Soft Large Golden Pretzels (Printable version)

Tender, golden-brown soft pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt and served warm with mustard.

# Needed ingredients:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
02 - 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110°F)
03 - 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
04 - 1 tbsp granulated sugar
05 - 2 tsp kosher salt
06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

→ Baking Soda Bath

07 - 10 cups water
08 - 2/3 cup baking soda

→ Topping

09 - 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
10 - Coarse pretzel salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling

→ For Serving

11 - Yellow or spicy brown mustard

# How to make it:

01 - Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add melted butter and salt to yeast mixture, then stir in flour one cup at a time until a shaggy dough forms.
03 - Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
04 - Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour until doubled in size.
05 - Preheat oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Bring 10 cups water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot.
07 - Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal portions; roll each into 20 to 22 inch ropes and form classic pretzel shapes by folding and twisting.
08 - Carefully dip each pretzel into the boiling baking soda bath for 30 seconds, then transfer to prepared baking sheets using a slotted spatula.
09 - Brush pretzels with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse pretzel salt.
10 - Bake pretzels for 12 to 15 minutes until deep golden brown.
11 - Allow pretzels to cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm with mustard.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • That crispy-chewy contrast is genuinely addictive, and somehow these taste even better warm, fresh from the oven.
  • Making them feels like a small kitchen triumph—the twisting is oddly meditative, and the yield means you've got enough to share or snack on all day.
02 -
  • Don't skip the baking soda bath—I learned this the embarrassing way, and no amount of other tweaking will give you that true pretzel texture and color without it.
  • Coarse salt sprinkled while the egg wash is still wet stays put; add it after and it'll slide right off, leaving you with naked, sad pretzels.
03 -
  • Keep your workspace lightly floured but not dusty—too much flour on the dough makes it hard to knead, too little and it sticks maddingly to everything.
  • The baking soda bath temperature matters; if it cools down, just let it come back to a boil before the next batch, and the magic returns.
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