Make these Homemade Everything Bagel Soft Pretzels for your next game day snack. Pillowy dough with a chewy pretzel crust, topped with homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning, they are the perfect little savory snack for a get-together. Serve with Sriracha Honey Mustard, Beer Cheese Sauce, or your favorite dip, even cream cheese.
These homemade everything bagel soft pretzels are so good, I keep making them over and over! I’ve even made them as little pretzels bites for a happy hour get together and let me tell you, they were popular. Who doesn’t love little pillowy bites of dough with a chewy pretzel crust? I serve them with the sriracha honey mustard from this post or my beer cheese sauce.
Make any or all of those recipes and you’ll be set for your next cocktail hour or even better, for game day! The NFL’s biggest game of the year is coming up quick.
Also, when you first look at the recipe card, you might think "What are you trying to do to us?? We don't want pretzels that bad!!"
I know that the recipe card is scary long. But there are three recipes in there! The dough instructions are just wordy, it's not a hard dough to make, especially if you've made my other homemade bread like my Quick & Light Brioche Buns, or my Easy Focaccia Bread.
You've got this! Just read everything over, especially my description below, because I go into more detail and also include step by step photos of the process.
How to Make Soft Pretzels
I make this pretzel dough by hand. It's a very soft dough and I think it's pretty easy to mix. You can use a stand mixer like a Kitchen Aid mixer to make this dough if it’s easier for you. I’ll put those directions in brackets below.
To get started making the pretzel dough, add one and a half cups of warm water to a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and the yeast and stir everything with a fork. Let sit for 8-10 minutes, or until it's foamy/frothy on top. Little bubbles should start to rise to the surface after just a few minutes. (Do the same in your stand mixer bowl, if using.)
Once the yeast is ready, stir in the melted butter. (Do the same in your stand mixer bowl, if using.)
Weigh the flour and mix it with the salt and then add it to the yeast mixture. (Do the same in your stand mixer bowl, if using.)
Stir with a fork until everything comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Don't use too much extra flour. This is a soft dough. Knead gently on the counter for a few minutes, or until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. (Using a dough hook, knead the dough for a minute or two, starting at a low speed and then turning to a medium speed. Don’t over mix. Stop when the dough just comes together in a smooth and soft ball.)
Place the dough back into the mixing bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap and then cover the bowl with a dish towel.
Set in a warm place and let rise for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
In the mean time, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone mat.
Make the Everything Bagel Seasoning by mixing together the five ingredients. Set aside.
Make the Sriracha Honey Mustard by mixing together the six ingredients. Refrigerate until needed.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the counter and divide it into eight pieces.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Roll each piece into a long rope shape, about 18 inches long.
Working one at a time, form the rope into a U shape on the counter. Twist the rope twice. Fold down the ends of the rope onto the bend in the rope. Pinch together. Set aside. Repeat for all pieces of dough.
You can also do only one twist, like below, but I prefer the first method. I think they stay together better.
Bring to boil a pot of about 8 cups of water mixed with ⅓ cup of baking soda.
Boil each pretzel piece for about 30 seconds, flipping once.
Place each pretzel onto the prepared baking sheet. Whisk together the egg and the tablespoon of water. Brush each pretzel piece with the egg wash. Sprinkle each pretzel with the seasoning mix and then some salt. I used big flaky sea salt for half, and large grain pink Himalayan sea salt for the other half. Use whichever large salt you prefer.
Bake the pretzels for 20-25 minutes, or until dark golden brown and cooked through.
Serve these Everything Bagel Soft Pretzels with the Sriracha Honey Mustard Sauce or my Beer Cheese Sauce.
Note: Instead of forming the dough into pretzels, you can also cut then into pretzel bites after rolling them into rope shapes. Just cut every inch or so, and then continue with the rest of the recipe. (Boil them, egg wash them, sprinkle with the topping and salt, and then bake them.)
Go ahead and try this Beer Cheese Sauce with it. I love these two recipes.
Questions About Making Soft Pretzels
How do you make soft pretzels?
Boiling the dough for a minute or so in water and baking soda is what gives it the pretzel-like crust after they're baked.
What dip goes with these pretzels?
I like the Sriracha Honey Mustard from this post and my Beer Cheese Sauce.
What's on an "Everything" pretzel?
Sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated garlic flakes, and dehydrated onion flakes.
Soft Pretzels with Everything Bagel Seasoning and Sriracha Honey Mustard
Ingredients
For the Soft Pretzels
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 480-540 grams all-purpose flour ((about 4-4 ½ cups | See Note))
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
- 8 cups water + ⅓ cup baking soda
For the Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated garlic
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
For the Sriracha Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons Sriracha Hot Sauce (or to taste)
- pinch each of salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Soft Pretzels
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and brown sugar. Let sit 8-10 minutes until foamy/frothy on top.
- Add melted butter and stir. Add flour and salt. Mix together with a fork until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes, by hand until it comes together in a smooth ball. This should be a soft dough, not a stiff dough.
- Set the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it flat against the top of the dough, then cover the bowl with a towel. Let rise in a warm place, for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Set a large pot with 8 cups of water and ⅓ cup of baking soda over high heat, and bring to boil.
- Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with a silicone baking mat.
- Turn dough out onto a counter and divide it into eight pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope, about 18-24 inches long.
- Place the dough rope in a U shape. Twist the top of the dough twice. Fold over the twisted ends of the dough onto the U bend in the dough rope to form a pretzel shape. Pinch the ends into the bend in the dough.
- Once the water has come to a boil, carefully lower 2 – 3 pretzels into the water. Boil for about 30 seconds, flipping once. Place each boiled pretzel onto the sheet pan. Repeat with all pretzels.
- Whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush each pretzel with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle each pretzel with the Everything Bagel Seasoning mix. Sprinkle with your choice of salt. I used flaked sea salt on half, and large grain pink Himalayan on the other half. Larger grains of salt work well for pretzels.
- Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes, or until dark golden brown and cooked through.
For the Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Mix everything together and store in a container with a lid.
For the Sriracha Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Mix everything together and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store refrigerated, in a container with a lid.
Notes
- You can also form the dough into ropes and then cut them into pretzel bites instead of forming large typical pretzels.
- Use whatever seasoning you prefer, or just salt. Try cinnamon sugar.
- See the notes on this Brioche Bun Recipe to see How to Measure Flour.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!