Revised Soft Pretzel Recipe
(Includes Lye Bath and Freezing Step)
5/25/2025
Dough Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup water (warm, about 100-110°F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoon Butter (softened)
1 teaspoon Table Salt
4 cups flour (or 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups white)
Preparation ingredients:
3 teaspoons Baker’s Lye (Sodium Hydroxide, food grade)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt or Pretzel Salt
In a large mixer bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar and allow the yeast to become active and bubbly (3 or 4 min). Add the butter and table salt and mix until the butter is evenly distributed. Add the flour, ½ cup at a time until the mixture is about the consistency of pancake batter. Switch to the dough hook, and then continue to add the flour, adjusting until the dough does not stick to the mixing bowl but is still a little sticky. Kneed for 6-10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Cover with a dish towel and allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
Weigh the dough, and divide evenly into 12 balls (usually between 70-90 gm/ball). Roll each dough ball into a 24″ x ½” rope, and twist into traditional shapes or braid into tiny loaves or wreaths. Place on a baking sheet covered with a silpat. Allow to rise an additional 30 min. Freeze for at least 1 hour. (You can freeze them for up to two weeks and have them ready-to-go in this state.) Freezing helps them to maintain their shape when they are blanched in the baker’s lye.
Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Prepare a bath of water and baker’s lye at a ratio of 1 cup of water per teaspoon of lye in a sauce pan. (I usually make 3 to 4 cups) Blanche the pretzels in the boiling solution for exactly 30 seconds per side flipping once (wear gloves and safety glasses), and remove them with a slotted spoon, allowing them to drip dry. Place them on cookie sheet with a silpat. Sprinkle pretzel salt on them to liking. Bake for 18-22 minutes until they are golden brown. Cool on cookie racks or eat while still warm.