Welcome to the best homemade soft and chewy pretzel buns recipe! I don’t throw words like “the best” around willy-nilly, No, Ma’am, If I use that word then you should know I mean business with my recipe! These pretzel buns are tried, true and delicious!
Jump to Recipe
These taste like authentic German pretzels in the form of a pretzel roll or bun. They are perfect to use for hamburger buns, hot dog buns, sandwich or hoagie buns or honestly to eat plain as a roll, like my kids (and me) love to do.
Soft Pretzels
Like I said, these are authentic tasting German soft pretzels. So they have the flavors of a traditional pretzel on the outsides from the baking soda bath (which I will get into more down below) and you also get the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture in the center. They have that chewiness and softness that you are looking for in a soft pretzel.
These also have that signature brown color that we look for in a pretzel, this comes from the cooking process, which I will get into below and the egg wash used on these.
What is a baking soda bath?
A baking soda bath is the alkaline solution of boiling water that you will use to get the Maillard reaction (where the proteins darken to a brown color) from these pretzels. Now what does that actually mean? That means a baking soda bath is a large pot of boiling water that has some baking soda added to it. You will place the risen pretzel rolls into this solution briefly and it will gelatinize the flour in the dough and give you that classic taste, signature chewy texture and beautiful deep golden brown color on a soft pretzel.
What about using lye?
Traditionally, lye was and still is used for this hot water bath but in my opinion, baking soda is much easier to find, use and it tastes very similar! You may see lye used in professional bakeries but for the home baker, I would suggest baking soda instead of lye.
What equipment will I need to make these?
If you have limited kitchen tools and supplies, you can make these with just a large bowl, wooden spoon, some cooking spray, a pot for boiling water and a cookie sheet. However, If you want the process to be really easy and if you have access to kitchen tools then here is what I would recommend.
- Large mixing bowl
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Plastic wrap
- Clean surface to lightly dust with flour, knead and roll out pretzel dough balls
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon or frying spatula
- Parchment paper
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheet
- Egg wash brush
- kitchen scale (optional, if you want perfectly even buns)
- wire rack (for cooling the buns after baking)
Do these pretzel rolls take a lot of time to make?
In short, yes, you can plan on these taking roughly one hour and forty five minutes start to finish, if you know what you are doing and are very efficient. However, if you are new to this recipe, I would plan on them taking 2 hours start to finish, however, most of that time is hands off time while the dough rises and bakes.
How hard are these to make?
Like any dough recipe, soft pretzels do take time. However, I wouldn’t categorize this recipe as super complicated, It has a few more steps than traditional rolls but once you get the hang of it and know what you are doing, they are pretty easy to make and well worth the effort. If you are a seasoned baker then this recipe will be a breeze to you!
Can I pre-make this dough?
The answer is yes, you can make this dough ahead of time and bake it when you need it. You have two options, 1 – refrigerate over night or 2 – freeze the dough. I will go over these below.
Refrigerating the dough overnight.
You will simply mix up the dough according to directions below and then place into a airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that this dough will still rise in the refrigerator but it will slow the rising process down. So this option is great for an overnight rising. When you take the dough out, roll into balls and continue on with the recipe instructions.
Freezing the dough:
After you mix together the dough, you will skip the first rise and separate the dough into 6 pieces and roll into desired baking shape and sizes. (If you are making a hotdog bun then do a rectangle, if making a hamburger bun then do a ball, etc.).
Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours then place into a airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you take the dough out, let the dough defrost and rise with plastic wrap covering them. When they are doubled in size, prepare baking soda bath and continue following the recipe instructions.
Shaping the perfect bun.
How do you shape the perfect bun? This can be done by forming a ball with your dough piece then pushing towards the center of the ball in the bottom of the ball with your fingers. It almost looks like you are turning the ball inside out. While doing this, you will be bunching the dough at the bottom of the ball.
This means that you will end up with a bunch up seam on the bottom of the dough ball. To get ride of this, you can use the palm of your hand or a cleaned surface to gently push the bottom of the dough ball across a few times to help smooth out the seam on the bottom of the dough ball. This takes a little practice but after a little while you will get good at it and have smooth, perfectly shaped buns both on the tops and the bottoms.
Now that we have some of the questions out of the way; Let get to it!
Here is how you make The Best Homemade Soft and Chewy Pretzel Buns Recipe: (printable recipe card in below this section at the bottom of the page)
Makes ~6 buns (depending on the size and type of bun you prefer)
For the soft pretzel bun dough:
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 3/4 to 3 cups flour – add flour until dough comes together and is just slightly sticky. (you can use bread flour if desired)
For the Baking Soda Bath (the water to boil the pretzel buns in):
- Large pot full of water – roughly 8 cups
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
For the pretzel buns:
- coarse sea salt, coarse salt or salt of choice – to sprinkle on top
- 1 tablespoon melted butter – to brush the tops with at the end of baking
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, or mixing bowl connected to a stand mixer, add the lukewarm water and dry active yeast and stir together.
- Then add the salt, sugar, melted butter and flour, add flour a cup at a time, add and mix until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms.
- Knead dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic feeling. (You can do the window pane test if you want to, that is where you stretch dough between hands and see if you can see the sunlight through it to know it is ready, definitely an optional step)
- Cover dough in the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a room temperature or warm place for roughly 30-45 minutes or until dough is doubled in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 6 segments and roll into roughly 3 inch balls or desired size of buns you are wanting to make. If making hot dogs buns then shape into rectangle logs or desired shape of buns you want.
- Smooth dough balls in your hands, pinch dough at the bottom to form a smooth ball, then to smooth out the seam at the bottom of the dough ball, you can slide it gently across the surface you roll it out on. This will make for a seamless bun.
- Place dough buns on a parchment paper lined or slightly greased baking pan. You can lightly score them on the top with a sharp knife if you want a design. Then lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again in warm place for roughly another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Prepare the baking soda water bath to boil the pretzels in, by adding baking soda to water and bringing to a boil.
- Add the pretzel buns into the water.
- Let them cook for about 30 seconds then flip them over and boil them for another 30 seconds.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or frying spatula and place back onto your parchment paper lined or greased cookie sheet.
- Prepare the egg wash by mixing together the egg and water in a small bowl.
- Brush the tops of the pretzel bites with the egg wash then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for ~20 minutes or until the pretzel bites turn golden brown. To get them beautifully pretzel brown, turn oven onto broil during the last 2-3 minutes of baking.
- Once removed from the oven, you can brush tops with melted butter and add more sea salt if desired.
- Let them cool slightly before slicing in half and using for your hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches or whatever you are using them for.
- Store leftovers in a airtight container for up to 5 days.
Here are a few other recipes you may also enjoy:
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Orange Pecan Bread
Raspberry White Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Fry Bread
Overnight Belgian Waffles
English Muffins
The Best Homemade Soft and Chewy Pretzel Buns Recipe
Ingredients
For the soft pretzel bun dough
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 3/4 to 3 cups flour – add flour until dough comes together and is just slightly sticky. you can use bread flour if desired
For the Baking Soda Bath (the water to boil the pretzel buns in)
- Large pot full of water – roughly 8 cups
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
For the pretzel buns
- coarse sea salt coarse salt or salt of choice – to sprinkle on top
- 1 tablespoon melted butter – to brush the tops with at the end of baking
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, or mixing bowl connected to a stand mixer, add the lukewarm water and dry active yeast and stir together.
- Then add the salt, sugar, melted butter and flour, add flour a cup at a time, add and mix until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms.
- Knead dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic feeling. (You can do the window pane test if you want to, that is where you stretch dough between hands and see if you can see the sunlight through it to know it is ready, definitely an optional step)
- Cover dough in the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a room temperature or warm place for roughly 30-45 minutes or until dough is doubled in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 6 segments and roll into roughly 3 inch balls or desired size of buns you are wanting to make. If making hot dogs buns then shape into rectangle logs or desired shape of buns you want.
- Smooth dough balls in your hands, pinch dough at the bottom to form a smooth ball, then to smooth out the seam at the bottom of the dough ball, you can slide it gently across the surface you roll it out on. This will make for a seamless bun.
- Place dough buns on a parchment paper lined or slightly greased baking pan. You can lightly score them on the top with a sharp knife if you want a design. Then lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again in warm place for roughly another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Prepare the baking soda water bath to boil the pretzels in, by adding baking soda to water and bringing to a boil.
- Add the pretzel buns into the water.
- Let them cook for about 30 seconds then flip them over and boil them for another 30 seconds.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or frying spatula and place back onto your parchment paper lined or greased cookie sheet.
- Prepare the egg wash by mixing together the egg and water in a small bowl.
- Brush the tops of the pretzel bites with the egg wash then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for ~20 minutes or until the pretzel bites turn golden brown. To get them beautifully pretzel brown, turn oven onto broil during the last 2-3 minutes of baking.
- Once removed from the oven, you can brush tops with melted butter and add more sea salt if desired.
- Let them cool slightly before slicing in half and using for your hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches or whatever you are using them for.
- Store leftovers in a airtight container for up to 5 days.