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Soft Pretzels like Auntie Anne's®
Just like the popular mall food. Make them plain, with salt,
with sugar and cinnamon, or with parmesan and garlic.

Serves: 8-12
Prep. Time: 2:00

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups 110 degree water
4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls. baking soda
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup melted real butter
toppings (see Notes, below)

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-Combine first 4 ingredients; allow to rest for 5 minutes.
-Stir flour to mixture and knead for 5 minutes.
-Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
-Divide dough into 8-12 equal-size pieces; roll each piece into a rope; shape each rope into a pretzel.
-In a shallow dish, stir baking soda into warm water; dip pretzels into mixture (or brush mixture over pretzels); lay coated pretzel onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
-Bake in a 550 degree oven for 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
-Brush melted butter onto hot pretzels.

Notes: For salted pretzels, sprinkle with pretzel salt or Kosher salt. For cinnamon-sugar pretzels, stir 2 Tbls. honey into the melted butter before brushing on pretzels, then sprinkle with a mixture of 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. For Parmesan pretzels, sprinkle with a mixture of 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. garlic salt; serve with marinara sauce.

65 Visitor Comments About This Recipe Submit Yours Below!
  • excellent, the whole family loved this one!

  • it's a very substantial and sensational recipe!

  • Please add bread flour has high protein content makes dough stronger for handling. House flour might fail. Thanks.

  • The pretzels were just right. I made them for our preschool kids in the shape of the letter "X" which they are studying this week. There aren't many snack that start with "X"!!! Thank you for this recipe.

  • These are great while they're hot but don't try to save them for the next day.

  • this recipe is great!! don't skimp on the butter

  • I'm sorry. Although these were pretzels, I didn't feel like these were very much like Auntie Anne's.

  • Love the recipe and have made several times. Thanks.

  • I'm so glad I finally found a recipe for these pretzels. They are my favorite! I never leave the mall without buying them for my family. I'm going to try it right away. Thank you!

  • I made these pretzels today and they were a smash hit! Thank you for a great recipe. I made up one batch and made some with each topping suggested - they were wonderful! Easy too!

  • This recipe was GREAT! just like Auntie Anne's! Thank you so much for this recipe! It was a hit!

  • These pretzels were delicious! I made them and my parents and my six brothers and sisters all loved them! I've tried them with all three variations!

  • I use this recipe to make vegetarian pretzel dogs. They are outstanding - my family gobbles them up.

  • These pretzels are great. I used them as a snack for my little brothers!! They are DELICIOUS!!

  • This recipe was perfect. Added a glaze topping: 1/8 – 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream. Add powdered sugar to thicken approx 3 times the amount of cream. Best if chilled for 15 minutes. Pour over pretzel.

  • very close to auntie annes pretzels.. thank you kids loved them.

  • this recipe is the BEST!!!!!! thanks so much.

  • tastes well, but there are no similarities

  • Very good quality! Thanks bunches for the recipe! Have made them twice. (Not including tonight with my sister and her friends.) Thanks!
    I don't think so. I'm from the UK & after a wonderful visit to your lovely country my Husband & I fell in love with pretzels. I made this recipe twice now but they really don't taste like anything we had out there. YUK!!!!

  • they are great

  • I was wondering why the dough had to sit for 1 hour when i went to hanaukas preteztels it only had to sit for 5-10 minutes. just wondering what the difference was even though i don't celebrate hanauka I celebrate christmas I was wondering why so long.BUt the pretzels from your instuctions were so good.... WOW!!!.

  • These were ok. I have had better. NOT EVEN CLOSE to auntie annes! I will not be making these again as the bottoms were really hard. At 550 degrees for 8mins they were quick to cook but had NO FLAVOR. All the flavor came from the butter and cinnimon suger. People, dont waste your time with this.

  • This recipe is the best I've found yet.

  • Simply Wonderful!!!

  • I am so Happy with this recipe, it is a whole lot cheaper than the Mall one's. Thank you so much

  • i cant believe it this was so delicious and tasted exactly like aunt annies my family loved it

  • so deilious i could eat 1,000 each day for breakfast lunch and dinner!!

  • Just like Aunt Annie's pretzels at the mall - and we are experts ;-) My six year old son helped me measure ingredients and roll out the pretzels, then my husband helped us eat them all! He likes the garlic flavor and when you dip in butter then sprinkle with garlic powder and garlic salt, they are super good. Tastes a lot like Olive Garden's bread sticks. Thanks for the great recipe.

  • they were really really good

  • They were hickle-doodley awesome but add+ cheese they taste better when cold with cheese!!!

  • the kids loved them

  • be careful of oven temp. 550 may be to hot try 475 for 8 minutes. good flavor though.

  • For maximum flavor, I'd suggest an overnight rise in the fridge after shaping, then bring back to room temp before baking. Slower rise = more flavor. Great recipe!

  • These are delicious!!!! We made the cinnamon and sugar ones and they melted in your mouth!!! Thank you!!!

  • dd rinsed, chopped jalapenos (from a can or jar) to the dough for the jalapeno version. Very good!

  • ummmm! this recipe is sure to solve all of your pretzel cravings! Delish!!!!

  • Fantastic -- better the the real thing and so easy!!!

  • the kids loved your recipe and the one they like best was the cinnamon.

  • Not too bad. More flavor in the pretzel if the cook temperature is about 500. Also try clarified butter not just regular melted butter. Its not difficult to do.

  • THESE PRETZELS LOOKED SO GOOD WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF THE OVEN. AND THEN, I TOOK A BITE OUT OF IT AND I HAD TO SPIT IT OUT. THIS IS DEFF. THE WORST SOFT PRETZEL I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I DID EVERYTHING CORRECT INTHIS RECIPE AND I EVEN RE-DID IT THINKING THE FIRST TIME I MESSED UP BUT THE SECOND TIME I MADE IT, IT WAS STILLTHE SAME BAD TASTING PRETZEL OS THE FIRST. I'M ONLY TELLING YOU THIS SO THAT YOU DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND FOOD ON THE RECIPE, PLEASE GO TO ANOTHER WEBSITE AND FIND A DIFFERENT RECIPE IF YOU REALLY WANT SOME GOOD SOFT PRETZELS. THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO READ THIS!!

  • I don't think they're quite Auntie Anne's but they are still really good and easy to make for a non-baker like myself. I've made this recipe at least six times. All of my friends love them. Thanks!

  • Wow!! These are so easy and so yummy!! It is awesome... I have been impressed with every recipe I have tried so far. Thanks!!

  • Me and my kids just made theese and they were so good. Just like at the mall!

  • I made these and they came out perfect, but I had to put them in for 6 minutes instead of 8.. they are great! way better than aunt anne's.
    I tried this recipe with my son and some of my nephews and we loved them.

  • Perfect! I used my old breadmachine to make the dough. Put the first 4 ingredients in the machine and set the crossant dough mode which took 90 minutes. The rest is same as the recipe above. Tastes just right. I can make pretzel and bagle at home now. Thank you.

  • mm they were delicious with the parmesan cheese and garlic, although you might need to alter the recipe. instead of the baking soda and water ontop of the pretzels to brown them, you should use jus reg. old fashion egg *Whites*. the baking soda gives it this weird taste that isn't quite appitising.

  • I personally thoght they were gross. No way near the real things!

  • I've made this recipe for years it is the best!! Tried other recipes and nothing compares to this one. Thanks for putting it out there its a big hit with everyone I make them for.

  • These preztels are good, my kids loved them. However, they do not compare to Aunt Anne's at all.

  • very buttery i love the sensation thanks

  • My whole family LOVES this recipe. It's easy and AWESOME!

  • I thought they were the best just the best

  • OK I stasted these then Auntie Anne's. They were pretty good. Not really like Auntie Anne's because my friend works there. They put something in there different. But there were reall good.

  • These were really good.I finally found a recipe for pretzal's. They kinda taste like Auntie Anne's.

  • had a wonderful time making these with my girlfriend. she was impressed i could make something other than cold cereal.

  • delicious!:-)

  • loved it

  • made these pretzels earlier..they didn't even taste close to Auntie Annes

  • These pretzels were awesome! What are you talking about they dont tase like Aunti Annie's? Mine tased so good, this is the best recipe I have found yet! 500 degrees for 8 minutes is better, and lay off a bit on the baking soda. Use more like 3/4 of a tblsp. My whole family loved them!

  • wow...did i not just eat a pretzel from auntie anne's? this recipe is amazing!

  • i still love auntie anne's pretzels best, nothing will bet them, sorry.

  • I have made these many times and they always turn out wonderful. I agree the temperture is too high but just lower it. Everyone who tastes them loves them especially when they are hot. Thank you for sharing this one.

  • i was looking for a pretzel recipe for my school age classroon to make. it was so simple to make they loved the results and ask me often when we are going to make pretzels agian. they are always coming up with ideas for new toppings. thank you for such a great recipe
    they are very good and delishis.

  • These were not very good pretzels and they did not taste like auntie annes. I was very disappointed.

  • Incredible!!! You must try them.

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