Making homemade pretzels is so easy when you use your bread machine. Bread Machine Pretzels are soft and chewy just like vendor style pretzels.
These buttery, soft pretzels are great for snacks and super popular for game day food. Pretzels taste great plain but even more scrumptious dipped into cheese sauce, mustard sauce or even my Homemade Marinara Sauce.
How to make the dough.
Super easy and doesn't require any fancy ingredients.
Simply place ingredients in the order listed and set machine to dough mode.
Perfect dough every time!
Divide the dough into equal pieces, then roll into ropes 18-20 inches long.
Shaping the pretzels may take a bit of practice to master perfectly knotted pretzels. But don't fret they taste great no matter how they look. Simmering in baking soda water may sound very strange but it is a must to achieve the flavor, soft interior and golden brown crust. Be careful when pouring baking soda into simmering water as it instantly foams up, so sprinkle a bit at a time.
Be sure to generously brush pretzels with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Pretzels taste best fresh and warm right out of the oven, but you can store them for up to 2 days in an airtight container. To reheat, microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Bread Machine Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 cup water room temperature
- 1 tablespoon butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 6 cups water for cooking water
- ⅓ cup baking soda for cooking water
- 1 egg to brush on before baking
- 2-3 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 teaspoon coarse salt for topping
Instructions
- Place 1 cup water, butter, sugar, salt, flour and dry yeast in bread machine pan in order listed. Do not mix.
- Select Dough setting and press start.
- When cycle is complete, remove dough and transfer to lightly floured surface.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Divide dough into 6 equal portions.
- Roll each piece of dough into a 18-20 inch rope.
- Shape rope into U, take 2 ends and cross over 1 or 2 times. Bring end towards you, fold down leaving ends over-hang a bit. Press down a bit where dough intersects at the bottom.
- Prepare baking soda water. Using large pot bring 6 cups of water to rapid simmer. Add baking soda slowly to water, stir to dissolve. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
- Place 1 to 2 pretzels into water. Do not overcrowd pot.
- Cook for 30 seconds, flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Using large slotted ladle remove pretzels and transfer to baking sheet.
- Prepare egg wash by whisking together egg with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Brush pretzels with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt. My favorite is coarse sea salt.
- Bake 400ºF for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and brush generously with melted butter.
Debi
I made these 2 times so far,and both times they were amazing! My Pa. husband loved them! The only thing I changed was the baking soda.I used a 1/4 cup instead.
Keri Craig
I have made theses recipe 4 times and boy! Every time I get perfect pretzels. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you
Laureen King
Thank you so much Keri
Nisrine’s
If we want to make the dough ahead how can we keep it till we want to use it?
Laureen King
Good Question, but I'm afraid I don't know how they would turn out. I have always prepared right away after I made the dough.
Wendy
These were so good!! Directions were easy to understand- thank you!!
Laureen King
Thank you so much Wendy.
Tammy
If they don’t doesn’t seem to be mixing good in the machine.
What would you recommend?
Laureen King
I'm not sure what you mean Tammy. Is your bread maker not mixing the dough well? This shouldn't happen is your bread maker is working correctly.
lib
I had a slurry! followed the recipe and instructions for sequence of addition: I used shortning (high s.cost of butter) and it was a mess... almost like a crepe batter/pancake batter. Ended up adding 1 cup more unbleached white flour.
I suspect that the flour (a new brand to this household: robinhood) was milled finer and that the shortning made it 'runnier' Yikes
Hope others had better luck: will switch back to a bagel recipe for this one.
Laureen King
I have never had this issue with the dough, so I am just wondering, did you use a bread machine? When measuring the flour, did you sift the flour when measuring, you should NOT sift. How much water did you add to the dough? Wish I could help you more?
Susan M Heppermann
Used the described amount of baking soda and it was way too strong. I had to throw them out.
Laureen King
Susan, did you bring the 6 cups of water to a boil first, and then sprinkle in the baking soda? The baking soda shouldn't really flavor the pretzel, as it is not added to the dough. It is added to the boiling water to help achieve the soft inside and bake up golden brown.
D
I used this recipe and it was a big hit!!! I made them into pretzel twists instead and really like how they turned out! I am working on making another batch right now!!!
Laureen King
Thank you, I bet the pretzel twists were delicious.