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.
Nutrition
BobbyJo
This recipe is awesome!!! The first time I made it the dough came out so perfect and not sticky at all! My family loved loved loved the pretzels! The second time the dough was more sticky, no idea why as I followed instructions to a T! They still tasted awesome, just a little more work to get them to look like pretzels!! Thank you for sharing this!!
Laureen King
Thank you so much BobbyJo
Nicole
Do you let the dough rise in the bread machine? My dough setting also allows for the first rise. I am very excited to make these!
Laureen King
Yes, the compete dough cycle.
Karen Capern
My husband couldn’t get enough!
Laureen King
Thank you Karen for taking the time to rate and comment on my recipe. Happy you and your husband enjoyed the pretzels.
ted willson
Do I use instant rise yeast or regular?
Laureen King
Hey Ted, I use regular yeast.
Kirsten
Made these at bites instead of full pretzels for a party! They turn out great that way too! Just cut the ropes into bite sized pieces instead of twisting them into actual pretzels and voila! Definitely going to become a staple for birthday parties in our house!!
Jackie Richardson
Turned out magnificently !
Laureen King
That is great Jackie. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment and rate the recipe!
MonicaS
So good! Thank you! I made them into pretzels yesterday and got a request for turning them into buns today for sandwiches. My husband made a breakfast sandwich with it and it was delicious. 🙂
Laureen King
Thank-you Monica, I have made them into buns as well. So good with a great stew.
Nick
So the pretzels were good. BUT. You cannot have a lightly oiled wax paper in a 400 degree oven. The paper got stuck to the bottom of the pretzels and burned a lot. I had to cut off the bottoms to eat them. Otherwise, they were ok.
Laureen King
Nick why were you using wax paper?? The recipe called for parchment paper. Wax paper should never be used in an oven!
Stephanie
WOW! I’m currently on my second batch because we ate them so fast and my family asked for more. They are incredibly delicious and FUN to make. Mine didn’t look super pretty but it didn’t matter one bit. Thanks for the recipe!
Laureen King
So awesome Stephanie, the pretzel shapes take a bit of practice. Making pretzels bites is easy and perfect snack size.
Tara
Can this be made into a whole loaf of pretzel bread or doesn’t turn out right? Thanks
Laureen King
Yes, I have made it into 4 individual pretzel buns and served with soup.
Ashley Kitteringham
Should you proof the yeast before adding to bread machine since it is not bread machine or instant yeast?
Laureen King
I have used regular traditional yeast, no proofing, and the dough turned out just fine. If you prefer you can use bread machine yeast.
Cynthia
Would you use the same amount of instant/bread machine yeast as regular yeast?
Laureen King
Yes Cynthia it would be the same amount of yeast. Enjoy.
Emily
I was craving soft pretzels during COVID-19 quarantine when I first made these. They were so good! I now make them during football sundays. I don’t add the extra butter at the end and they are still yummy yummy! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Debra
Hi. What's the best way to transfer the pretzels to the water without losing their shape?
Laureen King
Hi Debra,
I usually transfer them to the water using a large strainer ladle.
Barbara Sheets
If I want to make the dough the day before, how do you recommend I store it? I am going to use it to wrap around hotdogs as a project in the assisted living facility where I work. Have you ever tried that? Any suggestions?
Laureen King
Hi Barbara, I have never made the dough ahead of time, so I'm sorry without testing it I'm not sure the outcome you will get.
Cherie
Just tried your recipe and it came out amazing. Instead of salt, I did a cinnamon sugar as well as a garlic parmesan topping.
Laureen King
Cinnamon sugar sounds very tasty Cherie!
Dawn
Have you ever tried using gluten free bread? I’ve tried 3 different recipes and cannot get the dough to cooperate. Any suggestions for food allergies?
Laureen King
Hi Dawn, I wish I could offer a suggestion, but I have not ever made gluten free bread in my bread machine.
rick
I don't usually write reviews, but this was well deserved.
first time making this and everyone loved them! I could use some practice on the shape but regardless.. was good enough for my girlfriend and her friends lol
Laureen King
Thank you very much Rick, your girlfriend is lucky that you bake for her.
Patt
Easy to make. Smell, taste and texture even better than store-bought. I will, however, reduce the baking soda by 1/2 & use less coarse salt. Too salty for me.
Sue
Amazing. So great right out of the oven. They lasted 10 minutes! Thank you so much❤️
Laureen King
That is awesome Sue, thank you!
Pat
Could you double the recipe?
Laureen King
You could depending on the size of your bread maker.
Jess
Seriously amazed at how well these came out and how good they ended up tasting!
Jessica
Good evening.
I have a fridgedaire bread maker with a raw dough and a leaven dough selection. I tried leaven dough but my dough just came out very runny. Any ideas on what selection I should use for this recipe if I don't have a regular dough button
Laureen King
Hi Jessica, I think the leaven dough cycle would add too much rise to the pretzel. I would use the raw dough cycle.
McKenzie McMillan
These were absolutely delicious! Wondering though....if I wanted to alter the flavoring, say for example doing a garlic rosemary pretzel, would you reccomend i add dried rosemary into the dough cycle or simply top the pretzel with rosemary and garlic at the same time as the salt before baking?
Laureen King
Thanks McKenzie, I think I would add it to the dough. a flavourful idea!
Jennifer Washington
These were fun to make! My first try and they were not 'pretty' but they sure are yummy!
Jacob Lowe
After you shape your pretzels can you put them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm them up so when you pick them up you could just drop them into the water.
Katarina
This worked great but it can be even better. Our Bavarian Bakery uses caraway seeds in their pretzel croissant type rolls which we love. We added caraway seeds to the dough about 1/3 through the doughing process, and again as an additional topping on the pretzels. YUM. I think next time we will thin out the ropes as well and increase the number of pretzels, making them with smaller dough cuts. 6 makes pretty big pretzels! I made 9 but could easily be 12 by just cutting the dough more and rolling them thinner. They puff quite a bit at the boiling stage. We also tried rolling up a few croissants, but that needs some work...came out like a big fat pretzel loaf. Thanks for this great recipe- It fed our craving!
Camille
First time pretzel maker, here. I was pretty nervous! They came out wonderfully delicious and I will make them again and again. Thank you for such a fun recipe.