Sally’s June 2026 Baking Challenges was Fluffy Cornbread Biscuits with the alternate being Pretzel Rolls. Sorry, but she had me a “PRETZEL!” I am a sucker for pretzels and these rolls are exceptional. (The biscuits will wait until late this week.)

I made a two changes to the recipe. When making pretzels I use baked baking soda. This converts the sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate, a stronger alkaline (higher pH) compound.

I also added malt powder (the same kind I used to use when brewing beer) to increase flavor, color and larger air bubbles in the pretzels.

Easy Pretzel Rolls – Sally

INGREDIENTS
• 360ml (1 ½ c) lukewarm water
• 7g (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
• 56g ( ¼ c; 4 Tbl) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 4690599g (3 ¾ to 4 ) all-purpose flour
• coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Baking Soda Bath
• 4 Tbl baked baking soda
• 1 Tbl light malt powder
• 9 cups water

METHOD

1. Whisk yeast and warm water together. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Meanwhile, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter (reserve the rest for step 7). Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook attached to a stand mixer until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4–1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger—if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
2. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
3. Rise: Place in a large greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a proofing oven for 1 hour or until nearly doubled in size.
4. Once risen, punch down dough to release any air bubbles. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into (900g ÷12) = 75g sections. You should have about 12 pieces. Shape into balls.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat OR line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
6. Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1–2 pretzel rolls into the boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel roll out of the water and allow excess water to drip off. Place pretzel rolls onto prepared baking sheet or close together in the baking pan.
7. Melt the remaining butter. Lightly brush each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Using a sharp knife, score a couple slits into the top of each.
8. Bake for 22–26 minutes or until deep golden brown on all sides.
9. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Pretzel rolls may be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 days (they lose a little softness over time).