My pretzel buns are a scrumptious chewy bread roll to make for serving up your favorite burgers, sandwiches, and more. They're so amazingly tasty that you'll enjoy them with any of your favorite sandwiches.
These buns are perfect for blue cheese, bison, or elk burgers. Make some pulled pork sliders and coleslaw.
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Whenever I know I'll be making some nice, juicy burgers hot off the grill (sometimes it's more spontaneous), hubby and I always debate about which buns to make.
My top two preferred buns for our burgers are these pretzel buns and my quick brioche buns.
He argues for my Kaiser rolls, which are fantastic, too! These amazing bun recipes also work fabulously with sandwiches the next day!
See the instructional video below for a detailed walkthrough.
🥘 Ingredients
- Baking Soda - ½ cup baking soda (recommended; see notes).
- Water - 1 ¼ cup water (lukewarm, 110°F/43°C).
- Yeast - 1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoons).
- Sugar - 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar.
- Flour - 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour. Start with 3 cups AP flour and add more as needed. You'll need more for your working surface, too.
- Salt - 2 teaspoons salt.
- Butter - 3 tablespoons melted and cooled butter.
- Oil - ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to grease the bowl.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Pretzel Buns
Baking The Baking Soda
- Bake the baking soda. For best results, spread your ½ cup (60 grams) baking soda over a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
- Set aside. The baked baking soda will be used in the boiling water (to make the baking soda bath) before baking the pretzel buns.
Mixing The Pretzel Dough
- Bloom yeast. In your measuring cup of 1 ¼ cup water (312.5 grams), add the packet of yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons/7 grams) and 1 teaspoon of sugar (4.93 grams). Allow the yeast to activate or 'bloom' for about 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Combine. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour (start with 3 cups (360 grams); add more if necessary) and salt. Add in the water with activated yeast and the 3 tablespoons (43 grams) of cooled, melted butter.
- Knead. Mix using the dough hook attachment on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dough forms. It shouldn't be too wet or dry. Add more flour if needed or a few drops of water to get a nice elastic dough ball. Knead with your dough hook on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
- Cover for the first rise. Remove the dough from the bowl (or transfer to an oiled bowl) long enough to oil the bowl with ½ tablespoon olive oil (7.39 grams). Roll the dough through the oil to coat all sides. Cover with greased plastic wrap.
- Rise. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Rising Time & Portioning The Buns
- Knead and portion the dough. Punch the risen dough down about halfway, then remove it from the bowl and transfer it to your floured working surface. Knead the bread for 2 minutes, then divide into 10 equal portions.
- Shape buns. Make sure to dust your hands with some flour before rolling the portion balls of dough in your hands with the smooth, rounded side facing up and the bottom side cupped in one hand. Use your free hand to smooth the domed top portion of the dough ball, making the surface less likely to lose shape. Repeat with each bun.
- Rise until doubled in size. Cover your shaped buns with greased plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 20-30 minutes; they should almost double in size again.
Baking Soda Bath
- Preheat and prep. Set your oven to 425°F (218°C/Gas Mark 7) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dissolve the baking soda. Bring a large stock pot with 6 cups of water (1.42 liters) and ½ cup of baked baking soda to a boil (watch closely to prevent bubbling over).
- Add pretzel buns in batches if needed. Lower the pretzel buns into the boiling water using a slotted spoon, and place as many into the boiling water as you can fit into your stock pot without crowding them as you do not want them touching. Also, note that you should have enough water in the stock pot to prevent the buns from touching the bottom as well.
- Boil on both sides. Boil each of the buns for about 1 minute, starting with the rounded side up and turning halfway through the minute (20-30 seconds on each side). Use your slotted spoon to remove the buns after a minute and place them onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake The Pretzel Buns
- Score. Use a sharp knife to score the tops of each bun. You can do the same three slits as I have or the usual pretzel cross that is common. Whatever shape or design you like. Score each bun as it comes out of the boiling water, then top with coarse sea salt.
- Bake until springy. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. The buns are still soft on the crust, but they are not too soft (pretzels will need only 10-12 minutes). Your finger indent should spring back rather than leave a mark.
- Cool. Remove from the oven when done and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
My perfect pretzel rolls can be formed into giant pretzels and then dipped into gooey cheese dip for pretzels. Enjoy!
🥪 What To Serve On Pretzel Buns
Pretzel buns (as-is) or a smaller slider version are perfect for standing up to your favorite burger or sandwiches. Serve sandwiches like sloppy joes, Philly cheesesteaks, ham and cheese, Reuben, Cubano, pulled pork, crack chicken, and more.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes
- Baking the Baking Soda: Wondering why you need to bake baking soda? Pretzel buns typically use lye for their shiny appearance and chewy exterior. Since lye is caustic, baking soda is a safer alternative. Baking transforms it into a strong alkali, mimicking the effect of lye.
- Avoiding Baking Soda Aftertaste: If you notice an aftertaste from the baking soda, simply rinse the boiled buns before baking them.
- Choosing Flour: While all-purpose flour works well, using high-quality bread flour can enhance your pretzel buns, making them chewier.
- Scaling the Recipe: This recipe is easily adjustable for larger gatherings. When doubling or tripling the recipe, ensure the buns aren't crowded on the baking sheets.
- Dough Refrigeration: For the first rise, the pretzel dough can be refrigerated overnight. This corresponds to step 4 in the 'Mixing The Pretzel Dough' section of the recipe.
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🥡 Storing
Avoid salting if you plan to keep leftovers. Store unsalted buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, up to 5 days. For salted buns, remove salt before storing to prevent sogginess. Alternatively, double-wrap in paper bags for extended freshness.
For freezing, individually wrap buns in cling film and foil, then place them in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw for 2-3 hours. Moisten and salt the buns, then microwave for 10-20 seconds or oven-reheat at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
❓ Recipe FAQs
What Other Toppings Can I Use On Pretzel Buns?
Salt is the customary topping; however, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic herb butter, caramelized onions, and even shredded cheese are all great alternatives. Yum!
Can These Pretzel Buns Be Made Gluten-Free?
Yes! It's as simple as switching out the flour for your favorite GF flour brand. I like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour best, but King Arthur Flour, Krusteaz, Vitacost, Good & Gather, and even Great Value have really good gluten-free flour to pick from.
🍞🥖🥐🥯🥨 More Bread Recipes
- Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread - A fantastic copycat recipe to make this rich, flavorful bread at home.
- Homemade Bread Bowls - My favorite way to serve up hearty soup, party dips, and more.
- Easy Air Fryer Pretzel Bites - Tasty, chewy pizza dough pretzel bites that are a party fave and snacking hit.
- Homemade Flat Bread - My super easy yeast flatbread recipe that fries up in no time at all.
- Sweet Potato Cornbread - A fall favorite that's equally delicious year round.
- Butter Swim Biscuits - Rich, buttery biscuits like no other that are just made to have jelly or honey slathered on them.
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📖 Recipe Card
Pretzel Buns (Homemade Pretzel Rolls)
My pretzel buns are a scrumptious bread roll to make for serving up your favorite burgers, sandwiches, and more. Tender, chewy pretzel buns are the perfect roll for juicy, grilled burgers or some pulled pork and sla. Plus, they're just so amazingly tasty that you'll enjoy them with any of your fave sandwiches.
Servings: 10 pretzel buns
Calories: 199kcal
Prep 30 minutes
Cooking 15 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
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Ingredients
- ½ cup baking soda (recommended)
- 1 ¼ cup water (lukewarm, 110°F/43°C - plus 6 cups for the baking soda bath)
- 1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (start with 3 cups)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon butter (melted, cooled)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil (to grease the bowl)
Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela
Instructions
Baking The Baking Soda
- For best results, spread your ½ cup baking soda over a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour at 350℉ (175°C/Gas Mark 4). Set aside to use in the boiling water (baking soda bath) before baking the pretzel buns.
Mixing The Pretzel Dough
- In your measuring cup of lukewarm 1 ¼ cup water, add the 1 packet active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow the yeast to activate or 'bloom' for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (start with 3 cups, add more if necessary) and 2 teaspoon salt. Add in the water with activated yeast and the cooled, melted 3 tablespoon butter.
- Mix using the dough hook attachment on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dough forms. It shouldn't be too wet or dry. Add more flour if needed, or a few drops of water to get a nice elastic dough ball. Knead with your dough hook on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl (or transfer to an oiled bowl) long enough to oil the bowl with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Roll the dough through the oil to coat all sides. Cover with a sheet of greased plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Rising Time & Portioning The Buns
- Punch the risen dough down about half way, then remove from the bowl and transfer to your floured working surface. Knead the bread for 2 minutes, then divide into 10 equal portions.
- Make sure to dust your hands with some flour before rolling the portion balls of dough in your hands with the smooth rounded side facing up and the bottom side cupped in one hand. Use your free hand to smooth the domed top portion of the dough ball, making the surface less likely to lose shape. Repeat with each bun.
- Cover your shaped buns with greased plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 20-30 minutes, they should almost double in size again.
Baking Soda Bath
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C/Gas Mark 7) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring a large stock pot with 6 cups of water (1.42 liters) and the ½ cup of baked baking soda to a boil (watch closely to prevent bubbling over).
- Lower the pretzel buns into the boiling water using a slotted spoon, place as many into the boiling water as you can fit into your stock pot without crowding them as you do not want them touching. Also note that you should have enough water in the stock pot to prevent the buns from touching the bottom as well.
- Boil each of the buns for 1 minute, starting with the rounded side up and turning halfway through the minute (30 seconds each side). Use your slotted spoon to remove the buns after a minute and place them onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake The Pretzel Buns
- Score the tops of each bun using a sharp knife. You can do the same three slits as I have, or the usual pretzel cross that is common. Whatever shape or design you like. Score each bun as it comes out of the boiling water, then top with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and the buns are still soft on the crust, but they are not too soft (pretzels will need only 10-12 minutes). Your finger indent should spring back, rather than leaving a mark.
- Remove from the oven when done and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The number #1 question you likely have is why on earth you're baking the baking soda, right? Pretzel buns are usually cooked with lye which gives them their trademark shiny appearance and that chewy outside that we love so much. However, lye is caustic and can be dangerous to work with so a baking soda bath is a great way to mimic the lye effect. Baking soda is a weak alkali, but baking it makes it a super strong alkali similar to lye. Thus, the extra baking step shared here.
- If you find that the baking soda leaves an aftertaste, rinse the boiled buns off before baking.
- A great quality bread flour is a wonderful upgrade in this recipe. I kept it simple with AP flour, but the bread flour yields a chewier pretzel, pretzel bun, or pretzel bites.
- This recipe is super easy to scale up for feeding a crowd. If you are doubling or tripling this recipe, be sure to avoid crowing the buns on your baking sheet(s).
- The pretzel dough can be refrigerated overnight for the first rise, or step 4 of 'Mixing The Pretzel Dough' in the directions.
- Consider before storing or freezing: I refrigerate and/or freeze my excess pretzel buns for later use and they store beautifully. I do recommend, however, not to salt your pretzel buns if you will need to store leftovers. If you have salted the buns, I suggest knocking the salt off for your best storage results (including freezing). Otherwise, the buns will be more prone to getting soggy during storage.
- To store: Store unused homemade pretzel buns in an airtight container at room temperature, preferably in a dark, cool pantry or cabinet. They are best used within the first 1-2 days but are good for up to 3-5 days. *Alternatively, you can try what French bakers recommend for keeping daily baked bread fresh. Double wrap the baked and cooled pretzel buns in paper bags then store at room temperature.
- To freeze: Wrap fully cooled pretzel buns individually in plastic cling film, then a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Transfer the wrapped buns into an airtight freezer storage container or freezer storage bag. Store for up to 3 months.
- To reheat and serve: Thaw the frozen pretzel buns for 2-3 hours before serving. Frozen pretzels are best reheated by wetting them down, salting, and reheating for 10-20 seconds on high power in the microwave. Pretzel rolls can also be reheated in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for about 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 199kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 34g (11%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 4g (6%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 9mg (3%) | Sodium: 2139mg (93%) | Potassium: 53mg (2%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Vitamin A: 105IU (2%) | Calcium: 8mg (1%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)
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Anonymous says
I used bread flour and these were the best pretzels buns I have ever made! I’m not going back to all purpose flour!!
Angela Latimer says
I love using bread flour and some vital wheat gluten. It's the best pretzel combo.
Brianna Wygant says
This is the best pretzel bun recipe! My family and friends are absolutely obsessed with them. They want me to make them constantly. They are so soft and amazing for hamburgers or just to snack on.
Abby Bumpus says
These are so good! I made them at least twice a month to make beef brisket melts, and they are always so quick and easy to put together!