quick pretzle rolls


Quick Soft Pretzel Rolls

No mixer needed - just a spatula and a few simple ingredients to make these fun pretzel rolls!

Makes 8 large pretzel rolls.
CourseBread
CuisineSnack
Keywordhomemade pretzels, homemade soft pretzels, pretzel rolls, soft pretzel recipe
Prep Time20minutes 
Cook Time12minutes 
Total Time35minutes 
Servings8

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough

  • 1 ½ cups warm water
  • 4 ½ teaspoons yeast
  • ¼ cup butter 
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 ½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • coarse kosher or pretzel salt for topping

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons salted butter

Water Bath

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda (not teaspoons!)

For Brushing & Dipping (Optional)

Instructions

To Make Dough

  • In a medium-sized bowl or measuring cup, stir together warm water (1 ½ cups), active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons, i.e. (2) 0.25-ounce packets), light brown sugar (2 tablespoons), and melted salted butter (¼ cup, i.e. 4 tablespoons). You can get the warm water directly from the faucet - no need to heat it up more. Let sit for 5 minutes or until there's a layer of foam/bubbles on the top.
    *See notes below if your mixture doesn't foam or bubble.
  • While the yeast is proofing, mix together the all-purpose flour (4 ½ cups) and salt (½ teaspoon) in a large bowl. Use your hand to create a crater in the middle of the bowl. This is where you'll pour the water mixture.
    After the 5 minutes have passed, stir the foamy yeast mixture and pour it into the crater you created in the flour bowl.
  • Use a spatula to mix the dough until it's combined. Once all the flour is incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough into a solid ball. This should only take 1-2 minutes tops (any longer and you'll overwork the dough).
  • Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean dish towel) and let sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to rest & rise a tiny bit (it won't rise much, which is fine).
  • Place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ – 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14×18” rectangle that is ¼” thick.
  • Once rolled, spread on softened butter (2 tablespoons), making sure to spread to the outside edges.
  • Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips (cut them the long way), then roll each one into a spiral roll.

Water Bath

  • In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons (not teaspoons) of baking soda.
  • Dip each roll in the baking soda mixture for 1-2 seconds on each side, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt.
  • Bake at 425℉ 12-14 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown. It's important not to underbake or the centers will be doughy.
  • After removing from the oven, use a pastry brush or spoon to brush warm pretzels with melted salted butter (2 tablespoons). This is what truly gives it that mall pretzel taste - don't skip the salted butter!
    Where I normally use unsalted butter in baking, these need salted butter for dipping. Unsalted just doesn't taste as good here!
  • Enjoy warm with drizzled cheese sauce or honey mustard!

Notes

Yeast isnt foaming or bubbling? If your mixture doesn't foam or bubble after 10-20 minutes, your yeast is likely dead and you need to start over with fresh yeast.
Storing/Freezing: These are best fresh, but can also be stored in an airtight container or bag for 1-2 days. I will say that after 1-2 days, they lose their fresh taste & soft texture, but they're still edible.
If you do not plan to eat them right away, let them cool then freeze them in an airtight bag (for 1-2 months). To get them to taste the freshest again, pop them into the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until they're heated through.
Nutrition is just an estimate and auto-calculated from a directory. Based on 12 pretzels and does not include dipping sauces. 

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 1065mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 3mg

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