Homemade Mall Style Soft Pretzels

Diego sent photographs from his latest project — a pedestrian bridge over a canal in a border community. The bridge is small — forty feet, concrete and steel — but the bridge connects two neighborhoods that were separated by water, and the connecting is Diego's life work, and the life work is the bridge, and the bridge is the family business in concrete form.

When I saw Diego’s photos — that little bridge, concrete and steel over water — I thought about how all the work in our family is really just different shapes of the same thing: showing up, putting your hands on something, making it hold. I didn’t need anything complicated in the kitchen that evening. I needed dough to knead and shape, something that required presence and patience, something that came out warm. These soft pretzels are that for me — the twist of the dough, the steady rhythm, the smell filling the house — it’s my version of forty feet of bridge over a canal.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 8 pretzels

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 tsp granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup baking soda (for boiling bath)
6 cups water (for boiling bath)
1 large egg, beaten (egg wash)
Coarse sea salt or pretzel salt, for topping
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for brushing after baking)

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough. Add the melted butter and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir in flour one cup at a time until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.
Let it rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (For a quick version, skip this rise — pretzels will be slightly denser but still delicious.)
Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and lightly grease. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a wide pot, then carefully add baking soda (it will bubble up).
Shape the pretzels. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 20 inches long. Shape into a U, cross the ends over each other twice, then fold down onto the bottom of the U to form the classic pretzel shape. Press lightly to seal.
Boil. Boil each pretzel in the baking soda bath for 30 seconds per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheets.
Egg wash and salt. Brush each pretzel with the beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt.
Bake. Bake 12–15 minutes until deep golden brown. Brush immediately with melted butter as they come out of the oven.
Serve warm. Best eaten the same day. Serve with yellow mustard, cheese sauce, or plain — they don’t need much.

Nutrition (per serving)

Homemade Mall Style Soft Pretzels — The Work That Connects Us