Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzel Recipe (2024)

By Maria Lichty

168 CommentsView Recipe

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Happy National Pretzel Day! Yes, there is a special day dedicated to pretzels. I am A-Ok with that because I love pretzels. I’ve always been a fan. In grade school, I always brought a brown bag lunch to school. I always asked my dad for a peanut butter, banana, & honey sandwich, an apple, and pretzel sticks…and of course a cookie for dessert:) I love salty pretzels in any shape or form. My new favorite pretzels are these homemade soft Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels. They are fantastic!

Josh is the pretzel master at our house. He always makes them and I eat them. It’s a rough job but somebody has to do it:) This time he added fresh rosemary and sea salt to the dough. The combination is awesome! They are good plain, but he made a rosemary cheese sauce that knocked my socks off. I loved dunking my pretzel into the cheese sauce.

The pretzels are really easy to make. I promise. Don’t let the yeast and twisting the dough scare you. They are fun to make and eat! Celebrate National Pretzel Day with these Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels. They make a great snack!

Here are a few other pretzel recipes to help you celebrate National Pretzel Day! Enjoy!

Biscoff Pretzel Bites with White Chocolate
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars
Pizza Pretzel Bites

Vegetarian

Rosemary Sea Salt Pretzels with Rosemary Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Soft homemade pretzels with fresh rosemary and sea salt. Dip them into a rosemary cheese sauce for a great snack!

4.50 from 6 votes

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Review

Servings 8 large soft pretzels

Ingredients

For the pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
3 ounces unsalted butter melted
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
4 ½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Canola oil to grease bowl
3 quarts water
1/2 cup baking soda
1 whole egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

For the Rosemary Cheese Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the pretzels: combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt, flour, and rosemary to the mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Coat a large bowl with canola oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size. This will take about 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope. To shape into pretzels, take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with sea salt. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.
Remove pretzels from oven and let cool on a wire baking rack.
To make the Rosemary Cheese Sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Pour in the milk and whisk until the mixture thickens. Stir in shredded cheese, stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in fresh rosemary and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with pretzels.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Home » Recipes » Appetizer

Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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Comments

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I just tried these a couple days ago and they were divine! Thanks for sharing this recipe. But I have a big question: When I took the pretzels out from the pot of water with a slotted spoon, they were pretty wet and then stuck to the wax paper. I thought it’d be OK because it is wax paper after all, but when they were done baking, all the pretzels stuck like glue to the paper. Any suggestions? Should I have sprayed the wax paper with nonstick spray?
Thanks!
Reply
See Also
Salted Pumpkin Caramels Recipe | Kitchen Vignettes | PBS Food
1. Wax paper normally isn’t used to bake on, shouldn’t you have used parchment paper? Maybe that’s why you had this issue
Good day! These looks good! Let me ask you, how many grams in your cup, which you measured out the ingredients?
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These were fantastic!
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If I don’t have a stand mixer but I have a hand mixer and a food processor would it still be best to hand work the dough or should I use one of the aforementioned mixers instead? Thanks!
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Why all the comments on Wanting or Wishing you could make or eat these. Some of us really do cook would like to see comments by who actually made these and get tips and comments on how it came out. I hate sifting through 4 pages of blathering oohs and ahhs when you haven’t even tried to make it. Of course they look good, but hold of on typing about it until you’ve tried making it. This is a recipe blog, which implies you want to make things.
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Every time I come on this blog, I always find very inspiring recipes and as usual, stunning pictures! I have to try those pretzels at home!!
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Hi 🙂 I’m looking forward to bringing these to a Super Bowl party. I have a couple questions though:
1) Can I make the pretzels a day ahead? I work the morning of the Super Bowl, so I would be looking to make the pretzels the day before. Would they harden?
2) Can the cheese sauce be re-heated? (in the microwave for instance)
Thanks 🙂
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Made these on a rare Snow Day in Georgia. They were fabulous! I used two different pans, one non – stick by farberware. They stuck to the regular pan, but lifted easily from the non stick. I will definitely make these again!
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Is it possible to make these with White Whole Wheat Flour?? We are trying to cut out white flour from our diets and I just wasn’t sure if you would get the same texture. These look delicious and I would love to make them!
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Maria, I made these today for the Super Bowl, and we are enjoying them right now, while watching the game. They are soft, warm and wonderful and taste like Heaven . The rosemary is a perfect flavor match, and I found 4 and 1/2 C of flour to be perfect. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
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I read this recipe and thought surely that 3 quarts of water is wrong and it definitely is. No one has a mixing bowl that’s a gallon big. I tried it anyway and yep, it failed. Post the right measurements please.
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1. It’s not meant for use in the pretzel; it’s the amount of water you boil the pretzels in. 3 qts. is exactly the correct amount with the baking soda.
This is a fantastic recipe! I could eat these pretzels all day.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone!
Reply
I use this recipe for pretzels because it’s the BEST. However today the mister cooked up a corned beef and I decided to bake your pretzel dough into slider buns…holy moly are they fabulous with brown mustard, pepper jack and corned beef!!! GREAT recipe and totally easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing it.
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Just made these and they are delicious! I was a little intimidated by the directions but they turned out pretty good! Better as pretzel bites because mine didn’t look like pretzels lol
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This recipe looks amazing. I’m throwing my husband a birthday party and would like these on the menu. I’ve seen some recipes that freeze after the dough boils, before the baking step. Have you tried this? Or any other freezing methods with soft pretzels? I’d love to have all of the dishes prepared ahead of time. Thanks!
Reply
Did you give any thoughts on making a you tube video on: How to make a pretzel?
I never made any and being a visual person, I would like to see in how much water
I go before I do wet my feet!
Your picture is totally delicious…thanks in advance, Carole 🙂
Reply
1. We haven’t done any videos, but we will think about it! Thanks for the feedback!
Made pretzels often but I never used rosemary, I am intrigued. I too liked the half-time show, for it highlighted important things for us in this country. I was pleasantly surprised as one that does art much more than football. Thanks
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Did you need to grease the pans at all? I made some in the oven, but they stuck pretty bad to the pan. Still tasted good. I made a few on the grill without any problem though.
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These look so amazing! Do you think that it would be ok to do up a very large batch (for a party) of dough, boil them and then freeze to be put in the oven later, as they’re needed? I’d rather serve them fresh and warm over the course of the party but not sure if the dough will do ok being boiled, frozen, and then baked later (like a day or two later). Thanks!
Reply
1. Yes, you can freeze the pretzels and reheat them in the oven. Enjoy!
I’ve made these several times before – they’re delicious! I’m planning to bring them to a family Christmas party on Monday, but I don’t want to leave all the prep work for Christmas Day. Do you have experience with making the dough in advance? If so, I’d love a recommendation on how to do this withoug ruining these delicious pretzles! I’m hoping to do all the work up to the boil and bake part in advance. Will that work? Thanks so much 🙂
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1. I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could keep the dough in the fridge until you are ready to roll them out and boil.
Looking for the pizza pretzel, can’t seem to locate it, thanks much
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too doughy
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I’ve always loved shake shack’s cheese sauce for dipping crinkle cut fries and it dawned on me today….”that flavor’s rosemary!”
After doing a search your recipe is the only site mentioning the mixing of this herb with cheddar. You two are forward thinking creative powerhouses!
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Flavor seemed great, baking time/temp didn’t work for me. Followed exactly and they browned nicely, and were done baking, but were too dense and didn’t crisp up on the outside. Might try lower temp and longer bake time to get the nice crisp outside that I really wanted!
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FAQs

What are the ingredients in pretzel salt? ›

Pretzel I and Pretzel M Salts Pretzel I and Pretzel M salts are food grade, compacted, white crystalline, sodium chloride manufactured under stringent process control procedures. They contain no anti-caking or free-flowing additives or conditioners.

See Details ›

What is the best salt to use for pretzels? ›

Pretzel salt, also known as Coarse Food-Grade Salt, is a white, large-grain soft compressed salt that is perfect as a topping or coating soft baked pretzels and other baked goods. The uniform, flat, rectangular-shaped particles adhere well and do not melt during baking.

How do I get salt to stick to my pretzels? ›

Brush pretzel with egg wash or mist with water and sprinkle pretzel salt over it. Reheat in toaster oven or conventional oven at 350 for 3 min.

Explore More ›

Why did you dip your pretzel dough into baking soda and water? ›

Furthermore, we've introduced the baking soda bath. While it sounds strange, this step is what gives pretzels that iconic flavor, chewy texture, helps deepen their golden color in the oven, and locks in the super soft interior.

What is special about pretzel salt? ›

Pretzel salt—explained

Pretzel salt is a type of coarse long-grained salt. It is typically uniform in size with a flat, rectangular shape. These characteristics are what make them so good for pretzels as well as other types of baked goods.

Learn More Now ›

Is pretzel salt healthy? ›

Unfortunately, salted pretzels are quite high in sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting your sodium intake to 2,300 mg daily, but Americans consume 3,400 mg daily on average. Especially for people with high blood pressure, limiting sodium is beneficial for health. Low in fiber.

Read On ›

Why does pretzel salt taste different? ›

Pretzel Salt

It is a coarse-grained salt that adds a distinct flavor and texture to pretzels, making them savory and delicious. Pretzel salt is typically made up of larger salt crystals, which adhere well to the surface of the dough and provide a satisfying crunch when bitten into.

Know More ›

Is lye or baking soda better for pretzels? ›

Lye has a pH of around 13 whereas baking soda has a pH of around 8. This extra alkalinity accelerates the Maillard reaction, allowing that caramelization to develop on the exterior of the pretzels. That ultra deep color and slightly crispy, crunchy exterior crust is only made possible with lye.

View Details ›

Why does pretzel salt taste better? ›

Because pretzel salt has larger crystals, it dissolves slower when you eat it. How fast the salt takes to dissolve changes its flavor.

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Can pretzel dough sit overnight? ›

While an option for making quick pretzels is given, too, I highly recommend the overnight method because the dough's flavor really develops during the slow fermentation, becoming nuanced with a yeasty tang that is worth every moment of anticipation.

Keep Reading ›

Why do you dip pretzels in water? ›

The answer lies in a brief dip in an alkaline water bath before baking. This bath essentially gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully “springing” during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature chewy crust.

How do you keep pretzels from getting hard? ›

Room Temperature: The best way to store your pretzels at room temperature is by using a bread box. Bread boxes let the right amount of air circulate so your bread (or pretzels!) remain moisture-free without going stale. If you don't have a bread box, you can opt for a paper bag or a storage container.

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Do I have to boil my pretzels before baking? ›

Like bagels, pretzels are made in boiling water prior to baking to give them their snappy outsides and chewy insides (messy!). Soft pretzels must be boiled, or dipped in a baking soda bath (or lye if you're gusty and strict with your pretzel traditions). THEN, they can be baked.

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What is the secret solution for Auntie Anne's pretzels? ›

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet.

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What solution do you dip pretzels in? ›

Dijon mustard or a spicy brown mustard are the typical go-tos, as they add an extra kick to your pretzel snack. However, you can also get the best of both worlds by choosing a cheesy mustard dip. All you need is spicy brown mustard, a cheese spread, and Worcestershire sauce.

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How is pretzel salt different from regular salt? ›

Pretzel salt is typically made up of larger salt crystals, which adhere well to the surface of the dough and provide a satisfying crunch when bitten into. Its unique texture and flavor make it an essential ingredient for finishing authentic pretzels and other types of bread.

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Is pretzel salt the same as regular salt? ›

Though different in shape and size, pretzel salt and regular salt taste the same. This is very good because, in the likely event you don't happen to have pretzel salt on hand, the regular salt on your table or in your cupboard will have to do.