Giant Soft Pretzels

Reviews

• "I had tried several different recipes on the site hoping to find one that produced a soft pretzel most like those peddled by the street vendors in my hometown of Philadelphia. I had just about given up when I decided to try this recipe and I am SOOOO happy that I did. I made 2 batches in as many days because my husband, my daughter (and yes, me) couldn't get enough of them. The first batch I made tasted great, but were terribly flat. The 2nd batch was a complete success. With the second batch, I rolled the dough into 8 or 10 inch ropes and twisted the ends several times before folding them over in order to create bigger knots, the best part of a pretzel. I also made braided ropes and those too where yummylicoius! Most pretzels were left plain (no salt) and some were sprayed with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, then sprinkled with a cinnamon and Splenda mix. Both were DELICIOUS but I favor the plain, although the cinnamon ones were the perfect compliments to my morning cup of coffee. I'd like to offer a few suggestions which make the process of making these pretzels a bit easier -- I found that leaving the pretzels in the soda bath considerably longer than what the recipe states will result in a puffier pretzel. YAY! Also, pulling them from the soda was a bit of a challenge. I tried just about every spatula and slotted utensil I could find in my kitchen, but nothing cared about keeping the pretzels intact. Eventually, success came when I decided to try a vegetable steamer basket - a T-Fal pot insert much like a deep fryer basket. It was as though the insert was specifically made for making pretzels. When it came time to lift the pretzels from the bath, they were completely contained in the basket so there was no battling bubbles in the water in hopes of catching a pretzel without totally destroying it. EASY PEEZY! Needless to say, if you are looking for the perfect soft pretzel recipe, this is it!"

  By Steel City Brat on July 10, 2010 | 1131427

• "I only gave this 4 stars because although I followed the recipe exactly, my pretzel bites came out tasting like mini-dinner rolls. Well the first batch anyways. The second batch was left to boil longer in REALLY boiling water and they tasted like pretzels. I enjoyed this recipe and will follow my own advice to myself next time: make sure the water is really boiling and let them boil a little longer than 10-15 seconds."

  By Momma21 on August 18, 2011 | 1243528

• "These are totally FTW! *for the win* My 4 boys, dh, and I ate these up like we'd never had food in our lives! I made the dough, then rolled each ball out flat with a rolling pin, wrapped it around Oscar Meyer Cheese Dogs, boiled them, drained them, and baked them just like the recipe says for pretzels. My boys took the left-overs to school and ate them cold the next day in their lunch. The teachers were totally impressed by the homemade wiener wraps. LOLz Thanks for sharing the best pretzel recipe EVER!!"

  By Piper Lee on September 21, 2010 | 1148308

• "These are great. They seem harder to make than they are. Once you do it twice you will have it down. There are other recipes that require rising time. I love that this one does not. Make sure to boil them in the baking soda water for as long as it as if not longer. It is also important to eat them hot out of the oven!"

  By nmr1008 on July 15, 2012 | 1316768

• "Lovely!!! I really enjoyed them exactly as written...."

  By KWB on June 28, 2010 | 1123499

• "I made a batch of these today and 2 hours later had to make another 2 batches because everybody had eaten them all up. I brushed them lightly with butter and sprinkled them with kosher salt once they came out of the oven. Scrumptious treat!"

  By Divine L on April 25, 2010 | 1090845

• "Nice fluffy dough, lightly browned, subtle sweetness. I added 3/4 tsp. salt to the dough, but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I sprinkled mine with sesame seeds. Even my husband, the king of picky, liked them, so I know they had to be really good! Great recipe. Thanks!"

  By LilWubs on January 20, 2010 | 1036621

• "These were absolutely perfect, super easy! Chewy on the inside and a nice golden crust on the outside. I've never made pretzels before, but I definitely will now"

  By Lydiannete on January 14, 2010 | 1030597

• "Perfect!! Made two batches in one week-- one for snacks, and the other turned into incredible pretzel dogs!"

  By Mrs.Lykins on December 18, 2009 | 1010519

• "Yummy and pretty easy... my 13 year old did most of the work and we all enjoyed them!"

  By Cara in Lubbock on November 07, 2009 | 984857

• "Amazing!! I have used this recipe 4 times in the past two weeks and we love them, a little time consuming, takes me forever to roll out the dough but well worth it. I brush the top with egg and sprinkle with sea salt before baking. These never last the night."

  By secretcook on September 11, 2009 | 944187

• "made these today, very yummy!!, the first batch i added chopped jalapenos to the dough and when done baking, brushed with butter and sprinkled parmesean on top. the next batch i made into pretzel bites...much easier then trying to twist into shapes..these i brushed with butter then cinnamon and sugar..both very good... i ate too many pretzels today!!"

  By Chef #868551 on May 12, 2012 | 1305637

• "AMAZING! Perfect chewy texture!"

  By MmmrsBe on March 24, 2012 | 1296004
• By Three Kids Make Me Crazy on March 17, 2012 | 1294596
• By rtbirdie on February 23, 2012 | 1289289

• "Iv trie alot of different soft pretzel recipes an this one is by far the best!!! These taste like an actual mall pretzel delicious!"

  By anniek36 on October 17, 2011 | 1258717

• "Absolutely amazing!!! they came out perfect, did different shapes and some sticks and brushed them with butter then did half salt and half cinnamon and sugar, DELICIOUS, THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE"

  By supermommy83 on July 17, 2011 | 1235584

• "Outstanding! As soon as these were out of the oven, I brushed them with melted butter before adding salt. So incredibly good!!!"

  By stonecoldcrazy on July 12, 2011 | 1234263

• "I just made these and we all loved them. My husband did ask that I make them a little thinner. So I am going to make 12 pretzels next time instead of the 8. They taste great and have the perfect texture. They put the store bought variety to shame. We will be making them again!"

  By ~Val~ on May 29, 2011 | 1221383

• "These are so good. I madea batch to give away and liked them so much that I had to make another batch just to keep at home. I made 16 pretzels out of one batch and they are great for toddler snacks. I think that some time I will make some cinnamon raisen pretzels to have for breakfast or a sweet snack"

  By Country Diva on February 27, 2011 | 1195684