
What a fabulous idea. How perfect would these be for football season. Bookmarking this one!
ali grace | cookies and grace on 4.19.2011
These look wonderful!! Thanks so much!
erinraatjes on 4.18.2011
Hey! That’s my recipe! Pretty cool. These rolls are awesome! I had my doubts after the boiling but the are so yummy. Thanks for noticing me
Christina on 4.18.2011
I want a pretzel roll!!
Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} on 4.18.2011
Ahhh these look so good. Bookmarked!
Amy @ A Little Nosh on 4.18.2011
A tuna melt on these rolls sounds DIVINE!
Molly Chase on 4.18.2011
I made these today, and they’re gorgeous. I’m thinking little BLT’s on these for a welcome-to-summer party sometime in early June.
Salty Lemons on 4.18.2011
Beautiful little rolls. They don’t seem too complicated to make, and they would be perfect as an alternative to tea sandwiches for a party.
Katrina on 4.18.2011
I love pretzel rolls. I had no idea they were so easy to make. Thank you!
A tip for a warm place for dough to rise: I heat my oven to 200 degrees (F) and then turn it off. I grease a ceramic bowl, set the dough in, cover it with a towel, and set it in the oven for the specified time. Works like a charm! I like doing it this way because I use less gas (just the 10 min while it heats) and it really does work even in the dead of winter when my kitchen is 62 degrees.
Katrina on 4.18.2011
Soft pretzels make my heart beat faster. I’m SO in to them! I’m pumped to try these. Awesome.
Beth on 4.18.2011
Corrine – I freeze soft pretzels all the time. Freeze them in paper bags. (Plastic captures the moisture and the salt evaporates in to the pretzel making them wet and yucky!) Hope this helps!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on 4.18.2011
Corinne – I can’t say for sure, but I actually think that they would free well. If you think about it, you can get frozen soft pretzels boxed at the store!
LoveFeast Table on 4.18.2011
Wowee! yum! Love that cute little sandwich!!
Ashley on 4.18.2011
They definitely look too pretty to eat!!! SO adorable!
Corinne on 4.18.2011
These look amazing! This may be a dumb question – but would these freeze well? Since it’s just the two of us, we don’t eat that many breads – although if I had my choice I would eat carbs all.day.long. Just wondering if that would work at all! Wonderful recipe! thank you!