Pretzel Buns

With the big game around the corner - and the planning of Super Bowl parties in full swing - I figure it’s about time for me to share my recipe for homemade pretzel rolls.

This pretzel bun recipe makes soft pretzel rolls, that are perfectly sized to act as mini hamburger buns.

Sure, you can use regular sandwich buns to make whatever kind of slider you’d like, but the distinct flavor of pretzel buns REALLY elevates a good burger, IMHO.

This original recipe started out as an altered version of my Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Soft Pretzel Bites, just adapted into a delicious sandwich roll.

Not only are these great as a base for cheeseburger sliders, they really take many different sandwiches to a whole other level.

Try them with homemade Back Bacon, Peameal Bacon, or Montreal Smoked Meat for a deliciously Canadian sandwich.

If you like smoky flavour, do up a batch of my Smoked Chicken Salad, or use some homemade Cold Smoked Mayo with your favourite deli meats.

If you’re not a purist, you can whip up a batch of Olive Salad and make a batch of bastardized Muffaletta Sandwich sliders.

(The bread is definitely not traditional for it, but still - it’s tasty!)

Ok with a bit of a mess? These make a fantastic base for Sloppy Joes!

... all great recipes, but only scratching the surface of the possibilities!

Let’s get to that recipe!

Ingredients

This pretzel slider buns recipe uses super simple ingredients - if you don’t already have them on hand, you can definitely find them in any grocery store.

A few notes for you:

Pretzel Dough Ingredients

This is a fairly traditional bagel dough recipe, needing only:

All purpose flour (You can use bread flour)
Light Brown Sugar
Active Dry Yeast
Unsalted Butter
Olive Oil (Or nonstick cooking spray)
Large Egg
Kosher salt

The Boil

Unlike my bagel recipes - which are generally boiled in sweetened water - pretzels are generally boiled in an alkaline solution.

For traditional pretzels, this usually involved water and lye, but I use a baking soda water bath.

Too many childhood memories of pioneer villages - and Lower Fort Garry - learning about soap making, to want to mess with lye.

Yes, I know it’s safe, yes, I know it’s an irrational fear. Oh well!

Anyway, the baking soda bath is what gives soft pretzels - or in this case, pretzel buns - the characteristic dark brown colour.

When baked goods brown in the oven, it’s because of the Maillard reaction, which is a chemical reaction between sugars and amino acids.

I’ll spare you the whole science lesson, but basically?

The baking soda solution = alkaline = speeds up the Maillard reaction = baked good gets much darker, much faster.

That’s a lot of words to say “if you want this to look at taste like pretzels, don’s skip the baking soda bath!”.

Coarse Salt

Here, we get into a bit of “do as I say, not as I do”.

I had a bit of bad luck when photographing this recipe, including burning the first batch.

Not when I made them - they turned out perfectly! - but when I forgot that I stored them in the oven, and preheated it for my next shoot.

Of COURSE that was before shooting them, AUGH!

So by my second batch, I was annoyed and a bit rattled, and determined for them to be perfect. I obsessed with getting the slashes exactly how I wanted them, and got them in the oven.

About 15 minutes later, I realized that I’d forgotten to salt the tops. OOF..

Anyway, Coarse Salt is a pretty standard topping for pretzels - and pretzel buns - and I definitely recommend doing it.

... I just forgot on this batch, and was NOT in the mood to make a 3rd batch that day!

How to Make Pretzel Slider Buns

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the visual walk through with detailed instructions.

Make the Dough

Combine warm water (just warm, not hot water!) with brown sugar, stir until sugar is almost dissolved.

Add yeast, stirring until incorporated. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until foamy.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add melted butter, stirring until well distributed.

Pour in yeast mixture, stirring until well combined.

Turn dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and, knead for a few minutes. You should have a a soft and smooth ball of dough.

Alternately, you can “knead” the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. I’ll run it on low speed for 5-7 minutes or so.

Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large, clean metal or glass bowl.

Place dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil.

Cover with plastic wrap, set aside in a warm place to let the dough rise for an hour or two, until doubled. (This is the first rise)

Assembly & Cooking

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dump dough out onto a clean work surface, divide into into 24 equal portions.

If you don’t end up with equal pieces the first time around, you can take bits from larger pieces to add to smaller pieces, to even it out..

Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball, placing each on a prepared pan - 12 each.

Allow dough balls to rise for another 10 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot - We’ll usually use about 3 quarts of water .

Add baking soda to the boiling water, stir until combined.

Turn heat down to keep the water at a simmer, and boil the rolls, about 5 at a time, for about a minute.

Gently stir as they boil, to ensure that the entire surface of each is in contact with the water at some point.

Use a slotted spoon remove the rolls from the water, allowing excess water to drip off before transferring each roll to a prepared baking sheet.

Use a sharp knife or razor blade to gently slash an “X” - or 2 very shallow slashes - into the top of a bun.

You want the cut to be really shallow, basically only cutting through the cooked “skin” that formed when boiling.

Repeat with remaining rolls, then generously sprinkle the tops with coarse salt.

Note: I completely forgot the salt on this batch! Do as I say, not as I do!

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Serving

Allow pretzel buns to cool to room temperature before cutting and using.

Leftover buns can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge until use.

Best reheated before serving - A microwave is fine, an air fryer will make them taste almost fresh from the oven again.

Pro tip: When working with sliders, I like to put condiments in Large Piping Bags, for easier application.

More “Capital B” Baking Recipes

Does the smell of yeast proofing just make you happy? Oh, I love the smell of it.

Anyway, if you’re looking for more excuses to bake something that involves waiting for rise times, here are a few more recipes for yeast breads ad related items!

Apple Cinnamon Buns
Basil, Roasted Red Pepper, & Asiago Bread Braid
Beer Pretzels & Jalapeno Jack Dip
Buffalo Chicken Buns
Chai Cinnamon Rolls
How to Make Bagels
Homemade Mini Bagels
Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Pretzel Bites
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Marble Rye Bagels
Paska - Ukrainian Easter Bread
Persians Recipe
Reuben Buns
Rye Bagels with Caraway Seeds
Sauerkraut Balls - Pyrizhky
Seeded Whole Wheat Flax Bagels
Smoky Cheese Bagels
Spinach Hand Pies
Strawberry Orange Rolls
Za'atar Manakish (With Cheese!)

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