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Quick & Easy Soft Pretzels

By Jennifer Hill February 17, 2016

What you need:

  • 1-1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (plus some to flour work surface)
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Additional coarse salt to sprinkle on pretzels, as desired.


What you do:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Mix water and sugar together in a bowl until sugar has dissolved and then add the yeast. Allow mixture to stand for about 5 minutes - until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, butter and salt together until well mixed. Add the yeast mixture and stir with a fork until the dough starts to cling. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
  4. Cut dough into 15 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your hands into long ropes at least the thickness of a pencil. To make into traditional pretzel shape, make a large “U” shape and then connect the two ends, twist 2 to 3 times and bring down to the center of the U and press together. You can make any shapes you would like.
  5. Place on baking sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle coarse salt over them, if you'd like.
  6. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, until pretzels are golden brown. You will need a slightly longer cook time for thicker pretzels. Allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes. Enjoy!