Homemade Pretzel Buns

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Homemade Pretzel Buns - crispy top, cotton-soft interior, and nicely chewy texture with just a hint of salt to round off their signature, cracker-like flavor!

Prep Time2

Cook Time20

Course: Bread, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: Rolls

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Natasha Minocha

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups Warm water
2 tsp Dried active yeast
4.5 cups All purpose flour
1/4 cup Milk powder
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive oil

Water bath

2 ltrs Water
1/4 cup Baking soda
1 tbsp Salt

Topping

Sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dough

Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl. Set aside until frothy.
1 3/4 cups Warm water, 2 tsp Dried active yeast
Combine the flour, milk powder, olive oil, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir in the yeast mixture.
4.5 cups All-purpose flour, 1/4 cup Milk powder, 3/4 tsp Salt, 2 tbsp Olive oil
Mix with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead on medium speed for 5-6 minutes until you get a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough.
You can knead by hand also. This should take about 8 minutes.
If the dough seems too sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to add too much flour, we want the dough to be soft and a bit tacky to the touch.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let the dough rest for an hour or until it doubles in size.
Gently deflate the risen dough and divide it into 12 equal-sized balls, about 88 gms each.
Cover them and let them rest for 15 minutes, on a greased or parchment-lined tray. Please lightly grease the parchment too.

Water Bath

In the meanwhile, prepare the water bath and preheat your oven to 200 C.
Bring the water, baking soda, and salt to a rolling boil.
2 ltrs Water, 1/4 cup Baking soda, 1 tbsp Salt
Gently drop 4 balls at a time in the boiling water.
Cook for 30 seconds, flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
Remove from the water using a slotted spoon.
Repeat this with all the remaining balls.
Make a cross on top of the balls using a sharp knife or scissors. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 20 -25 minutes. Or until they are deep golden brown.
Place the pretzel rolls on a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy warm as is or with butter!

Video

Notes

The measurements for these rolls are also given in cups. My preference and strong recommendation is always to weigh the ingredients using a kitchen scale. This is the most accurate way to measure and gives the most consistent results.
Grease your parchment paper or baking tray. The soda bath releases starch, making the dough a little sticky. If you skip the grease, those gorgeous homemade pretzel buns might stick to the pan!

If it’s humid in your neck of the woods, you may need slightly less water to make the dough.

When prepping the baking soda bath, don’t fill your pot to the top! The baking soda makes the water bubble up like crazy, and an overflowing pot is no fun to clean.

Don’t panic if the pretzel dough balls look wrinkly after you take them out of the water bath. That’s exactly how they should be. Once they hit the oven, they’ll puff up beautifully.

Don't skip scoring the rolls. The scoring allows the rolls to expand as they bake, which ensures even the deepest center is cooked thoroughly.

Reheat any leftover rolls in a toaster oven or a preheated oven for 5 minutes. Microwave will make them soggy.

Nutrition