Want to learn how to make pretzel buns? This chewy, flavorful pretzel bun recipe will wow your friends and family. Serve them alongside your next dinner, dip them into soups and stews, or use them as a base for your favorite sandwich!
Do you love soft pretzels as much as I do? I find the combination of flavors and textures to be addictive. They’re golden brown, chewy, and topped with coarse salt for a crunch that perfectly balances the softness. Best of all, they’re surprisingly easy to prepare at home.
And while I love an old-fashioned soft pretzel, I prefer making pretzel buns from scratch. They’re so functional! While soft pretzels are great on their own, dipped in some mustard or a cinnamon-sugar blend, these buns are a fantastic accompaniment alongside regular meals.
You can serve them with soups and stews, or slice them in half to use with sandwiches and burgers (I use these for sandwiches almost as much as my whole wheat english muffins).
The best part about making pretzel rolls from scratch? You control the size and shape, meaning they can be smaller or larger, or even shaped for hot dogs.
This pretzel bun recipe is easy to make at home. If you’re new to baking homemade soft pretzels, there’s one step that might seem a bit unfamiliar: the baking soda bath. This gives pretzels their unique flavor, texture and color.
Why do pretzels need a baking soda bath?
Baking soda causes something called the maillard reaction, which gives food a brown crust and distinct flavor. This is the same reaction that happens when you sear meat. Professional bakeries use lye, but baking soda is perfect for home cooks.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t plan on topping the pretzel buns with salt, double the amount of salt in the recipe (or at least increase it by half at a minimum). Because soft pretzels are usually topped with a healthy coating of crunchy, coarse salt, the dough by itself can taste slightly under-salted.
Learn how to make bread flour from all-purpose flour!
You can eyeball the dough while dividing it, but I recommend using a kitchen scale to divide it evenly. Start by weighing the dough, then divide that amount by 8 (or divide by the total amount of rolls you want if you’d prefer smaller or larger rolls). This will ensure uniform size and even baking.
The baking soda bath will make the buns a bit sticky, so it’s important to thoroughly grease the parchment paper (even though parchment is technically nonstick). I recommend using baking spray with flour.
If you want to get creative with the flavor, try topping the buns with everything bagel seasoning instead of coarse salt! It’s tasty.
Serving Suggestions
I am loving sliders lately since they’re a lighter option for summer. These would be great for my cheeseburger sliders with quick picked onions or my chipotle bourbon barbecue pulled pork sliders! For dipping, try them with my Cincinnati chili, pappa al pomodoro, or creamy tomato bisque.
Baking With Yeast
This recipe uses active dry yeast. Yeast is an ingredient many novice bakers fear, and I’d like to change that! So what is yeast, and how does it work? Can you substitute one variety for another? Check out my article What is Yeast to learn more!
Looking For More Bread Recipes?
You’ll love my buttermilk biscuits, english muffins, and summer ale beer bread!
Pretzel Bun Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 14 ounces bread flour (approximately 2 3/4 cups)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 quarts water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the mixture to proof for 6 minutes.
- While the yeast is proofing, whisk/sift together the flour and sea salt.
- Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together and then turn the speed up to medium-low and mix for 3 minutes. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Form the dough into a tight ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to double in size, approximately one hour. Remove the towel and gently punch down the dough.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet (I use baking spray with flour for this step, but vegetable oil will work). Using a kitchen scale, divide the dough into 8 even balls (each will be around or just slightly less than 3 ounces). Roll each ball tightly and pinch the bottoms. Place the balls pinched side down on the baking sheet, cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil with the baking soda. In batches, cook the rolls for 30 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a clean, greased baking sheet (do not use parchment paper or the rolls will stick).
- Whisk together the egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on top of each roll and sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.
- Using a sharp knife, slice an X in the top of each roll.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top. Enjoy warm with unsalted butter, dip into soups and stews, or use as a sandwich bun!
- Store pretzel buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
I wish I could post a pictures. These turned out AMAZING! They were so soft in the middle like a soft pretzel and the outside crust was exactly as you show. Thank you! This is a keeper!
I had a burger the other day when I was out to eat and it had a pretzel bun, it was so good. Found your recipe and made my own :) So delicious!!! Thank you! Can’t wait to try your English Muffins.
Has anyone tried making these with some sourdough starter to add a bit more punch? If yes, did you substitute for the active dry yeast or add to it? Also, how much starter was used?
Thanks for any advice!
Yes, had added sourdough discard when I made these yesterday. About 1 cup 100% hydration… so I used 11-12 oz. flour and 4-5 oz. warm water, with less instant yeast. Were amazing buns.
i really appreciated your brief explanations of what the baking soda did and how to deal with the resultant stickiness. Your comments were brief, cogent, explanations that explained the process and how to deal with the result. Very Impressed and I will be subscribing.
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! They are so yummy! I make them all the time, and the recipe is easy-to-follow. Thanks again.
Do I need to do the egg wash if I’m not putting salt or anything on top? (eggs are getting to as scarce as hen’s teeth around here lately)
Usually when I make bread or buns and I want a nice shiny top, I brush the bread with milk or half & half about 5 minutes before it’s done baking would that interfere with the bronzed baking soda crust?
I found the dough a bit dry using 1 cup of water. I increased water to 10 oz (by weight which is about 9 1/2 oz liquid measure) and the dough came together nicely. Great flavor on these
a couple tips:
You mentioned Lye vs Baking Soda. There is a 3rd (better?) option. Baked baking soda.
spread a layer of baking soda on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake it at 250 to 300 degrees for an hour. Carbon dioxide bakes off and the result is more alkali (google it) You get darker pretzels.
As an alternative to spraying parchment paper, try Reynolds non-stick (i’m in no way associated with them) It is not stick like parchment but non-porous so it doesn’t soak up excess moisture left on the pretzels, I take the pretzels out of the bath and places them on a paper towel for a second to dry any excess and then onto the foil…they didn’t stick.
Hello, made these yesterday for National Burger Day. Hands down, the new family favourite! My son had a second burger… and my daughter wanted a bun ‘for dessert.’ Thank you for this excellent recipe.
How would it turn out with just all purpose flour?
I made these with my toddler. They were amazing! Thank you