Yeast dough is formed into rolls, boiled in a baking soda bath, then baked until dark golden brown to create these perfectly soft and chewy rolls.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Oh my goodness friends! These Soft Pretzel Rolls are amazing and totally worth your time and effort in the kitchen.
They have a chewy, golden outer crust and a soft center, just like a soft pretzel. But these are even better, because you eat them hot out of the oven!
They also make some fantastic sandwiches. Think ham and melty cheese! Slathered in honey mustard, of course. And yes, I would absolutely serve these for Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, think of the leftover turkey sandwiches.
Don’t be surprised if your friends and family don’t believe you made these rolls. That’s how amazing they look…..and taste.
Just be sure you have some course salt on hand to top off your pretzel rolls. Because it’s really not a pretzel without a sprinkling of course salt.
Like most yeast breads, these rolls aren’t difficult, they just take a little time and patience.
To get the chewy, pretzel-like crust, you boil the rolls before baking. Although it’s an extra step, it doesn’t take long and is essential for that true pretzel texture.
It’s the boiling step that gives you that perfectly chewy crust, while the inside of the rolls stays soft and fluffy.
Also, be sure to add your flour gradually–you’re looking for a dough that is a bit more stiff than regular roll dough, yet still soft.
These Soft Pretzel Rolls are truly some of the best rolls I’ve ever made. Everyone who has tried them agrees!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Yeast
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Milk
- Salt
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling
Soft Pretzel Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 cups warm milk about 100-110 degrees F
- 1 1/2 cups warm water about 100-110 degrees F
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 1/2 – 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the yeast, oil, milk and water. Stir in the salt.
- Stir in 4 cups of flour, adding one cup at a time. Gradually add more flour (up to 8 cups) until a soft dough is formed. You may not need to use all the flour. Knead for 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
- Divide the dough into 16-18 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the rolls on lightly greased parchment paper. Let rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Stir 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup baking soda into a large pot of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Place 3-4 dough balls in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side (the longer you boil, the chewier the baked pretzel roll will be).
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the dough from the boiling water and let the excess water drip off into the pan. Place the boiled dough balls onto baking sheets lined with lightly greased parchment paper.
- Using a very sharp knife, make 2-3 slits in the top of each unbaked roll, about 1/4-inch deep. Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with coarse salt. Bake for 13-17 minutes, or until the rolls are deep golden brown.
Nutrition
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33 comments
Sarah S.
How well the dough rises is affected by the temperature of the room. So baking bread in January is harder than in July. I have heard putting it in a warm oven helps, but I’ve totally ruined dough that way because even my lowest setting was too hot. Silly overachieving oven.
Song of songs
Sarah when letting dough rise in the oven only the oven light should be on …not the oven …the light warms the dough just enough to get a beautiful rise..i never rise my doughs any other way.
Christine
The first time I made these, they were delicious but turned out rather pale.
The next time I made them, I used 8 cups of water, 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup baking soda and they turned out nice and dark, just like the pictures on this website.
Kristin
These pretzel rolls look beautiful! I tried a pretzel roll recently, and was a little disappointed in the outcome, so I’m searching for others and found yours. I was wondering how much boiling water you need? I’m not sure if there’s a specific ratio of water to baking soda. I was also curious to know why sugar is added to the water, instead of just baking soda. I haven’t seen that before with making pretzels. Just curious!
Danelle
There’s not a specific amount of water you need. As long as it’s enough to put in 3-4 dough balls at a time. I use the same pot I use for spaghetti. But there’s not a specific ratio. And honestly, I don’t know about the sugar. I’m sure they’d turn out fine if you left it out.
Kristin
So, I made these for dinner tonight. This is a lot of dough, so I made more than 16-18 rolls. They were nice and chewy, and my family loved them. HOWEVER, mine do not look like yours. How did you get them so perfect-looking? Yours have a dark sheen (I baked mine for 18-20 minutes… and they were smaller rolls… and mine never got this dark), and yours have a smooth finish and the slashes in the top kept their shape. Mine looks rougher on the surface, and the slashes seem to split open a little. I boiled them for 30 seconds on each side. I’m really trying to seek for perfection on these. Suggestions?
Christine
The first time I made these, they were delicious but turned out rather pale.
The next time I made them, I used 8 cups of water, 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup baking soda and they turned out nice and dark, just like the pictures on this website.
Christine
I forgot to mention in my first comment above, I also used an egg wash (1 whole egg beaten with one tablespoon of 10 percent cream). This contributed to the browning as well.
Danelle
The website I adapted this recipe from has some great step-by-step pictures at the bottom of the post that might help. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/amazing-soft-pretzel-rolls/
Other than that, I honestly don’t have any secrets for making these. But of course I picked the very best looking pretzel roll of the entire batch for my picture. 🙂 And if you look closely, even mine are kind of wrinkly.