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
Karin
Can I deep freeze these?
Abbie @ Needs Salt
These rolls look so good. Definitely going to try sometime.
Pinning!
Kelley
These look amazing! I love a good pretzel, even though they do take time to make. But they are totally worth the effort like you said. Ill have to try these soon! YUM
Cynthia
There’s far too much liquid in this recipe. I followed the recipe exact, and ended up with what looked like yeast pudding. I ended up having to add nearly 12 cups of flour instead of the 6-8 listed. When I finally got to bake them, they didn’t look anything like the picture (they didn’t brown on top at all), they smelled heavenly, however they didn’t exactly taste like a pretzel roll, there was only a hint of that flavor due to the pre-baking boil. They did taste decent, just not how they were supposed to taste. If anyone choses to follow this recipe I recommend cutting the milk in half, and maybe cut the water down to just a cup. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the dough as well. Right before throwing them into the oven, maybe brush with some melted butter then top with the coarse salt.
Christine
I had to use a lot more flour too, to get the dough anywhere near the right consistency.