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February is National Snack Food Month, and I proudly claim the title Queen of Snacks. To celebrate, there’s no better treat than soft pretzels—specifically, Everything Soft Pretzels.
Soft pretzels are one of my all-time favorites. If anyone offered me a warm pretzel at any time, I would happily accept. Plain pretzels are always welcome, but for Snack Food Month I went a bit extra and topped them like an everything bagel: garlic, onion, poppy seeds, sesame, and coarse salt.
The combination is irresistible. Picture this: you open the oven to the aroma of fresh bread mingled with toasted garlic and onion. A tray of glossy, deep-brown pretzels emerges, covered in crunchy bits of seasoning. You wait a few minutes, smear on cold cream cheese, and bite into the warm pretzel as the cream cheese begins to soften. The contrast of textures and flavors—chewy bread, crunchy topping, cool cream cheese—is what makes these truly special.
Do you prefer savory or sweet snacks? For me, these are best with cold cream cheese, though a beer cheese dip would be a tasty alternative. Now go make these Everything Pretzels and enjoy them warm.
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Everything Pretzels
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for dough:
- 4 cups bread flour (about 1 lb 1 oz by weight)
- 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder or sugar (preferably)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup hot tap water
- 2 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
Ingredients for pretzel boil:
- 2 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
Ingredients for toppings:
- 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons dried garlic flakes
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon pretzel salt or coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 egg, whisked until evenly colored
Instructions
To make the dough by hand:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, malt powder or sugar, and yeast. Stir in the milk and hot tap water with a sturdy spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a generously floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour only as needed. The dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and smooth—not stiff. Place in a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled and puffy, about 1 hour.
To make the dough by stand mixer:
- In the mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, salt, malt powder or sugar, and yeast. Mix on low to combine. With the mixer on low, pour in the milk and water and mix until a smooth, slightly tacky dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
To make the dough by bread machine:
- Add milk, water, flour, malt powder or sugar, and yeast to the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle and allow it to complete.
To form the pretzels:
- Line three 11×13-inch baking sheets with silicone or Teflon liners and place them near your workspace. Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface.
For traditional pretzel shapes:
- Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a rope about the thickness of a pencil. Shape each rope into a U, twist the ends twice, then fold the twisted ends down onto the base of the U and press gently to adhere. Place on prepared sheets, leaving plenty of room for expansion. Cover with towels and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes.
To form easier pretzel rods:
- Cut the dough into 22 equal pieces and roll each into a pencil-thick rope. Arrange on the lined sheets, cover, and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes.
To cook the pretzels:
- Mix the dried onion, dried garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a non-reactive pan. Add the baking soda. Gently lower pretzels or rods into the boiling water—do not crowd the pan. Simmer about 45 seconds, flip, and simmer another 45–60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the lined baking sheets.
- Brush each piece with the beaten egg and immediately sprinkle with the topping mixture. Bake until golden brown, at least 18 minutes; for a deeper brown, bake 22–24 minutes depending on your oven.
- Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Best enjoyed warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days and reheat briefly before serving if desired.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if needed.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe was originally posted on February 2, 2012.