Enjoy the taste of Auntie Anne's Pretzels at home with this easy copycat recipe. These soft pretzels are made to perfection and you'll love every chewy bite! Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
I don't buy from Aunt Annie's often, but honestly even though it's time consuming to make your own it's worth it, and you control the ingredients that go into your fresh homemade pretzels!
Whisk together 2 cups of warm water and the baking soda in a shallow dish. Dip the pretzels into the baking soda bath. Flip and dip the other side. Place the dipped pretzels onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should be able to fit 2 or 3 onto each baking sheet. Bake the pretzels for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.
If you don't have activated yeast, your dough will never proof correctly, and you'll end up with flat, hard pretzels. Once your yeast is fully activated, after allowing the warm water mixture to sit for about five minutes, it's time to continue making the dough for this copycat Auntie Anne's pretzels recipe. Turn the mixer on to medium-low speed.