New York street pretzels – soft pretzels with salt Recipe
Large, soft pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt, just like the ones sold from carts on the streets of New York. They’re slightly chewy inside and delicately crisp on the outside, perfect for snacking on the go or with a movie. At home you can bake them on a tray and eat them still warm, without queuing on Times Square.
These pretzels recreate the iconic New York street‑food experience at home, with a chewy interior and shiny, golden crust achieved by the soda bath. They’re impressive to serve but surprisingly simple to make with basic pantry ingredients.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip the soda bath – it’s what gives pretzels their characteristic flavour and colour. Work quickly when shaping so the dough doesn’t dry out, and avoid adding too much extra flour, which would make the pretzels dense. If your kitchen is cool, let the dough rise in a slightly warmed (but turned‑off) oven.
How to serve
Serve warm with different dips: classic yellow mustard, honey mustard, cheese sauce or garlic butter. For a sweet twist, skip the salt and brush the baked pretzels with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Ingredients
- wheat flour - 400 g
- instant yeast - 7 g
- water lukewarm - 230 ml
- sugar - 15 g
- salt - 6 g
- butter melted - 30 g
- baking soda - 20 g
- water for boiling the pretzels - 1000 ml
- coarse salt - 5 g
- egg - 1 piece
Preparation
- Put the flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water and melted butter. Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, elastic and slightly stretchy.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
- After rising, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 50–60 cm long.
- Shape the ropes into pretzels: take the ends, cross them twice, then press them onto the bottom of the loop to form the classic pretzel shape. Place the pretzels on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (top and bottom heat). In a large pot bring 1 litre of water to a boil, add the baking soda and stir well (be careful, the water will foam up).
- Carefully dip each pretzel into the hot soda water for about 20–30 seconds, using a slotted spoon to help, then return it to the baking tray.
- Brush the pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt (or other toppings of your choice).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until the pretzels are deeply golden and slightly glossy.
- After baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool slightly. They taste best while still warm.
Storage
Store cooled pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To refresh them, warm briefly in the oven so they regain their softness and light crust. Frozen pretzels can be reheated straight from the freezer in a moderate oven.
I like to shape a couple of smaller pretzels from the same batch for kids’ snacks. Leftovers are great sliced horizontally and used as a fun base for mini sandwiches the next day.
