There are some conditions though. They need to be soft, they need to be buttery and have to have a little spice to them, and no pretzel salt. Yes, you read that right.

This has been a project that has been sitting in my recipe notes for a while. The goal here was to recreate a pretzel that my brother and son grew up eating at that famous chain we have all seen in the Mall (sounds dated to even say Mall). Now the movie Mallrats is playing through my head! Thanks a lot, Jay and Silent Bob. The point being that Malls still exist…technically.

Now, that we are off the Mall rant let’s talk about these pretzels. We put our own pinch into these pretzels.

We made four different kinds:

Jalapeño and parmesan

Cinnamon and Sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Butter

Fleur de sel

You are welcome to sprinkle them with whatever topping fills your heart’s desire. No judgment here! In fact, let us know what you choose to top your pretzels with!!

Hera’s Pinch

Invest into a food scale. This will make the pretzel-making easier, as you measure out the dough and yeast. It makes all baking precise. I am not the first one to say that baking is a science and using the right tools aids in this alchemy! (I feel like a ‘Muhahaha’ is needed here). Channeling some ‘creation of Frankenstein’ vibes here.

Soft Pretzel

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 50 M

Ingredients

1/2 oz (.50 oz or two packets) of dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 cup warm water (95℉ to 110℉)
5 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking Spray
1/3 cup baking soda
10 cups boiling water
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup salted butter melted

Instructions

In a measuring cup, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, dry yeast, and warm water. Stir and let it sit for ten minutes. The mixture should be nice and bubbly.
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, and the salt. Mix in the ingredients on low.
Add the oil and the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix on medium-low for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Spray a large bowl lightly with cooking spray, place the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot until it is doubled in size. About 1 hour.
Preheat the oven 425℉ and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 16 equal pieces (2.5 oz) each. Roll each piece into a 24-inch long rope. Limit the flour on the board here as it will be easier to roll out each piece. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other, and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of the pretzel. Place onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
In a heavy bottom pan, add the baking soda and water and boil. Once you are at a rolling boil add 2-3 pretzels at a time for 30-40 seconds. Using a slotted utensil return the pretzels to the sheet pan with parchment. Once you have returned them all, brush the top of the pretzels with the beaten egg and water mixture.
Sprinkle the pretzels with your toppings, it could be pretzel salt or 3 fresh jalapeños with parmesan, sugar and cinnamon, or Fleur de sel.
Bake until dark golden brown in color 10-12 minutes. As they are baking melt the butter. Transfer to a cooling rack and brush on the melted butter, let them cool for five minutes, and enjoy!