Learn how to make a soft Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe like the pretzels from the mall! This pretzel recipe is a real copycat to Annie Pretzels or the pretzel maker pretzel! What’s not to love about this buttery and soft pretzel dipped in cheese sauce?

Crisp Pretzels make a great dessert crust for a Jello pretzel salad or Cherry Cheesecake Pretzel Dessert! This Pretzel recipe is made from a sweet yeast dough similar to Cinnamon rolls and makes amazingly soft pretzels like the malls! For more cinnamon-flavored desserts try out this delicious Apple Cinnamon Cake Recipe. Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe My husband can eat these hot soft pretzels any time of day as a snack or side, it’s the food that is irresistibly tasty!

What are Pretzels?

A pretzel is a sweet type of baked bread usually formed into a knot and flavored with salt. Popular soft pretzels include a German Bretzel or Annies Pretzels (Pretzel makers located in the shopping malls).

When at the mall, it’s hard to miss the pretzel aroma coming from Auntie Anne’s pretzels or the Pretzel Time Pretzels. Who can resist the freshly made lemonade, warm cheese dip, and the buttery soft and sweet pretzels speckled with coarse salt?! (There, I just said what to eat pretzels with!) Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe, are not your Bavarian (Deutsche Kuche) soft German pretzels. They stand out from the other pretzel recipes by their light golden brown color and super fluffy dough. Not only are they thin and large pretzels but you can buy them in mini pretzel bites portions or wrapped around hot dogs!

Secret Ingredient to Soft Pretzels?

One day after making batches of pretzels, I decided to experiment with the dough. I added baking powder to the one and to my surprise, the pretzel dough was incredibly fluffy, and just like the super soft pretzels from the mall! I was amazed, and even texted my friend to share the excitement of the superior results! Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe

Furthermore, adding additional bicarbonate to the pretzel dough works as a dough conditioner and it has been proven to be a great dough enhancer for this Fluffy Pizza Crust too, Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe just don’t overdo it, adding too much can affect the yeast. (Note: even the ingredients off of an Auntie Annes Pretzel box state dough conditioner as one of the ingredients.)

No-Boil vs Boiled Pretzels:

You would be surprised, that their pretzel-making process is a no-boil method and that they actually dip them in a special solution (simple alkaline wash) that gives them their golden-brown appearance during baking. The baking soda helps tremendously with the browning and if you miss this step they can come out rather spotty and unevenly brown. So, the pretzel logic behind this? Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe

This no-boil method is sufficient for nicely browned pretzels and makes super soft pretzels like Anne’s. Whereas boiling the dough creates a chewier crust and in many cases a much deeper brown pretzel when baked, which brings out the cracked appearance. If you want chewy pretzels similar to a bagel or pretzel bun then boiling pretzels is something you may want to consider. I’m all about pretzels recipe made easy and even the Auntie Annes Pretzel Recipe doesn’t call for an egg wash or boiling.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe:

This sweet bread dough is so easy to make even my 12-year-old daughter whips up a batch of these pretzels with such little effort! They are highly addictive, so, you may want to double the batch of pretzels from the start!

I get all the expert tips to hand roll soft pretzels from an Auntie Annes Pretzel expert who demonstrates how to roll, twist, and bake an Auntie Annes Pretzel right from the headquarters located in Lancaster, PA! Watch how an expert from Auntie Annes Pretzels Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels. Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe

To break down the Aunty Ann pretzel bakery process, simply use these steps as a guide to making the perfect pretzels:

How To Make Soft Pretzels:

Start the pretzel dough by activating the yeast in warm milk and combining it with the remaining ingredients.
Knead for about 2-4 minutes and form dough into a ball shape.
Grease the top and let it rise for 45 minutes until doubled.
Grease the area will you will be working on. Turnover the dough over and using a pizza cutter, make 6 strips of dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and work one piece of dough at a time. Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe
Stretch the strip of dough out, starting in the middle of the strip, and move your hands outward while pulling, stretching, and rolling the dough strip into a rope about the thickness of your finger (anywhere from 35 to 40 inches long.) Be sure not to over-roll the dough.
Now that the pretzel rolling technique is accomplished, it’s time to start twisting.
Take both ends of the dough strip and hold it in the air, it’ll be a U-shape. Keeping your left hand still, take your right hand and wrap it around the left strip, to make a pretzel shape. Pinch the ends down to the bottom of the pretzel to seal the pretzel twist.
After the pretzels are rolled and twisted, dip them into a special baking soda solution that gives their golden-brown appearance, during baking.
Dip, dry, and place pretzels on a lined cookie sheet (6 large pretzels fit into a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.)
Place the salt or other toppings on the Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe.
Now they’re ready to bake! The pretzels bake for about 7 minutes.
Dip warm baked pretzels in clarified butter or melted butter before serving. Enjoy these butter pretzels with a pretzel cheese dip.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe Tips:

Pretzel bread is best with pretzel salt or coarse kosher salt. I had coarse sea salt on hand that works great too! Be sure to add the salt topping before baking to adhere to the pretzels better.
To make dairy-free pretzels use dairy-free butter and water in the place of milk. The dairy in this pretzel recipe enriches the dough, however, a recipe for pretzels can be made with or without milk.
Make pretzel dogs by rolling the dough out thin and wrapping it around hot dogs.
To make soft Pretzel bites, make the pretzel recipe as directed only instead of shaping them into pretzel twists, cut them into short strips using a pizza cutter or bench scraper.
You can freeze soft pretzels, simply cool them, and stack them between parchment paper for easy freezing. Keep frozen inside a 2.5- gallon-sized freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Dip with Mild cheddar cheese dip (Gehl’s) for savory pretzels or sweet chocolate sauce and caramel sauce for dessert pretzels.
Make sourdough pretzels by adding a 1/2 cup of active sourdough starter in place of the yeast. Decrease the liquid to a total of 3/4 cup rather than a cup.
Seasoned pretzels can be coated with salt, cinnamon sugar, or dry ranch seasoning, for extra flavor. To make spicy pretzels flavor the cheese sauce with hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Recipe
You can attempt gluten-free pretzels by using Gluten-free baking flour (like Bob’s Mill.)
Pretzel knots or pretzel rolls are best with melted butter and coarse salt. Roll the pretzel dough very thinly, at least 30 inches long (about the thickness of your finger), to make nice big pretzels like the mall pretzels.
Use a large 20×15-inch cookie sheet to fit 6 extra-large pretzels.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel

Total Time: 46 minutes
Yield: 6 Pretzels 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Learn how to make a soft Auntie Anne's Pretzel Recipe like the pretzels from the mall! This pretzel recipe is a real copycat to Annies pretzels or the pretzel maker pretzel! What's not to love about this buttery and soft pretzel dipped into cheese sauce?

Instructions

Heat the milk and water to 105°F (I microwave it for 45 seconds.) Stir in the yeast and allow it to proof for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and melted butter. Pour in the proofed yeast mixture and knead for a few minutes until the dough comes together into a ball. (Dough should be slightly tacky.)
Lightly grease the top of the dough with 1 tsp of oil and allow it to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, dissolve the baking soda in water. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 410°F. Turn the dough over to a greased area.
Cut the dough into 6 equal strips.
Roll and stretch each piece into a 35 to 40-inch rope or to the thickness of your finger. Then holding the ends, make a U-shape and twist twice. Pinch ends to the pretzel. Dip pretzels into the baking soda solution and quickly pat against a kitchen towel to remove any excess water.
Transfer the pretzels onto a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 7-8 minutes.
Dip warm into the melted butter. Serve.