Homemade Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites are the newest addition to our Better Than Store-Bought series. The soft, slightly sweet dough gets a quick baking soda bath and a generous brush of melted butter after baking. Just like the mall classic, they smell as good as they taste. Keep them classic with pretzel salt, or toss them in cinnamon sugar!
Skip the mall, make soft pretzels at home!
We've all been there: you're walking around the mall, getting hungry from all of those steps, and then you smell it. The Auntie Anne's pretzel booth. That warm yeast, butter, sugar and salt combination is marketing enough. (So powerful, in fact, that there's even a perfume based on it!)
It's also just pure nostalgia for me (Lexi), having grown up in the 90s and early 2000s. Our local mall doesn't have an Auntie Anne's, so we took matters into our own hands.
Sarah took the lead on testing this one (it's a tradition to get soft pretzels with her kids once a week after school) and per usual, she nailed it! It took quite a few tests to get the bake time just right. There's a fine line between golden brown and burnt bottoms, but a double sheet pan really does the trick.
These are just like the mall classic you know and love. That perfect combo of salty/sweet/yeasty/buttery perfection. They have a crisp crust and a pillowy soft interior. Perfect for game day snacking, alongside our Meatball Sub Bites!
Dip them in mustard, queso dip or beer cheese dip, or just pop 'em in your mouth plain. Either way, we know you'll love them!
xoxo, Lexi & Beth
Key Ingredients Needed for Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites
- Yeast: Instant yeast (sometimes labeled rapid rise) and active dry yeast both work. Active dry yeast needs the full bloom in warm milk before it goes into the dough. Instant yeast doesn't technically need it, but we bloom it anyway to make sure it's active. Dough made with active dry yeast may take a little longer to double, so go by size rather than the clock.
- Brown sugar: This is what gives these that signature slightly sweet Auntie Anne's flavor. Don't skip it!
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping it straight from the bag. Too much flour makes the bites dense.
- Baking soda: A quick dip in hot baking soda water is what turns plain dough into pretzels. It gives them that deep golden-brown crust, a slight chew on the outside and the classic pretzel flavor. Traditional pretzels are dipped in lye, but baking soda is a much easier (and safer) way to get a very similar result at home.
- Pretzel salt: Pretzel salt is coarse and doesn't melt into the dough in the oven, so it stays crunchy on top. Flaky sea salt or coarse kosher salt are the best substitutes, but still don't quite compare to pretzel salt. We don't recommend table salt, since it dissolves and makes the bites taste too salty.
- Good butter: Brushing the pretzels with melted butter right out of the oven is the step that makes these taste like the mall version. They soak it right up! Use the best butter you have here. A European-style butter with a higher fat content adds even more flavor (we personally love Kerrygold).
How to Make Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites
Bloom the yeast
Warm the milk to 100-110˚F (warm to the touch, not hot), then stir in the yeast and brown sugar. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, until it's foamy on top. Whisk the melted butter into the yeast mixture.
Make the dough
Slowly pour the yeast mixture into the flour and salt with the mixer running. Using the dough hook, knead for 10-20 minutes, until the dough is smooth and has no dimples. We did about 10 minutes in the stand mixer, then finished it by hand for another 10.
Let it rise
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
Roll, cut and dip
Heat the water and baking soda until simmering, then turn off the heat. Roll a chunk of dough into a thin rope (about ½ inch thick), then use kitchen shears to snip 1-inch pieces right into the baking soda bath. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon, transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with pretzel salt while they're still wet. Keep the rest of the dough covered so it doesn't dry out.
Bake and brush with butter
Bake at 375˚F for 9-10 minutes on a doubled sheet pan (yes, two pans! It keeps the bottoms from getting too dark). While the first tray bakes, get the second one ready. Brush the hot bites generously with melted butter, or toss them in cinnamon sugar, and dig in!
Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
- Make sure the milk is not over 115˚F, or it will kill the yeast. We use a thermometer to ensure the temperature is correct. If it's too hot, place it in the fridge and whisk/stir for a minute or two. This should cool the milk pretty quickly.
- Double up your sheet pans: Stacking another pan underneath your sheet pan keeps the bottoms golden instead of dark (learned this from many test rounds!).
- Keep the dough covered: Pretzel dough dries out fast, and dry dough cracks when you roll it. Keep the portions you aren't working with under a towel, and brush on a little oil if the surface starts to feel dry.
- Roll the ropes thinner than you think: Aim for about ½ inch thick. The pieces puff up quite a bit in the baking soda bath and again in the oven, so a rope that looks a little skinny turns into perfectly sized bites.
- Don't let them soak: The bites only need a quick dip in the baking soda bath. Once the whole rope is cut into the pot, scoop them right out with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle on the pretzel salt while they're still wet, or it won't stick.
- Butter them hot: Brush the bites with melted butter the second they come out of the oven. Warm pretzels soak it right up, and that's what gives them the shiny, buttery finish Auntie Anne's is known for.
What's the best way to store soft pretzel bites?
Storage: Pretzel bites are best the day they're made, but leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The salt will start to dissolve and get a little damp as they sit, so if you're making them ahead, you can hold off on salting until you reheat them. To reheat, warm them in a 350˚F oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until warmed through, then brush with a little more butter.
Freezer storage: Let the baked bites cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen at 350˚F for about 8 to 10 minutes, then brush with melted butter (and add salt or cinnamon sugar) before serving.
More Better Than Store-Bought Snacks You'll Love
We can't wait for you to bake these Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Warm the milk in the microwave in 30-second intervals, until it's between 100-110˚F. Stir in the yeast and brown sugar, then let it sit for about 15 minutes, until foamy.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour and salt. Once the yeast has bloomed, whisk the melted butter into the milk mixture. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the flour.
- Knead for 10-20 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. (We do about 10 minutes in the mixer and 10 minutes by hand.)
- Lightly oil a large bowl, add the dough and turn it to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour (or up to 1 ½ hours with active dry yeast).
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it on top of a second baking sheet. Doubling the pans keeps the bottoms from getting too brown.
- To a medium saucepan, add the water and baking soda. Warm over medium heat until simmering and the baking soda is mostly dissolved, then turn off the heat.
- Portion the dough into ~10 pieces. Keep the pieces you're not using covered with a towel. Roll each section into a long rope about ½-inch thick. It should be thinner than you want the finished pretzel bites, since they puff up in the baking soda bath and oven.
- Holding the rope over the pot, cut it into 1-inch pieces with kitchen shears, letting them drop right into the baking soda bath. Almost immediately after all of the pretzels are submerged, use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels from the pot. Shake off the excess liquid and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with pretzel salt while they're still wet.
- Repeat until the first tray is full (about half the dough), then bake for 9-10 minutes, until deep golden brown. While the first tray bakes, roll, cut and dip the remaining dough for the second tray.
- As soon as the pretzel bites come out of the oven, brush them generously with melted butter. Enjoy warm!
- For cinnamon sugar pretzel bites, skip the pretzel salt. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon, then toss the buttered bites in the mixture while they're still warm, just after they come out of the oven.
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