These soft pretzel garlic knots are golden, buttery, and bursting with flavor! Made from scratch with a soda bath and brushed with a cheesy garlic butter for that irresistible crust.
XTRA! Soft Pretzel Garlic Knots
Ingredients
For the Yeast mixture
- 1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ¾ cups warm water warmed to about 100℉
For the dough
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tsp during the mixing process and more for greasing the bowl
For boiling the pretzels
- 9 cups water
- ½ cup baking soda
Egg Wash
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tsp water
Garlic butter sauce
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
Wake the yeast
- Before we do any mixing, turn on the oven light to get it warm but not hot. You will put your dough in here to rise when it's time.Now it's time to wake up the yeast and get it blooming like a sunny Sunday morning. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp sugar and 1 ¾ cups warm water. Once the sugar is dissolved, sprinkle the 1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast over it in an even layer. Do not mix this in. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until it's bubbling and smells faintly sweet and yeasty—like a warm bakery in the morning.
Build your dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk together the 2 cups bread flour, 3 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup sugar, and 2 tsp salt. Pour in the foamy yeast mixture and 1 tbsp olive oil. Start the mixer on medium-low and let it knead for about 5 minutes.
- While the dough is kneading, drizzle an additional 1 tablespoon of olive oil. The dough will gather into a ball that’s smooth, stretchy, and just a little tacky to the touch—like the feel of a worn-in leather glove. If it's dry or tough, drizzle in a touch more oil.
Let it rise
- Oil the mixing bowl, then cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise somewhere warm and cozy for about an hour and a half, or until it's doubled in size and springs back slowly when you press a finger into it.
Prep your workspace
- When your dough has almost doubled in size, preheat your oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them nearby, ready to cradle your soon-to-be pretzel knots.
The soda bath
- In a large pot, pour in ½ cup baking soda into your 9 cups water and with a whisk, mix it till it dissolves. Then bring this to a rolling boil. The baking soda gives the pretzels their signature burnished crust and a hint of that nostalgic pretzel-stand flavor. Stir well to dissolve completely.
Shape the pretzels
- Punch down the dough gently to release the air, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 16 equal portions. Roll each piece into a long rope—aim for 10-12 inches, anything bigger and you'll end up with long tails and not the fluffy knots we're all used to.
- Twist into a pretzel knot by holding each end of the rope of dough, twisting them once around each other like you're tying a knot in your shoelaces, and then laying them toward the center of the hoop end of the rope.
A quick dip in the pool
- Working in batches, lower 3-4 pretzels at a time into the simmering soda bath. Let them bathe for 30-40 seconds—flipping one time at the 15-20 second mark. They should look a little soggy; this is another way to tell when they are done. Don't leave them longer than 40 seconds on each side, or they’ll take on a bitter tang. Scoop them out with a slotted spatula, let the excess water drip off, and transfer to your lined baking sheets.
Egg Wash & Prep
- Mix together one egg and a splash of water for your egg wash. Make sure you mix it for about 45 seconds or until you have very little egg white string sticking to your fork. Once it's combined, take a brush and gently brush the tops of your knots. Be sure to get all of the sides as well, so you don't have blonde spots.
Salt & bake
- Sprinkle each pretzel with a good pinch of coarse garlic salt while they're still damp (so it sticks). Bake for 8–10 minutes until golden and puffed with slightly darkened tips—the color of toasted caramel.
Butter up
- As soon as they’re out of the oven, brush each pretzel generously with garlic butter. The butter sinks into the cracks, deepening the flavor and adding that rich, irresistible shine. Then, optionally, you can finish it off with some freshly grated Parmesan if you like a little cheesy garlic flavor like I do.
Serve warm
- These are best fresh from the oven—soft and steamy inside, with a glossy crust that gives just the right resistance when you bite in.
Nutrition
Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 3535mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg
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