Homemade Pretzel Bread (Pretzel Rolls)

4.98 from 176 votes

Homemade Pretzel Bread (Pretzel Rolls)

The best Homemade Pretzel Bread (or Pretzel Rolls) recipe. Once you make this you will never be able to eat store-bought pretzel bread again! It's dense, soft, buttery, salty and irresistibly delicious.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Rising time1

Total Time1 40

Course: bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Laura

Cost: $4

Equipment

Ingredients

Pretzel Bread Dough

1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
4 Tablespoons salted butter (melted)
2 Tablespoons whole milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Baking Soda Bath

4 quarts water
½ cup baking soda

Topping

1-2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 Tablespoons salted butter (melted)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Dough

Combine water, and brown sugar and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let stand for 5 minutes (until foamy). (Or put it in a large bowl and mix by hand).
Once yeast is proofed, add melted butter and milk to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed with dough hook until just combined.
Add flour and salt and mix with dough hook until flour is fully incorporated.
Knead in a mixer until the dough forms a slightly tacky, but firm ball.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat Oven

Once dough is risen, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).
Lightly oil or grease a large baking sheet, or line it with a silicone baking mat (do not use parchment paper).

Prepare a Water Bath

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda a little bit at a time (Be careful not to add too much at once or the mixture will overflow).

Boil & Bake

Remove the dough from the bowl and gently press out the air bubbles.
Make two balls of dough the same size (note: The total weight of the dough comes out to be about 800 g, so each loaf should weigh about 400 g), forming them into the shape you want (Do not let it rise here).
Carefully place one of the balls into the boiling baking soda water. Boil for 45-60 seconds on each side, turning it once to guarantee both sides covered. Remove the dough from the baking soda bath with a slotted spoon, shake off the excess water from the dough and place it on an oiled baking sheet.
Immediately sprinkle coarse sea salt over the bread to your specific tastes, and use a knife to cut a small "X" on the top of the bread.
Repeat with second ball of dough. (Do not let it rise at all here. Straight from boiling into the oven).
Bake the bread for 22-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through. You know the bread is done when the outside is deep golden brown, the loaf sounds hollow when hit with a wooden spoon, or the internal temperature is 185 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once removed from the oven, immediately brush the melted butter over the loaves to guarantee a soft crust. Transfer to a wire rack to cool just enough to enjoy!

Video

Notes

**Nutrition information calculated based on this recipe serving 12 people.

To Use a Bread maker

Add all the ingredients to the pan in the order listed and set it to dough cycle, then proceed to the "Prepare the Water Bath" section of the recipe.

To Keep Warm or Reheat

You can reheat it on a low temp covered in foil if you decide to make it a bit ahead of time. I cover it with a tea towel if I’m not going to serve it right away but pretty soon after baking.

How to Make Pretzel Rolls

This recipe makes the best pretzel rolls. To make pretzel rolls, follow the recipe exactly, except make a few slight changes:

Divide dough into eight equal pieces.
Boil each dough ball for 30 seconds on each side, remove from the water, transfer to a baking sheet, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through.

That's it! then brush each of the pretzel rolls with melted butter and enjoy as rolls or hamburger buns with homemade burgers.

To Prepare in Advance

You can make the dough and store it in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

When you're ready to bake the pretzel bread, remove the dough from the fridge or freezer to let it come to room temperature and rise. Then continue on with the recipe including the baking soda bath, baking, etc.

Ingredient Substitutions

Whole Milk. 2% milk works well! I do this often with great results! Half & half or cream also work well!
All-purpose flour. Bread flour is the only other flour I have used to make this recipe and it produces an incredibly delicious final product!
Dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar works equally well in this recipe.

Store

You can store homemade pretzel bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I suggest reheating it before eating it to restore it's fresh-from-the-oven texture.

Freeze

You can also freeze baked loaves of pretzel bread. Let them cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap and foil and put them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the oven set to warm covered in foil or in a dutch oven.

Nutrition