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These Easy Pretzel Buns are soft and chewy inside with that classic golden pretzel crust, but you don’t have to make yeast dough from scratch: these start with frozen dinner rolls! This recipe is exactly the kind of semi-homemade shortcut I love: you get homemade results without doing all the work.
Semi-Homemade Pretzel Rolls Recipe
I grew up baking with mixes and shortcuts and I still 100% believe in using them when they make a recipe easier. Here, starting with prepared dough means you can skip measuring and activating yeast, but you still boil the rolls in a baking soda bath before baking. That step is what transforms these from ordinary frozen rolls into something that tastes like a homemade soft pretzel.
The key when using frozen dinner rolls is to let them rise until just under doubled (not huge and puffy), or they can collapse during boiling. Once baked, Easy Pretzel Rolls are great as dinner rolls, slider buns, sandwich rolls! With that chewy crust and soft center, they’re just as good as homemade pretzels.
3 Ingredient Pretzel Rolls
- Frozen dinner rolls are the base of the recipe. Brands such as Rhodes, Sister Schubert’s, or Pepperidge farm all work well.
- Baking soda is the ingredient that sets apart pretzels from bread. Boiling pretzel dough in a baking soda bath gives pretzels that brown color and unique flavor, and is easier than using lye.
- Before baking, top these with coarse salt or pretzel salt and it’ll stick to the buns when in the oven.
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Dorothy’s Expert Tips
- When rising your pretzel rolls, if you turn on the oven and leave the pan on top of the stove the heat will actually reduce the rising time significantly. It’s a trick that can make the whole process swifter.
- Use a big pot when doing a baking soda bath; the water will bubble up a lot when you add the baking soda to the boiling water and you want it to have room to do so.
- For an extra golden touch you can brush the rolls with egg wash or melted butter before baking.
- These are best the day they’re made but will last in an airtight container for a few days. They might get a little soggy on top where the salt is, so pop them in the air fryer to crisp up.
Easy Pretzel Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Using frozen dinner rolls:
- 12 frozen dinner rolls, such as Rhodes
- 10 cups water
- ¾ cup (201g) baking soda
- Coarse pretzel sea, or kosher salt
Instructions
- Note that different brands of frozen rolls might have different thaw/rise times. Check the back of your package.
- Place your frozen rolls evenly spaced in a 9×13-inch pan or on a cookie sheet. (Make sure they have space to grow but won’t touch each other.) Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until thawed and just under doubled in size. Try not to let them puff too much or they will collapse when boiling. Just doubled is perfect.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add baking soda to the water. It will boil up when you add it, so it’s important you leave room in your pot. Boil the rolls, 4-5 at a time depending on your pot size, for 1 minute on each side. Drain with a slotted spoon and place evenly spaced on your baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 9-13 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Soft Pretzels from Dinner Rolls
- Don’t over-proof the frozen rolls. They’ll need to thaw (about an hour) and then rise (about an hour). If they get too puffy, they’ll collapse.
- The water should be a full boil when you add the baking soda; it’ll bubble up.
- Only cook a few at a time so the water stays hot.
- Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Add salt before baking so it sticks.
FAQs
The biggest difference between pretzel dough and regular dough is how it’s prepared. The dough itself is the same, but pretzels are boiled in baking soda before they are baked which give them that unique texture, color, and crunch!
The best way to keep pretzel rolls fresh is to store them in the fridge and in an airtight container. You don’t have to keep them cold, but it helps them last a bit longer.
Store pretzel rolls in an airtight container, or in a ziplock bag. This way, they will stay fresh for up to three days. They might lose a bit of softness but they will still be very yummy and a good texture.
You can definitley freeze pretzel buns the keep them fresh for longer, store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer.
I do need yo buns in my life! LOL!!!!! These are seriously so freakin’ fabulous!!! Soft pretzels are amazing and now I can have pretzel rolls in 10 minutes? I want to kiss you! Which makes this the most awkward comment…with the whole buns sentence too. 🙂
Just pulled a batch out of the oven. They are warm, soft, and so very yummy! Growing up in Philly pretzel venders were everywhere. They should add these to their carts! Thanks for yet another great recipe.
I really do love homemade pretzels, but you are right, they seriously take like half a day! You are now my hero. These are just fabulous Dorothy!
Pretzel buns get me every single time! I can’t stop eating them either! These are perfection!
I love the shortcut….makes this recipe beyond easy. Actually, way too easy 🙂 I was recently in an airport, long layover, time killed at the bar and then Auntie Anne’s pretzels was calling my name so hard 🙂 Couldn’t resist those carbs. LOL Pinned!
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