Philadelphia Soft Pretzels

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5 from 14 votes

Fresh from the oven, homemade Philadelphia pretzels are easy to make and delicious to eat. Get em while their hot!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Shaping, Rising, Resting2

Total Time2 25

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: pretzels

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Marie

Equipment

baking sheet (about 13 by 18 inches)

Ingredients

For the lye bath

4 cups boiling water
4 teaspoons lye (See NOTES: may substitute baking soda)

For the dough

950 grams bread flour
485 grams water can use up to 95 grams or 0.5 cups more if too difficult to knead/work with.
28.5 grams salt
9.5 grams instant dry yeast

For the topping

2 tbsp pretzel salt may substitute any coarse salt; amount will vary depending on how heavy or light you sprinkle it on.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Make the Dough

This is an advanced recipe, best suited for folks who are comfortable baking bread.
Add all ingredients into the bowl of standing mixer and beat slowly until all ingredients are incorporated and no flour remains.
Turn up speed to medium and knead for about 10 minutes. If the dough is too dense to use the machine, knead on the counter for about the same amount of time. ********If you need to add a bit more water, you can adjust using a few tablespoons of water (up to 0.5 cup for each batch).********
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (a kitchen scale helps a lot) and cover with a damp cloth.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees to prepare for baking.

To Form the Pretzels

Keep the dough covered and work with one piece at a time.
Rolling the dough into a long rope about 10 to 20 inches in length. Use slightly damp hands if the dough is dry.
Twist the ends twice and then lift the ends to join the center of the bottom loop and pinch shut (see video if needed)
Gently tug at ears of the pretzel to elongate the pretzel and then place them directly next to each other on a baking sheet.
Cover the pretzels lightly with oiled plastic wrap and let rise slightly for about 30 minutes.
To firm up pretzels in preparation for dipping, place tray of pretzels in freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerator for 1 hour, uncovered.

To Dip the Pretzels in the Lye Bath

Set a metal rack over a baking sheet or parchment paper for pretzels to rest after they have been dipped in the lye solution.
Also prepare a baking sheet for the pretzels to go into the oven. If your baking sheet is not well seasoned, spray with cooking spray or rub lightly with oil.
To prepare the lye solution, pour 4 cups of boiling water in a heat proof glass or stainless steel baking dish (glass and stainless steel are nonreactive, which is important for working with lye). Let cool slightly for about 3 or 4 minutes.
Carefully add the 4 teaspoons lye to the water using protective eye wear (ie, glasses) and gloved hands in case of splashing, and step back to avoid breathing in any fumes.
After lye has dissolved, take pretzels out of freezer (or fridge) and dip them - either one or two at a time in the lye solution for about 10 to 12 seconds, making sure they are fully immersed in the solution. Use metal tongs, protective eye wear, and gloves.
Place the dipped pretzels on a metal rack set over a baking sheet to allow the excess lye to drip.
Transfer to prepared baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with pretzel salt while the pretzels are still wet.

To Bake the Pretzels

Once oven has reached 425 degrees, you are ready to bake.
Load the pretzels into the center of the oven and close the door.
The pretzels should be ready is about 15 minutes or so. Check them at 10 minutes. They are ready when they are a deep golden brown.

Notes

Food grade lye can be found via mail order (I use Amazon)

Pretzel salt can be found via mail order (I also used Amazon) - you may use any coarse salt in a pinch.

To use a baking soda bath instead of a lye bath, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 6 cups of boiling water and immerse pretzels one at a time for 1 minute. Let water cool slightly before dipping pretzels.

Baker's Percents: Flour 100%; Water 51%; Salt 3%; Yeast 1%

Each pretzel should weight approximately 128 grams.

4% lye solution; for each 1 cup of water use 1 teaspoon of lye (or by weight, more accurately, 0.3 oz lye to 8.3 oz water.

Nutrition