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 tbsp butter room temperature
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp 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 tbsp melted butter
- 2 tsp 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 tsp 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.
Chelsea
I made these a few times came out perfect but this last time they were so bitter it was unbearable. Not sure what happened ?
Laureen King
Hi Chelsea, the only thing that would make the pretzels bitter that I can think of would be the baking soda or the yeast. Maybe the yeast was bad or by chance the baking soda was mismeasured?
Melly
I do not put my pretzels in a simmering baking soda bath. The bitterness comes from the baking soda. Just dip them in the baking soda water and remove and don’t let them sit for any amount of time after dipping. Hope this helps 🙂
Terryn
Yummy!!