Soft Pretzels with Whole-Grain Mustard
A quick yeasted dough that only becomes a pretzel after a baking-soda bath — the one step that builds the dark, chewy crust before it ever sees the oven.
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 20 min (plus 1 hr rise)
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the warm water, sugar, and yeast together and let stand until foamy on top, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the flour, salt, and melted butter, then knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
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Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
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Punch down the dough and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into a 22-inch rope and twist into a pretzel shape, pressing the ends into the bottom of the loop to seal.
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Bring the 8 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil in a wide pot.
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Working one or two at a time, lower the pretzels into the boiling water for 20 seconds, then lift out with a slotted spatula and set on a parchment-lined sheet.
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Brush each pretzel with the beaten egg and scatter with coarse salt.
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Bake at 450°F until deep mahogany brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
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Let cool for 5 minutes before serving warm with whole-grain mustard.
Notes
The baking-soda bath is doing real chemistry, not just theater — it raises the surface pH so the crust browns fast and hard in the oven, which is the entire difference between a pretzel and a dinner roll shaped like one. Don’t skip it and don’t stretch the dip past 20 seconds, or the crust turns leathery before it browns.
They’re best the day they’re baked, but a cooled pretzel freezes well — thaw at room temperature and warm in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes to bring the crust back before serving.