National Pretzel Day calls for a delicious fresh flour whole grain pretzel recipe! If fresh flour can elevate everything else's taste and nutrients, why would it be any different for this game day, comfort food staple?

Please don't let the 1 hour and 30 minutes scare you.  Let me do a quick preview of the process so you can see it's mostly just rise time: first, make a yeast mixture and let it sit while you mill your flour, combine dry ingredients, add yeast and liquids, and knead.  It will rise unaccompanied for 1 hour and then you just spend 10-15 minutes finishing up.  Last time I made this recipe I had an over eager "helper" and they still turned our great even with stops and starts in the process.  Trust us, you want to try this versatile pretzel and it's so convenient that you can make pretzel bites, pretzel pizzas, cinnamon sugar and more...yes please!

We'd love to know what you think if you try these pretzels!  Please leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @unsifted.kc

Happy Unsifted Baking!
- Keira and Sarah

Why We Love It:

• Delicious + easy to make!
  

**Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may commission if you make a purchase- at no extra cost to you. We only share items that we love. Thank you for supporting our small business in this way too!

 

PREP: 30 minutes
TOTAL: 1 hour 45 minutes
YIELD: 10-14 medium

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 ⅓ cup Unsifted® Basic Blend grain (sub: Kamut® grain)

1 ½ cups water, divided (warm, 90-110F)

2 Tbsp honey, divided

4 tsp instant yeast

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp course sea salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (½ stick)

 

Baking Soda Bath Ingredients:

4 cups water (hot, 100-110F)

½ cup baking soda

 

**Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. We only share items that we love. Thank you for supporting our small business in this way too!

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mill the fresh flour

• Set WonderMill® dial to 12:00 (clock position)
• Mill 3 ⅓ cups Unsifted® Basic Blend grain

2. Prepare yeast mixture

Pro Tip: You can use your Zojirushi® for Steps 2 - 4 (use Memory 2). See Pretzel Zojirushi Dough recipe for details.

• In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup warm water
• Add 1 Tbsp honey
• Add 4 tsp instant yeast (Instaferm® recommended)
• Using spoon, gently stir then cover until foamy (3-5 min)

3. Combine dough ingredients

• Add 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Add 1 Tbsp honey to yeast mixture
• Using a spoon, stir gently until combined
• Add all the unsifted flour
• Add ⅓ cup sugar
• Add 1 ½ tsp salt
• Stir until well combined
• Add ¼ cup water, then stir. Continue adding water 1 Tbsp at a time until firm dough ball forms (up to ½ cup)

4. Knead + Rise

• Knead dough until windowpane effect is achieved
• ........Ankarsrum® : use roller on speed #3. Knead 6 minutes. Continue, checking every 2 minutes
• ........KitchenAid® : use dough hook on speed #2. Knead 22 minutes; pause every 2 min to cool motor
• ........By hand: knead about 45-55 minutes
• Cover and let dough rise until doubled (45-60 minutes)

5. Shape the pretzels

• Preheat oven to 450F + lightly grease baking sheet
• Pour dough onto counter
• Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12 x 18” rectangle
• Using pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into 10-14 pieces
• Roll each piece of dough into a rope (about 20” long)
• For pretzel bites: Cut each rope into 1” pieces
• For full pretzels: Cross left end over right end, twist, bring ends to center of rope and press to secure.

6. Bathe the pretzels

• Add 4 cups hot water to a 9 x 13” pan
• Add ½ cup baking soda and stir until dissolved
• Immediately dunk each pretzel in baking soda bath
• Quickly remove (let the excess water drip off)
• Place pretzel on greased baking sheet (face up)

7. Top + Bake

• Optional: Lightly brush tops of pretzels with egg wash (beat 1 large egg in small bowl with 1 Tbsp water)
• Sprinkle with sea salt or toppings (see variations to right)
• Bake at 450F for 8 minutes (190F internal temp.)
• Remove from oven and place on wire cooling rack
• Brush 4 Tbsp melted butter on baked pretzels

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THE UNSIFTED DIFFERENCE

We used our Unsifted® Basic Blend here- our high-quality, custom grain blend crafted for exceptional flavor, nutrient diversity, and premium baking performance. It’s also pre-treated for pantry safety, making it the easiest way to keep convenient, nourishing flour at the ready.

 

 

Want this recipe on a beautiful, recipe-stand–friendly card? Snag the professionally printed, cardstock hardcopy and make flour-dusted memories in the kitchen with your kids. It’s the perfect tool for helping little bakers learn- easy to follow, durable enough for year of use, and packed with all the pro tips right in your kitchen.

Each recipe card also includes bonus variations of the recipe, so you’ll have even more ways to bake it your way.

Additional variations for this recipe:

• Soft Pretzels - Zojirushi® Dough Prep
  
• Soft Pretzels - Cinnamon Sugar
  
• Soft Pretzels - Garlic Butter
  
• Soft Pretzels - Pepperoni Pizza Topped
• Soft Pretzels - Ranch
  

NUTRITION FACTS

We’re launching a brand-new, fresh platform that puts every Unsifted recipe, variation, and all the micronutrients at your fingertips. It’s smart, nourishing, and built for your real life—messy schedules, picky eaters, snack attacks, and all.

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Leave a comment below or tag @unsifted.kc on Instagram- we love seeing your fresh flour creations in the wild. Especially the ones that nourish your people and save your sanity.

 

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