Vegan Buttery Soft Pretzels
Golden crust, soft and chewy, salty and buttery, everything a good pretzel should be. Great for making ahead and freezing for later.
Servings: 8 pretzels
Ingredients
For the pretzel dough:
- 3 tablespoons white sugar (sub maple syrup or agave if preferred)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
- 1 cup warm water (think bath water temperature)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter (plus more for greasing the bowl)
For the baking soda bath:
- 4 cups hot water
- ¼ cup baking soda
For garnish:
- 1 - 2 tablespoons rock salt
- melted vegan butter
Instructions
To make the pretzels:
- In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and yeast. Then add in the warm water and mix. Let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy. If it isn't foamy, your yeast is likely too old so you should purchase new yeast and try again.
- Add the flour and melted vegan butter to the yeast mixture and stir in until a shaggy dough forms. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough onto the surface. Knead the dough for 3 - 5 minutes until it comes together into a nice firm ball of dough. Lightly grease a large clean bowl with more melted vegan butter. Put the dough into the greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size. The oven with just the light turned on is a great place to rise dough.
To form the pretzels:
- Once the dough has doubled in size, you can punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Cut into 8 even pieces. Take one piece and roll into a long rope about 17" (43cm) long. To form a pretzel shape: twist the ends of the rope together...
- Then fold the twisted ends down onto the middle of the rope to form a pretzel shape. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough to make 8 pretzels.
To cook the pretzels:
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200c). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For the baking soda bath, heat the 4 cups of water in a medium pot until it reaches a light simmer. Stir in the baking soda, it will foam a lot. Place a pretzel on a slotted spatula then dip it into the baking soda bath for 5 seconds. Now place the dipped pretzel on the prepared baking tray and sprinkle with rock salt. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. (The baking soda bath is what gives the pretzels that dark brown colour, without it they would be white and doughy).
- Bake the pretzels for 12 - 15 minutes until the are dark and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving then enjoy plain, with melted vegan butter, with mustard, or however you enjoy your pretzels.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing:
Once completely cooled, store the pretzels in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 2–3 days (do not refrigerate, as this can dry them out). Pretzels also freeze well. Once cooled, freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Oven Reheating:
If you’d like to reheat a full batch (or a few pretzels), preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and warm the pretzels on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack for 8–10 minutes, until heated through. For extra softness and a fresh-baked finish, lightly spritz with water or brush very lightly with melted vegan butter before reheating, then brush with melted vegan butter just before serving. Reheat from Frozen:
Reheat frozen pretzels at 325°F (165°C) for 12–15 minutes, until warmed through, then brush with melted vegan butter before serving. Microwave Reheating:
A single pretzel can be microwaved for a few seconds until warm, but oven reheating gives the best texture when reheating multiple pretzels.
Once completely cooled, store the pretzels in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 2–3 days (do not refrigerate, as this can dry them out). Pretzels also freeze well. Once cooled, freeze in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Oven Reheating:
If you’d like to reheat a full batch (or a few pretzels), preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and warm the pretzels on a baking sheet or directly on the oven rack for 8–10 minutes, until heated through. For extra softness and a fresh-baked finish, lightly spritz with water or brush very lightly with melted vegan butter before reheating, then brush with melted vegan butter just before serving. Reheat from Frozen:
Reheat frozen pretzels at 325°F (165°C) for 12–15 minutes, until warmed through, then brush with melted vegan butter before serving. Microwave Reheating:
A single pretzel can be microwaved for a few seconds until warm, but oven reheating gives the best texture when reheating multiple pretzels.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 pretzel (recipe makes 8 pretzels) | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2632mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1.9mg
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