Pumpkin Spice Soft Pretzels

4.91 from 11 votes

Pumpkin Spice Soft Pretzels

These Pumpkin Spice Soft Pretzels have fluffy spiced pumpkin dough with the classic exterior bite and chew you're searching for in a soft pretzel. They get coated in pumpkin spice sugar, making these the perfect fall twist on a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Rise Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: pretzels

Calories: 482kcal

Author: Callan Wenner

Equipment

Digital thermometer
Large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Bench scraper (optional, but helpful)
Large baking sheets (2)
Parchment paper
Pastry brush

Ingredients

1 cup water warmed to 110℉
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup pure pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter soft room temperature
¼ cup baking soda
8 cups water
½ cup butter melted (salted or unsalted)
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pretzel Dough

Add the yeast and brown sugar to the 110℉ water and gently mix. Allow to stand for 5 minutes so the yeast can begin to feed. It will look frothy by this point.
1 cup water, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Note: If it is not frothy after 5-10 minutes, the yeast may be too old, or the water was not the correct temperature. I suggest starting over.
Add in the salt, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree and mix. Add in about half of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Using your fingers, pinch off small bits of the softened butter and scatter on top of the dough. Lightly mix to incorporate (any extra chunks will blend in while kneading).
½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup pure pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 cups all-purpose flour
Add in the remaining flour and mix with your spoon. Once it becomes difficult to stir and incorporate the flour, switch to your hands and incorporate in the flour from the bottom of the bowl.
Using extra flour, dust your work surface generously and turn the dough out onto it. Begin kneading, adding more flour as anything begins to stick, and continue kneading for about 5-7 minutes. The dough will become soft and pliable and will hold a slight indent when a finger is gently poked into it.
Grease a large mixing bowl with a small amount canola or olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Lightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise and double in size. This can take anywhere from 30-90 minutes.
Once risen, heat up your water so it’s almost boiling and ready when you have your pretzels shaped. Preheat the oven to 450℉ and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
8 cups water
Once doubled in size, punch down the dough a few times, then turn out onto your surface and form it into a rectangle. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and separate them from each other.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it on your work surface with the palms of both hands into a 20-30 inch log. I typically aim for 25 inches. Roll from the middle and move outwards. Lightly flour your hands if it feels difficult to roll and get traction.
Form the dough into a “U” shape, crisscross the top, then wrap them again the same way you originally crossed them. Lay the ends down just over the bottom, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. To move the pretzels into the water bath, pick them up from the bottom. You'll have the left and right bottom cross sections in between your pointer and middle fingers of each hand.

Water Bath

Add the baking soda to the boiling water and stir. Add the pretzels one at a time to the water bath and allow to boil for 30 seconds (be sure to submerge it about halfway through).
¼ cup baking soda
Remove from the water using a large slotted spoon, spatula, or spider and transfer back to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the pretzels.

Baking

Bake the pans in the middle racks of the oven for 12-14 minutes, switching racks halfway through. The pretzels should be rather browned on top when done. While the pretzels are cooling, prepare the butter and sugar.

Coating the Pretzels

Melt the butter in one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and pumpkin spice.
½ cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
When the pretzels are cool enough to handle, brush both sides with butter, then coat them completely in the pumpkin spice sugar mixture.

Notes

These are best eaten fresh, but can be stored, covered, for up to 3 days. Before eating, reheat at 350℉ for 5 minutes.

If you don’t plan to eat them the same day you make them, skip the butter and sugar step until you’re ready to eat them, and follow the same reheating steps before coating them in butter and sugar.

I always like to use Libby's brand pumpkin puree. They use 100% pure pumpkin (some other brands incorporate squash), and have a lower water content than other brands I've used.

Nutrition