homemade hard pretzel rods stacked on a cutting board

Snacktime called, and it’s begging for you to make these Homemade Hard Pretzel Rods! Crunchy with a slight chew, perfectly salty and delightfully dippable, you’ll want to make these again and again.

(NOTE: This post was originally published in 2015 (!). We’ve since then updated it with new photos, but it’s the same recipe you know and love.)

Homemade Hard Pretzel Rods Recipe

I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but: I’m becoming a snack eater.

To the general population this is nothing revelatory, I know. But to me, it changes everything. You see, I used to be big (no, HUGE) on eating only meal foods for meals — no snack food for meal time, thankyouverymuch. Give me a real-deal meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but leave the cheese chunks and crackers and nuts and fruit and other snacky foods for snack time.

homemade hard pretzel rod dough

And then, within the past year or two, something changed. It was slow, sneaky. I would add crackers as a side to soup for lunch. Then, eventually, I would add cheese to those crackers, too. Soon after, I’d drop the soup altogether and eat a big plate of cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts. Or granola bars, or olives, or veggies and hummus, or pretzels. And it hit me: I’m eating snack food for meal time. Then I questioned everything and had a good, long existential conversation with myself.

Just kidding. But I did come to terms with my all-day snackage. And when I did, I decided to make the most of it. That’s where these homemade hard pretzel rods come in (you’re like FINALLY, sheesh).

homemade hard pretzel rod dough rolled into rods

Watch How to Make Hard Pretzel Rods

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How to Make Homemade Hard Pretzel Rods

I think I’ve been eating hard pretzels since the dawn of time (my favorite way? Dipping them in a peanut butter jar, yesssss) but until recently, I’d only made soft pretzels from scratch. So when I happened upon a recipe for homemade hard pretzels, which are my true true love, I was ecstatic. I NEED THESE NOW, I said to myself (there has been a lot of self-talk recently, apparently). I am a new woman and I want to eat all the snacks! I said. And so I got to work.

And by work, I mean I made a dough, let it rise, shaped it, poached it and baked it. All easy-peasy stuff, I promise you. And then it was pretzel magic bliss/put-a-big-pile-of-pretzels-on-a-plate-with-mustard-and-cheese-dip-and-eat-them time. A.K.A., snack time — NO, lunch time. And maybe also dinner time, but I’ll never tell.

overhead shot of homemade hard pretzel rods in a row

Tips for the Best Homemade Pretzels

A short but important note about these pretzels: They are poached for 15 seconds in a baking soda bath, much like a soft pretzel. BUTBUTBUT the important thing to note is that the baking soda is actually baked soda. And by baked soda, I mean it’s baking soda that has been baked in the oven at 250 degrees F for about an hour (there’s a note about this in the recipe below, FYI). It’s an easy prep task, but it’s important to make the bath more alkaline without having to use lye. That, combined with the brown sugar in the bath, is what will give these pretzels their true malty, hard pretzel-y flavor, so don’t skip it.

Have some flour, some yeast, some sugar, some salt and a serious hankering for a snack (oh um hai, that’s me always now, as evidenced above)? You’re on your way to homemade hard pretzel rod heaven. Don’t forget to bring a bucket I mean a bowl of cheese dip (or peanut butter!) with you.

homemade hard pretzel rods with mustard sauce

More Pretzel Recipes!

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homemade hard pretzel rods on a cutting board

Homemade Hard Pretzel Rods

★★★★★ 4.2 from 13 reviews
  • Author: Adapted from Serious Eats
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 35 mins
  • Yield: 24 pretzel rods 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Hard pretzel rods made from scratch! Perfectly salty, crunchy, dippable. Snack time will never be the same.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the dough:

  • 1 cup warm water (110 to 115°F), divided
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, divided
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the baking soda bath:

  • 8 cups water
  • 1/2 cup baked soda*
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For topping:

  • 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
  • 2 tablespoons pretzel salt or coarse sea salt

Instructions

  1. *NOTE: Baked soda is not another term for baking soda. It’s actually baking soda that has been baked, which provides a more alkaline boiling mixture so you don’t have to use traditional lye. To make baked soda, spread baking soda on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 250°F for 1 hour. That’s it!
  2. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. Add yeast and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes until slightly foamy.
  3. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, stir remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, both flours and salt until combined. Add yeast mixture and remaining 3/4 cup warm water; stir until a dough forms.
  4. Knead dough by hand on a lightly floured surface 5 to 10 minutes until smooth, satiny and elastic; OR, knead dough with dough hook attachment in stand mixer on medium speed 5 minutes until smooth, satiny and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with oil or cooking spray. Cover bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.
  5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down risen dough and divide into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a roughly 9-inch-long rod (about 1/4-inch wide) and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap or a lightweight kitchen towel and let rise 30 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Prepare the baking soda bath: In a large saucepan, bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add baked soda* and 1/4 cup brown sugar; stir to dissolve.
  7. Carefully drop a few dough rods into simmering bath. Poach 15 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and return to lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough rods.
  8. Brush tops of rods with egg wash, then sprinkle with salt. Bake 33 to 38 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until rods are a deep golden brown and hardened. Cool pretzels completely on pans.
  9. Fully cooled pretzel rods can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • Note that these pretzels will not be as hard and crunchy as store bought varieties. That said, they will still have a delightful, snappy crunch and slight chew, along with the classic pretzel flavors.
  • These pretzels taste best the day they are made. As is the case with most homemade pretzels, they will lose their traditional texture the next day and beyond — that said, they’ll still be tasty for up to 1 week.
  • To freeze: Fully cool fully baked pretzel rods. Transfer to a Ziploc bag, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Keywords: baking soda bath, pretzel salt, homemade pretzels, pretzel rods