Homemade Soft Pretzels with Maple Mustard Sauce

There’s nothing like enjoying a warm soft pretzel on game day….unless they’re homemade of course! These Homemade Soft Pretzels are soft and fluffy with the mild flavor of beer baked right in! They’re served with a sweet, tangy maple mustard sauce for one of the best game day snacks!

I’m a sports fanatic but I’m not gonna lie….eating great food always makes the game better. Especially if it’s not going my way. 🙂

Tailgating snacks like stuffed jalapeños and air fryer chicken wings always make me happy, but these Homemade Soft Pretzels give me a big dose of nostalgia.

I have fond memories of eating warm soft pretzels at football and baseball games when I was younger. They’ve always been a huge weakness of mine!

Naturally they’re even better when they’re homemade. I took things up a notch by adding beer to the pretzel dough because there’s nothing like a soft pretzel with beer is there? 🙂

Truth be told, I love using beer in my recipes because it imparts a nice depth of flavor. I used a mild ale in my beer bread that makes it nice and tangy, and Guinness lends a deep, sweet flavor to my Irish beef stew and corned beef and cabbage.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• This soft pretzel recipe results in warm, fluffy pretzels with the signature shiny, brown crust, chewy interior and classic flavor.
• They’ve got beer baked right in for a subtle depth of flavor, and they’re served with a sweet, tangy maple mustard sauce.
• They’re a crowd pleasing snack for game day or any gathering!
• They’re so easy and fun to make!

Recipe ingredients

There are just a few basic ingredients in this recipe that can be customized as outlined below in the ingredient notes.

Ingredient notes

• Beer. I truly enjoy adding beer to my recipes as it adds a nice depth of flavor that people can’t really pinpoint. The beer can be substituted with water if you’d rather not use it.
• Instant dry yeast. This type of yeast is also called Rapid Rise yeast. Be sure that your yeast is fresh — if it doesn’t foam up during proofing, the pretzels will not rise.
• Baking soda. You need quite a bit of baking soda when boiling the raw pretzel dough. The baking soda is what gives the homemade soft pretzels their signature shiny, amber crust, chewy interior and classic flavor.
• Kosher salt. Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with rock salt, or finish with flaky sea salt as they come out of the oven if desired.
• Maple syrup. Substitute the maple syrup with honey for an easy honey mustard sauce.

How to make this soft pretzel recipe

This recipe is truly fun and easy to make. If you have a couple of helpers around, enlist their help to roll the pieces of dough into ropes and shape the pretzels to make things go even faster!

The pretzels are boiled in a mixture of water and baking soda before baking. The baking soda promotes browning, so it is essential to creating the shiny, deep amber crust that soft pretzels are known for. It also makes the interior soft and chewy, and adds flavor.

Pro tip: Be sure to use fresh yeast! If the yeast doesn’t become foamy when proofing in the beer, the pretzel dough will not rise.

Full recipe instructions may be found in the recipe card below!

1. Place the lukewarm beer in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and whisk to combine, then sprinkle the yeast over the the beer mixture and let stand until foamy.
2. Fit the mixer with the dough hook, then add the flour and melted butter to the beer mixture. Stir on low speed just until combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out the dough into a bowl greased with oil and cover. Place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in size.
4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently deflate. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into ropes about 18″ long.
5. Form the ropes into pretzels and set onto parchment lined baking sheets.
6. Place the water and baking soda in an 8-quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and add the pretzels, only a few at a time, and boil for 30 seconds each.
7. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or spatula, and place back on the baking sheet. Brush each pretzel lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle some kosher salt over the top.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes until the pretzels are a deep brown color.

Recipe FAQ’s

Serving suggestions

Homemade soft pretzels are the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of game day foods!

• Dip in maple mustard sauce and/or pub cheese for the ultimate bite.
• Serve with an array of snacks like baked zucchini chips and homemade guacamole.
• They’re great served with Instant pot pulled pork or slow cooker bbq pulled chicken. And don’t forget the buffalo chicken wings!
• Dunk into a bowl of white bean turkey chili or beef chili.

Recipe notes

• Pro tip: Be sure to use fresh yeast! If the yeast doesn’t become foamy when proofing in the beer, the pretzel dough will not rise.
• The soft pretzel dough may take more or less time to double in size after you set it aside to rise depending on the temperature. Mine took about an hour, but it will vary depending on whether its in a cold or warm area.
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough.
• Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with rock salt, or finish with flaky sea salt as they come out of the oven if desired.
• Store leftover pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel.

More bread recipes you’ll love:

• Focaccia bread
• Focaccia bread pizza
• Homemade soft pretzel bites by Two Peas and Their Pod
• Skillet cornbread
• Soft pretzel hot dog buns
• Sweet potato biscuits

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you!  Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!

Homemade Soft Pretzels with Maple Mustard Sauce

Servings: 12 soft pretzels

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Rising time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

These Homemade Soft Pretzels are soft and fluffy with the tangy flavor of beer and a sweet and savory maple mustard sauce. They're the perfect snack for the big game and they're so easy and fun to make!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

0

reviews
Leave a Review »

Equipment

• KitchenAid 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
• Glass Mixing Bowl Set
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

For the pretzels:

• 12 ounces beer, lukewarm (110-115 degrees) the beer may be substituted with water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or substitute with maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for the top of the pretzels if desired. If using regular table salt, reduce the amount of salt by half.
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water whisked together for the egg wash

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup or sub with honey

Instructions 

For the pretzels:

• If your beer is not room temperature, heat it briefly in a saucepan over low heat or microwave it in a microwave safe bowl for 20 second intervals until just barely warm to the touch, 110-115 degrees F. It's very important that the beer is not too hot or it will kill the yeast, and if it's too cold it will not activate the yeast.
• Place the beer in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and whisk to combine. Sprinkle the yeast over the the beer mixture evenly and let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy.
• Fit the mixer with the dough hook, then add the flour and butter to the beer mixture. Stir on low speed just until combined. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough about 5 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn out the dough into a bowl greased with oil and cover. Place in a warm spot and let rise about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and lightly oil parchment paper for (2) baking sheets and set aside.
• Turn the dough out onto a counter — do not sprinkle flour on the surface — and gently deflate. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, and using your hands, roll into ropes about 18" long. Form the ropes into pretzels and set on the prepared baking sheets.
• Place the water and baking soda in an 8-quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and add the pretzels, only a few at a time, and boil for 30 seconds each. Remove the pretzels from the water with a slotted spoon or spatula, and place back on the baking sheet.
• Repeat with the remaining pretzels, then brush each one lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle some kosher salt over the top of each pretzel.
• Bake in the middle and upper third of the oven for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. When the pretzels are a deep brown color, remove from the oven and cool slightly on a wire rack.

For the maple mustard sauce:

• Place the mustard and maple syrup in a medium bowl and stir until combined. Chill until ready to use. Enjoy with warm soft pretzels!

Notes

• Pro tip: Be sure to use fresh yeast! If the yeast doesn’t become foamy when proofing in the beer, the pretzel dough will not rise.
• The soft pretzel dough may take more or less time to double in size after you set it aside to rise depending on the temperature. Mine took about an hour, but it will vary depending on whether its in a cold or warm area.
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough.
• Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with rock salt, or finish with flaky sea salt as they come out of the oven if desired.
• Store leftover pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 3923mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Author: Marcie

All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

** This recipe was originally published in September 2014. The photos have been updated to include step by step instructions, and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.

Sharing is caring!