Imagine a soft, mall-style pretzel, rolled like a cinnamon roll but topped with cheese instead of icing! The perfect fun snack to make at home!
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Why I Love These Pretzel Roll
- Quick to make: Just like my 30 minute soft pretzels, these don't take hours to raise; you can make them start to finish in around 30 minutes.
- No mixer! You can make these homemade soft pretzels without a mixer or bread machine.
- Simple ingredients: They use all-purpose flour - no fancy bread flours needed.
- No boiling: Most traditional pretzels recipes require you dip the dough in a boiling baking soda/water mixture. But ain't nobody got the time or extra dishes for that. You can make these homemade pretzels without boiling.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Active dry yeast: I like to keep a jar of this on hand (versus packets). You can also use instant yeast, if needed (just be sure to still bloom it in the water).
- All-purpose flour: You can also make these with bread flour. I haven't tested these with gluten-free flour but generally don't have much luck with it in bread recipes.
- Salted butter: You can use unsalted butter, but salted tastes will give you a more mall-style pretzel flavor!
- Salt: You can use a coarse kosher, coarse sea salt, or pretzel salt. You don't want the super coarse salt, or it will be too crunchy.
How to Make Pretzel Rolls
Step 1: Bloom Yeast
In a medium-sized bowl or measuring cup, stir together warm water (1 ½ cups), active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons, i.e. (2) 0.25-ounce packets), light brown sugar (2 tablespoons), and melted salted butter (¼ cup, i.e. 4 tablespoons).
Tip: You can get the warm water directly from the faucet - no need to heat it up more. Let sit for 5 minutes or until there's a layer of foam/bubbles on the top.
Step 2: Mix Dough
- While the yeast is proofing, mix together the all-purpose flour (4 ½ cups) and salt (½ teaspoon) in a large bowl. Use your hand to create a crater in the middle of the bowl. This is where you'll pour the water mixture. After the 5 minutes have passed, stir the foamy yeast mixture and pour it into the crater you created in the flour bowl.
- Use a spatula to mix the dough until it's combined. Once all the flour is incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough into a solid ball. This should only take 1-2 minutes tops (any longer and you'll overwork the dough).
Step 3: Roll
- Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean dish towel) and let sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to rest & rise a tiny bit (it won't rise much, which is fine).
- Place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ - 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14×18" rectangle that is ¼" thick.
- Once rolled, spread on softened butter (2 tablespoons), making sure to spread to the outside edges.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips (cut them the long way), then roll each one into a spiral roll.
Step 4: Dip in Water Bath & Bake
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons (not teaspoons) of baking soda.
- Dip each roll in the baking soda mixture for 1-2 seconds on each side, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or pretzel salt.
- Bake at 425℉ for 12-14 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown. It's important not to underbake or the centers will be doughy.
Step 5: Top with Cheese!
After removing from the oven, use a pastry brush or spoon to brush warm pretzels with melted salted butter (2 tablespoons). This is what truly gives it that mall pretzel taste - don't skip the salted butter! Enjoy warm with drizzled cheese sauce or honey mustard!
Tip: Where I normally use unsalted butter in baking, these need salted butter for dipping. Unsalted just doesn't taste as good here!
Tips & Variations
- Don't underbake: Be sure to bake the pretzels until they're a good golden brown color, or else they will be raw in the center.
- Make them smaller: If you want to make these smaller, cut into 12 strips and bake for closer to 10-12 minutes.
- Use different dipping sauces: You can dip these in just salted butter, cheese sauce, or honey mustard.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Store in an airtight container or bag for 1-2 days, then use the instructions above to reheat or freeze. I will say though, these are best served fresh and warm!
- Freezing: If you do not plan to eat them right away (which I highly recommend!), let them cool then freeze them in an airtight bag (for 1-2 months). To get them to taste the freshest again, pop them into the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they're heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I roll these like normal cinnamon rolls?
Yes! I just like to roll them individually like this so that you get a more aesthetic roll that has a more puffy dome.
Can I make these with gluten-free flour?
I haven't tested these with gluten-free flour but generally don't have much luck with it in bread recipes. If you try it, report back with what flour you used!
Can I use instant yeast?
Yes! While instant yeast doesn't technically require you to bloom it in water, you will still want to do that step in this recipe to ensure success.
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Quick Soft Pretzel Rolls
Makes: 8
No mixer needed - just a spatula and a few simple ingredients to make these fun pretzel rolls!Makes 8 large pretzel rolls.
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
To Make Dough
- In a medium-sized bowl or measuring cup, stir together 1 ½ cups warm water, 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast i.e. (2) 0.25-ounce packets), 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, and melted ¼ cup salted butter (i.e. 4 tablespoons). You can get the warm water directly from the faucet - no need to heat it up more. Let sit for 5 minutes or until there's a layer of foam/bubbles on the top.*See notes below if your mixture doesn't foam or bubble.
- While the yeast is proofing, mix together the 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Use your hand to create a crater in the middle of the bowl. This is where you'll pour the water mixture.After the 5 minutes have passed, stir the foamy yeast mixture and pour it into the crater you created in the flour bowl.
- Use a spatula to mix the dough until it's combined. Once all the flour is incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough into a solid ball. This should only take 1-2 minutes tops (any longer and you'll overwork the dough).
- Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a clean dish towel) and let sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to rest & rise a tiny bit (it won't rise much, which is fine).
- Place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ - 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14×18" rectangle that is ¼" thick.
- Once rolled, spread on 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened, making sure to spread to the outside edges.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 strips (cut them the long way), then roll each one into a spiral roll.
Water Bath
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons baking soda.
- Dip each roll in the baking soda mixture for 1-2 seconds on each side, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse kosher or pretzel salt for topping.
- Bake at 425℉ 12-14 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown. It's important not to underbake or the centers will be doughy.
- After removing from the oven, use a pastry brush or spoon to brush warm pretzels with melted 2 tablespoons salted butter. This is what truly gives it that mall pretzel taste - don't skip the salted butter! Where I normally use unsalted butter in baking, these need salted butter for dipping. Unsalted just doesn't taste as good here!
- Enjoy warm with drizzled cheese sauce or honey mustard!
Notes from Melissa
Yeast isnt foaming or bubbling? If your mixture doesn't foam or bubble after 10-20 minutes, your yeast is likely dead and you need to start over with fresh yeast.
Storing/Freezing: These are best fresh, but can also be stored in an airtight container or bag for 1-2 days. I will say that after 1-2 days, they lose their fresh taste & soft texture, but they're still edible.
If you do not plan to eat them right away, let them cool then freeze them in an airtight bag (for 1-2 months). To get them to taste the freshest again, pop them into the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until they're heated through.
Nutrition is just an estimate and auto-calculated from a directory. Based on 12 pretzels and does not include dipping sauces.
Super easy and mega delicious. Made this with my 4 year old. We did a mix of the rolls, pretzel bites, and regular pretzels. Definitely recommend.
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Taylor! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
These will now be a staple in our house! So quick and easy! Thank you❤️
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Angela!
East to make and we’re absolutely delicious
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Erin!
Easy and delicious! My 9 year old even could help make them. Will definitely be making again soon!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Alison! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Made these tonight! SO easy and taste delicious!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Austin!
I used this recipe and instead of rolling I turned them into bites. They are to die for! We brushed them in garlic butter and they taste so good!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Dixie! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Amazing and delicious!! This recipe was very easy to make. They are definitely quicker to make than a regular pretzel shape. The water bath method was also way easier than doing it on the stove. My family loved this recipe and I'll definitely be making it again. 😁🥨
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Katie! Thank you so much for leaving a review! I really appreciate it!
These are amazing! Love pretzels but hate all the work that it takes to get them into a pretzel shape. My husband thought this recipe was amazing!
So glad to hear you guys loved this recipe, Braylie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
SOOOO YUMMY!!!! Also love that the measurements of each ingredient is in the directions, makes it so much easier!!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Emma! I really appreciate it!
These delivered! It’s obviously more tender than a real pretzel but the taste is on point and they look amazing! The only change I made was to make them smaller by about half so I made 19 rolls and they are excellent! Also really appreciate that the amounts are in the directions themselves as someone who regularly makes mistakes going back and forth haha
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Maggie! I really appreciate it! :)
Bake at what temperature?
425!
The cheese sauce link takes me to an Amazon salt link. Do you make or buy the cheese sauce?
Oops, fixed that! It shouldn't have been linked, I just buy the cheese sauce haha (nothing crazy, just jarred form the store). I have it on my list to develop a good runny cheese sauce recipe someday!