It started with a burger. You see, a while back I met a friend for lunch at Kuma’s Corner, which has become a bit of a legend in Chicago. With good reason. The food is fantastic but the environment is something else – a heavy metal bar with an amazing beer list that serves some awesome burgers. The music is loud, the servers are wonderfully tattooed and the wait is crazy long. But the food, oh dang that food. These are the burgers of your dreams. (I am particularly fond of the Iron Maiden – oooh my.) If you haven’t been to Kuma’s, you should go. Right now. I’m serious.
What I really love is that these beauties are served on pretzel rolls. Oh, pretzel rolls where have you been all my life?? After that first visit, I couldn’t stop thinking about the damn rolls. They’re chewy, sturdy, a little salty and a little sweet. The perfect foil to a messy juicy burger and the magic that holds it all together.
to shape – start pinching
Since then, I’ve had a bit of an obsession with pretzel rolls, pretzel bread, soft pretzels and the whole damn pretzel family. I would snap them up every time I saw them, which wasn’t often. In fact, I found them so infrequently that I decided just to make them myself. Easier said than done. Major disappointments followed. I couldn’t quite get the right flavor, the right texture, the right chew. It was frustrating but I started seeing more pretzel bread around – in restaurants, local bakeries, sometimes in grocery stores – so I put the project on the back burner. Yet it nagged at me that I hadn’t yet mastered the stupid thing.
the bottom of the roll
It only took one stale roll to light the fire again. I mean really now Trader Joe’s, Trader Gioco, Trader Jose or whatever you call yourself. You can’t stock fresh bread? Even with a 2 buck price tag, we’re supposed to accept sub-par product? Hell, no. I can do it better. Game on.
I sat down in earnest and poured over my many cookbooks. Peter Reinhart’s recipe, while I adore the man, didn’t quite cut it. Nor did a few others. I raised my wooden spoon and hollered in frustration “to the internet!” As often happens with the world-wide web, I found too much information. So I started whittling recipes down, referring to my notes from previous batches and just started baking. I knew what I was looking for. There had to be some kind of sweetener in the dough, possibly honey but more likely regular ‘ol sugar. A little fat too, likely butter. There had to be some boiling/poaching action going on in some sort of soda solution for that telltale mahogany crust and distinctive chew. It was also vital that I used authentic pretzel salt. Well, vital to me. I’m certain kosher or a good flaky sea salt would work too but I wanted the iconic look of those coarse grains. Two clicks and a 1 pound bag was on the way. What did we do before the internet?
the finished roll, nice & smooth
Then I found it …. Alton Brown, of course, had it all figured out. Just reading the recipe, I knew this was it. I should’ve checked in with him earlier in all his dorky food science goodness. His recipe was for traditional twisty pretzels but I was certain I was onto to something here. I wanted rolls – delicious, chewy rolls for delicious, chewy sandwiches. I tweaked a few things here and there and viola! The pretzel rolls I had been searching for. In fact, they’re better than the ones I’d been buying. Score one for the Polish girl!
I usually make these in my stand mixer with the dough hook but if I’m feeling particularly lazy or time challenged, I’ll pull out my cursed bread machine. This colossal monstrosity was a gift from a clueless Ex that I never use but can’t seem to throw/give away because I keep thinking maybe someday I’ll understand this bread machine fascination people seem to have. Hasn’t happened yet. I basically own a heated mixer with a timer that takes up a ton of space. Yippee.
poaching ever so gently
The key thing to getting nice pretty rolls is to shape them correctly. It’s easy once you get the hang of it. Take a piece of dough (I like 2-ounce chunks) and according to Fine Cooking magazine, you should “stretch the top of the dough ball while simultaneously sealing and pinching the bottom. The stretching helps the dough hold up to the expansion that occurs in the oven, while the sealing prevents the roll from opening up while baking and becoming wrinkled and doughy on the bottom.” Plus it makes them pretty. Fine Cooking has a lovely picture tutorial on this as I couldn’t get decent photos of the process myself – you know, with only two hands and all.
poached vs non-poached
Now then, poaching is really important to get the right color and texture – much like a really good bagel. Do not skip this step. I have measurements in the recipe but in actuality, I just put a pot of water on to boil and dump some baking soda in without measuring. A healthy shake and plop of the stuff does the trick. I was curious what would happen if I didn’t poach so I purposely left one little roll out of the bath. It was awful – pale, crusty with none of the distinctive chew. It was a plain old roll and a boring one at that. Amazing what that a little NaHCO3 can do.
Restaurants and bakeries typically use lye or caustic soda for the poaching liquid. I once worked in a restaurant where we had to hide the caustic soda from the health department because we didn’t have the proper permits to store the stuff. Frightening don’t you think? I’m told you can find lye in the hardware store if you want to try that (please do some research first) but buying an ingredient at Home Depot just seems odd to me. So I stick with baking soda – readily available, cheap, harmless and probably in your cupboard right now.
UPDATE 6/10: Some concerned readers have pointed out that food grade lye must be used here; not the stuff found in hardware stores which can contain arsenic and other undesirable and potentially toxic substances. Duly noted and if you read what I’ve written, not what I recommend anyway. Use baking soda.
Another tip is to egg wash the entire roll, then sprinkle with salt THEN slash the tops. That way, during baking you’ll get that nice white slash on the top of each roll. I know, genius.
I finally got my act together to post this recipe after many requests (mainly from my family – alright already!) After all, it has been my header photo since this blog started nearly a year ago so I suppose I should tell you how to make them. That and fact that my pal Dan over at waffleizer beat me to it by posting waffled pretzels using my recipe. That really kicked me into gear. (Check out his post – it’s pretty funny!)
a few demi-baguettes too
This recipe is a little on the futzy side but the results are fantastic. Though they’re always better fresh, the rolls also freeze really well – pop extras in a Ziploc bag, rewarm in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel. If they do go stale, slice thinly and dry out completely to make awesome bread crumbs. I made some pretzel crumb coated fried chicken that was pretty fantastic. Ummmm, may have to make that again.
STRESS BAKING THERAPY FACTOR: 5 GOLDEN RINGS! These are easily one of the top 5 best things I make. Hands down. Sure the recipe makes 18-ish but you’ll eat three right out of the oven you know, for research, so plan accordingly. Serve some sandwiches up on these, or god forbid a burger, and people will lose their minds. I kid you not. I guarantee it. Slide some leftover easter ham and a platter of these beauties across the table and hot damn, you are the Kitchen God/Goddess of the Universe. I’m telling you, pretty special stuff here. Plus there’s something so … so therapeutic in bread baking. Frustrations are kneaded out, the house smells fantastic and you have a warm vehicle for melty butter and sticky honey. Um, hello. This is stress relief baking of the highest order.
UPDATE 4/2010: Hey look! I took this dough and made something else wonderful … pretzel dogs! Pretty stinkin’ delicious if I do say so.
YUM!
PRETZEL ROLLS
Makes 18 rolls (adapted from an Alton Brown recipe)
If you use a bread machine, dump the dough ingredients in the order listed and hit the “dough” cycle – my machine does the whole cycle in 1½ hours – then pick up at the shaping step and proceed with the recipe. If you don’t feel like getting pretzel salt then kosher salt or a large grain sea salt like Maldon will work. Just don’t use table salt. Ick.
for the dough:
1 ½ cups warm water (110°F or comfortably warm to the touch)
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (1 package) – not quick rise yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
for the poaching & glazing:
1/4 cup baking soda
large saucepan of water
1 egg, lightly beaten
pretzel salt
- for the dough: Combine the water and the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and let rest 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add the remaining ingredients (sugar, flour, salt, butter) and mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined, the dough comes together and is rather silky – but not sticky – to the touch.
- first rise: Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
- Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
- shaping: Cut the dough into 18 pieces, roughly 2 ounces each. (Or really any size you wish, keeping in mind that you’re going to have to poach them in the baking soda solution so they need to fit into your pan. A large slim baguette would be wonderful but how are you going to poach the thing?)
- To shape, take a piece of dough and start forming a nice round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal. By doing this, you’re creating a smooth skin around the dough ball.
- Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand. This takes some practice.
- Space evenly on the prepared sheet pans, pinched seam side down, leaving at least 1” between each roll.
- second rise: Cover with a tea towel or a light film of plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions.
- poaching: In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil.
- Add the baking soda and lower heat to a simmer.
- Carefully slip the rolls into the poaching liquid, seam side down.
- Poach for 30 seconds then carefully turn the roll over in the liquid.
- Poach other side for 30 seconds then remove with a spider or slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pans, seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining rolls, leaving at least 1” between rolls for baking.
- glaze: With a pastry brush, glaze each roll completely with the lightly beaten egg making sure to coat all sides completely.
- Top each roll with a sprinkle of pretzel salt.
- With a sharp straight edged knife, cut a slash or “X” in the top of each roll.
- bake: Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking – top to bottom, front to back – for even browning.
- Cool completely (try to resist snatching one or two while warm. I double dog dare you.)
- Rolls are best eaten on day of baking (most especially when warm with a little butter) but they store pretty well in the freezer, tightly wrapped. Reheat in a damp paper towel for 30 seconds in the microwave.
STRESSCAKE 
Finally! I must have these now. Any leftovers coming our way? Or can you come over tomorrow? You know I can’t bake a thing… you are sooooo needed by your needy friend.
Brilliant! These sound SO GOOD. Totally adorable too.
wow – thank you for this talked through and easy to follow recipe! I lived in Switzerland where these were common fare, but in the UK they are scarce! I always wondered how these bread rolls were made now I know and I can make them myself! yay!
sure thing! They’re sort of scarce here in the US too which I don’t get. They’re delicious so you think you’d see them more. There’s a money idea in there somewhere.
I am SO EXCITED that you finally posted this recipe! I am so making them this weekend! Yippee!
Enjoyed your post and I also LOVE pretzel rolls. I posted about AB’s recipe in Feb. and I’ve made those amazing pretzels several times since then. Now you’ve gone and kicked me into gear to turn them into rolls. We love turkey sandwiches on pretzel rolls but you can’t find the rolls around here anywhere. Duh! I can make them! : ) Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Here’s my link if you want to take a peek:
http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/soft-pretzels/
I love this! The best part about reading this is that I was at Kuma’s for my bday yesterday (found two seats at the bar after waiting for 10 mins, score!) and had the Iron Maiden!!! I heart Kuma’s and try to go as often as humanly possible!!! And even w/ finding a recipe for pretzel rolls to make sandwiches on won’t keep me from going, but it’ll sure help me satisfy those pretzel roll cravings! Thanks!
Finally!! These things are fantastic. If I can make them…anyone can turn out a really great pretzel roll. They may not look as pretty as these but ohhh are they good. Salami, a good mustard and a “made by your own little hand’s” pretzel roll…yum.
I made these last night, they are amazing! I posted my results on Craftster if you’re interested (mine didn’t come out as pretty as yours, but they were delicious):
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=342305.0
Thanks for the great recipe!
What are you talking about Manny? These look great! Nice work. Um, how many are left this morning?
March 21 is my birthday, so thanks for the great present it’s JUST what I wanted! When I first came across your blog a few months ago I conducted an exhaustive search of the entire thing looking for the recipe to match the header. I have a thing for bread, I love it, I can’t get enough of it, and pretzels are probably my favorite form. Thank you for making my day!
I totally love the idea of using these as hamburger buns but topping them with my favorite pretzel dips. You could even chop up some jalapenos to add to the dough, slice up the rolls and serve around a bowl of homemade queso at a party. Better yet, use the dough to wrap around a hot dog or chicken sausage! They used to serve those at the t-ball field concession stand when I was little. The possibilities are endless.
well happy birthday lauren! Yeah, it took me a while to get around to photographing the process. I’ve made these several times since I shot the header but something was never right – the lighting, no camera, the middle of the night, etc. LOVE the idea of making pretzel dogs. Gotta get to that one of these days as I think it will be awesome.
Oh I am so excited to make these!!
Oh please come up with a recipe for pretzel dogs. One of my absolute favorite snacks and I can’t find them ready made anymore. By the way those mini baquettes are gorgeous. Is the baking time differant?
The demi baguettes took maybe a few minutes more but just as easy. I’m thinking I will try out a few pretzel dogs next time. Where did you have them? I’ve only seen bagel dogs but a pretzel dog sounds damn fine.
Just in time to go with my honey baked ham for Easter. Ooh happy, happy me!!
I’d never seen pretzel rolls until a Wegman’s market opened up near me. They TRY to sell them but I have never seen them NOT sold out of the things!
Oh, and I so GOTTA try the burger. That sounds ridiculous.
I made this yesterday and they turned out great! Yours look much prettier with the pretzel salt, that’s for sure, but the kosher salt gave it a nice taste. Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Oh excellent! Pretty tasty, aren’t they?
“A large slim baguette would be wonderful but how are you going to poach the thing? ”
What else would you use that fish shaped poaching pan for?
I’m with you! Of COURSE the fish poacher is best used to poaching a pretzel baguette. Makes perfect sense. I’ll have to dig that unopened box out and give it a whirl one of these days.
You probably won’t get this in time, but I have a question about making these this weekend. On days when I do a lot of cooking (like, maybe, Easter), I often try to mod whatever fresh bread I’m making to use less yeast and do an overnight rise (that way, all I have to do is shape and bake (and, in this case, poach) on the day I’m serving.
It doesn’t save a huge amount of time, but especially since I’m going to be using my kitchenaid for making toasted coconut ice cream (new recipe – very excited), I don’t want to overlap with the bread. If you’re familiar with the overnight rise, do you think that method would work with these?
If you don’t know, I’ll probably try it anyway and let you know how it goes, but I thought if you’ve used this process, you might have some suggestions!
Thanks!!! Happy Easter!
Hey Robin! Lucky thing I was updating with a new quickie post just this morning when your comment popped up. I haven’t done an overnight rise with this dough but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Give it a shot and report back. I’ve done it with similar doughs for sweet buns and of course, rustic breads so why not? Give it a whirl! Do you have a bread machine? That works too if you’re tight on space/equipment. Just throw everything in and set the dough cycle. Probably will take 1 1/2 hrs.
Well, the overnight pretzel rolls were a smashing success (although I forgot to put the salt on – grr!).
I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, mixed it with the dry ingredients, and then added the liquids. Once the dough became silky and smooth, I put it an oiled bowl and left it in the fridge overnight.
On Easter day, I pulled it out of the fridge and followed the rest of your recipe as is. They were declared a huge success even without the salt.
They were absolutely delicious but there were two problems with them. One I identified easily enough – the bottoms were a bit soggy. I don’t have a spider so I used a slotted spoon to remove the rolls from the water and I think some of it pooled around the bottom of the rolls – next time I’ll blot around them with a paper towel.
The other “problem” is that they didn’t come out looking as smooth as yours – they ended up a bit wrinkly. I’m not sure what caused that. They went into the water looking gorgeous but came out looking kind of pruny. I thought maybe they’d smooth out again in the oven but they didn’t.
Even the ones with soggy bottoms were gobbled though so, all in all, I can’t wait to make them again. I think these were some of the best rolls I’ve ever made! The dough, by the way, is utterly delightful – I wanted to keep a piece out just to play with! 🙂
Anyway, thanks so much for the post – these were so good, I can’t wait to make them again (I’m liking the idea of mini baguettes).
Excellent! Robin – thanks for reporting back – good to know an overnight rise works so well. They’re not always the most convenient of things to make and really are best just after you make them. And they are tasty little suckers.
I’ve haven’t had a soggy problem. Draining well would certainly help but I’ve never had to blot them. Question – did you use parchment paper to line the pans? That’s what I’ve always used and it may blot of some of that excess moisture.
As for wrinkling, sometimes they come out of the poaching a little wrinkled but smooth out during baking. The one time they didn’t smooth out completely was when I over-proofed the rolls, i.e. forgot about them during the second rise. I suspect there wasn’t enough juice left in the yeast to give them that final poof in the oven, aka oven spring. I wonder if cutting the yeast back by half affected this. In fact, I wonder if you have to cut the yeast back at all for a cold proof …? Hmmm, something else to try 🙂 Also, I’ve had better success using regular active dry yeast for overnight proofs rather than the quick rise stuff. Something about the quick rise yeast doesn’t always work out so well … it starts with a bang and then peeters out.
Thanks for this awesome post. I did the overnight cold rise as well and made these for my german christmas eve feast. I used the entire amount of yeast and did the 1st rise as the cool rise overnight. Then knead, shape, and let the 2nd rise at room temp (or slightly warmer) (heated oven to 150 then turned it off. About 10-15 mins later used the oven as my room temp rising space (as it was a 50 degree day and house wasn’t too warm). They turned out amazing! I loved them so much and so did my husband, son, and dinner guests. My husband just asked today when I am going to make more. I wil have to try freezing them as when I put them in an airtight bag overnight they got a bit soggy the next day. But reheated in the toaster oven helped fix that a bit. Thanks again- you did a great job writing and composing this post to make it simple and easy to use!
Somehow I stumbled upon this awesome blog through @sustainablecook on Twitter and can not explain how excited I am to read through all your posts, especially this one!
First- Love, Love, Love pretzels rolls can not wait to try this recipe!
Second- I have tried to get to Kuma’s multiple times, but like you said that wait is insane and have not had luck yet. I have however been to LaBriola in Oak Brook which has the Richie burger and is said to rival Kuma’s if not be better. They also sell their pretzel bread in baquettes, hamburger or hot dog buns. I highly recommend it if you ever take a trip out to the burbs.
Keep the great ideas and recipes coming in the mean time!
Hey there, I just wanted to let you know that I made these again this last weekend. I’m fairly sure the wrinkle problem was due to letting them over-proof – I didn’t have that problem this time around!
I had used parchment paper last time but I had still ended up with tiny puddles around the rolls. I had just expected them to boil off but, of course, the rolls sat in it for a while so I think that caused the sogginess last time. This time, I went out and bought a spider and used IT instead of a slotted spoon (which still brings a lot of water away with it). No puddles and no sogginess.
They were a hit last time with the wrinkles, sogginess, and forgotten salt. This time, with their nice smooth salty finish, and chewiness all around, I had people having food-gasms all over the place. I made a mustard-y egg salad, and some chicken salad to go with and I couldn’t have dreamed up anything better!
Thanks again for the recipe – it’s now in the permanent rotation!
YEAH! So glad they turned out even better this time! Thanks for reporting back.
About the poaching, here’s my two cents: Not only does it sound weird to buy ingredients at the Home Depot, it would be dangerous as well. The caustic soda that you can buy there is for draining clogged pipes. Normally this stuff contains considerable amounts of arsenic and mercury. Also, you need to set precautions in place for handling Sodium Hydroxide which exceed the capabilities of home bakers. So yes, stay with the harmless baking soda, which is a very good substitute.
Hey Dieter – thanks for the input. The home depot reference was for lye, which is typically what’s used for boiling bagels and pretzels as a mild solution. Not for caustic soda – the restaurant where I worked obtained that from a specialized source and had the necessary precautions in place. And yes, please do everyone, use baking soda.
Do you really need a dough hook/bread machine/whatever to make these? I don’t have any of those fancy baking tools… Can I just mix by hand? Please tell me I can, I really, really want to make these. Thanks!
Oh hell yes you can do these by hand! Just hang in there and knead everything really really well – you want to develop that gluten and with a mixer you just turn it on and let it go. By hand, you need to work it. It will be extremely satisfying.
I bet that will just make the stress relief factor go up! I’m thinking of making a batch for my mom for mothers day, because she loves big soft pretzels and home made bread.
Found your site and make these today. Some round for sandwiches, some long for hot dogs and a few wrapped around partially cooked sausages for sausage rolls. All were a big hit. Thanks for the recipe and technique!
I made these last night and they were so good! My husband and I kept splitting them and ended up eating about four between us while they were still hot. It was so amazing when they really tasted like pretzels! I brushed mine with butter instead of an egg wash. I’m going to put one in the toaster oven with some cheese in it today.
No more normal bread, pretzels every day! I can’t wait till my little cousins come to visit. They’re going to be so amazed when I tell them we can make our own soft pretzels.
Whoa, get the part where you can get the lye at home depot outta there. It has a ton of arsenic and other bad stuff in it. You have to buy food grade or hospital grade lye from a chemical supply house only.
Duly noted. You’ll notice I recommend using baking soda.
Hi! I tried this recipe last night and it tasted awesome! I cannot wait to make these again! I do have a few questions if you have a chance: (1) my rolls didn’t puff up as nicely as yours did. They were a little flat; could this be due to the yeast not being too bubbly when i started the dough? And (2) the rolls came out a bit soft, but browned, on the sides towards the bottom. Could this be because there was not enough eggwash? The tops were perfectly crispy and browned.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh excellent! So let’s see … regarding the flat rolls, my best guess is that they were a tad overproofed which means they rose a little too much and your yeast didn’t have enough oomph in the oven. Did you use “Active Dry” or “Quick Rise” yeast? I have the best results with the active dry but if you use quick, they’ll rise faster so just let them go on the first rise until the dough is doubled then on the 2nd rise until they’re nice and puffed. As for question #2, yes it does sound like you may have just egg washed the top. Usually i have the brush in one hand and kind of cup the roll with my other so that I can feel the egg wash to make sure the roll is fully covered. If it’s not covered, it’s not going to brown. Give it another whirl and let me know how it goes. Read the other comments too … I’ve troubleshot some other things with folks that may give some additional insight. thanks!
Hi,
I made these today, and they are fabulous! Thanks so much for the recipe. There’s nothing like homemade breads – you have inspired me!
Oh yeah! Aren’t they fantastic?! So glad you enjoyed the whole process…now go forth and bake
Hi! This is an amazing post!!! Love your pics, links and explanations!!! I am German (off the boat) and can confirm that your recipe is as authentic as it gets!
I too have a blog on here and I make pretzel rolls pretty much like yours. Instead of posting my recipe, I was wondering if you would allow me to have the link to your posting (and blog) on mine. It will save me a lot of time and effort. Why post it when you did such a great job with yours!
Let me know if you would mind – you did a fantastic job!!! Thanks so much for posting.
Why thank you. That’s very kind. Feel free to link away
We had bbq pulled pork on a pretzel roll at a little country market this past weekend and absolutely fell in love with the whole messy thing. We thought we should start making them at home but had never heard of pretzel rolls before. The market is willing to sell them (pre-ordered the day before), but since it is 90 minutes from our house it’s not very practical.
I’m so glad you posted this (especially the detailed instructions and pictures). I’ve never baked bread before but I’m going to give this a try.
I made these the other day, they were wonderful. Thank you so much for your recipe! 🙂
Thank you for posting this recipe! I had my first pretzel roll a year or two ago at one of those gas-station-mini-mart monstrosities. It was remarkably good, and I knew immediately that if they were that good coming from a gas station, the real deal would be a slice of heaven.
Sure enough, last weekend I found “real” pretzel rolls at an authentic German butcher on Long Island (Forest Pork Store). They were even better than I had imagined.
My point: if you have not had a pretzel roll *please* do yourself a favor and take the time to make these. They are that good.
Just made these for the second time, they are delicious.
Any tips on how to get them from the cookie sheet to the poaching water without making them all mishapen. Ther must be a trick to it as yours look perfectly shapen.
Thanks
Roy
p.s. Great Blog
Don’t despair; I’ve made some really ugly ones too. Those get eaten first. Usually I have them rise on parchment then kind of use the paper to help flip them onto my hand ever so gently then ease them into the poaching water. They’re sturdier than you expect. The key too is not to let them overproof or they’ll come out of the poaching all wrinkley which indicated they’ve deflated a bit.
I just came back from a 9 day cruise and now look like one of these little pretzel balls. YUM My sister and took plates of them back to our room to munch on when ever the mood struck which was often. I love these little babies. thx for the recipe.
Love these little balls of heaven. I am always eating pretzels of every form ..but will kill for pretzel rolls.
Made them a few weeks ago..and it must have been my yeast but I found them yeasty…Fluffy, perfect texture I even had the pretzel salt saved it from a box of frozen pretzels…but they tasted yeasty.
So I was wondering what brand of yeast you use? I used Hodgson hill active dry yeast.
If I am not careful I will be making them every other day I cannot live with out pretzel rolls!!!
I could Hug you to death for posting this recipe.
The only place I used to get them was a bake shop now defunct called the Glendale Bakeshop from Glendale NYC. The only other place that has them now is often out by the time I get there.
I use Red Star yeast. I think. Truth be told, I’m not too sure as I bought a massive bag for a few bucks at Costco and it now lives in a Ziploc in my freezer. But I think it’s Red Star. No matter. What I think happened was your dough overproofed, contributing that yeasty flavor. Try cutting down the time a bit on the first rise and see if that corrects it.
Thanks a billion…and love ya to death for these. And will follow the suggestion
I have made these pretzel rolls numerous times much to the delight of my family. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I cheat and use the bread machine and love it…allows me to make them more often.
Made these tonight for the first time, with the assistance of my 12-year-old. The rolls came out fantastic. I’m excited because this means I won’t have to make a twice a week trip to the far-away grocery store to get these now that I know how to make my own. Delicious and beautiful to boot!
yeah! I love to hear this. They’re really not that hard and so very worth any effort.
I tried your recipe and a bunch of others b/c I LOVE pretzel rolls, but I have yet to get them right, sadly. I always have the same problem — the water bath step. I bake bread all the time, so I know my dough is OK. Usually, I end up with too dense malformed messes when I pull them from the water bath. Am I leaving them in the water too long, or what? I so want to try again and have them come out as beautiful as yours, but am hesitating. Any tips?? Thanks.
Well let’s see. Two questions first: how long are you letting them rise after shaping and then how long is your poach? Oh, and are they wrinkley or smooth after baking? Usually I find that if I’ve over-proofed them – let them rise too long – after shaping, they tend to collapse a bit during the water bath leading to a dense roll. This usually happens when I’m not paying attention. As for the poaching, they shouldn’t be in there more than 30 secs per side, tops. And they will be a little wrinkled out of the bath but not a lot. Digging that your daughter is into it. Very cool.
Can’t wait to give these a try. I’ve been fortunate enough to get Labriola bread fresh from his bakery in Alsip as well was have the burger on the menu in Oak Brook. My daughter is mad for his pretzel bread and I think this will fit the bill. I’ve been dreaming of pretzel burgers for quite sometime and with this nice weather today I really want to grill.
Thank you for sharing your recipe and story!
Made these and they aren’t as good looking as yours, we love them. I’m going to poach them longer next time so they can be darker. Thank you!!
I wouldn’t poach longer, as they tend to collapse and get wrinkled. For a darker roll, just bake longer. But maybe that’s what you meant. It is Monday afterall.
This is my first attempt, I’m jumping for joy. They are in the oven as I type. Your directions were right on!!!! I simply can’t thank you enough as these will soon be a staple at our house. My daughter is home from college and took a picture of me standing by the oven, I was so excited.
Yeah! Glad everything made sense. How’d they turn out?
I was just on a cruise last week and spotted these at the lunch buffet. I’ve never seen a pretzel roll before, but couldn’t imagine what else they could have been. I am a Philly girl, but been in Florida for over 30 years now. I ate one immediately with mustard of course and thought I had won the lottery! When we got back from our trip, I decided to look up pretzel rolls on the internet and found your website…can’t wait to try them…I immediately called my mom and brother and they are very excited too since they have never heard or seen these either!
I must be doing something wrong. Ive now followed this recipe detail for detail and they arent turning out as I had hoped. It all happens when I poach them. They become wrinkly and dont maintain the smooth baked roll surface as pictured in this post.
I also am not having the rolls bake up through the slashes Ive made on the tops of the rolls that gives them their look and texture. The Rolls taste great but am looking for some help with the presentation and look of the rolls. ANY HELP?? Thanks!
OK, hang in there and don’t get discouraged! I get this comment once in a while and the culprit is likely overproofing. So that 2nd rise, just before poaching, cut it a little shorter next time. The time in the recipe is more of a suggestions because a lot of it depends on the various conditions, namely how warm the area is where they’re rising. You want them to be roughly doubled in size before you poach. So what is probably happening is, your rolls are rising and the yeast is nearly at or past it’s peak. With a little more heat from the poaching liquid and again the oven (aka the “ovenspring”), they’ve lost that last little bit of “oomph” from the yeast and sort of collapse a bit – hence the wrinkles and lack of “push thru” in the oven. Make sense? Give that a whirl and let me know how it works.
Thanks for posting this recipe!! I made it this week & they turned out pretty well for my first try. I had a little trouble keeping them in perfect form when I transferred them to the poaching water & they didn’t quite come out as dark as yours…but still a success! I will def make them again & probably not let them rise for too long on the 2nd rise as you suggested above. I did leave them sitting in there for over 30 mins thinking it wouldn’t hurt, but apparently it had its consequences. I want to make the pretzel dogs next 😀
I cannot thank you enough for this article!
It was one of the first that came up in a search for “Pretzel Roll recipe,” and is truly chock-full of helpful info, especially regarding the shaping…
Dear Stresscake,
Thank you for publishing this and affirming the culinary dorkiness of Alton Brown. I have this on my mind since I tried Leona’s Burgers in Chicago last weekend. Bake these I shall tonight.
hello! i just wanted to say that, inspired by the gorgeous pretzel pictures, i decided to use this recipe for a potluck at work, and the results were delicious, even though it was my first-ever attempt at baking with yeast.
they were not quite as photogenic as yours (looking at the comments, i’m thinking that overproofing thing happened to mine) but even so, thanks for posting such a detailed recipe–it worked for me for the most part.
one question: you said to watch for the yeast to foam in the water, which it didn’t really do. the yeast packet said to add some sugar to make it foam, which i tried separately with another packet from the same package, and it foamed right up. would it make a difference in the outcome if i added a portion of the sugar to the yeast first to see if it foams, and then added the rest of the sugar with the flour and salt and so forth?
thanks again! and, i just noticed the paczki recipe. i think that could be my next baking adventure!
Excellent! I love hearing this. Regarding the foaming, it’s really just to make sure your yeast is alive and get it moving. You don’t want to go down the whole road only to find out your yeast is dead, there’s no rise and your batch is a bust. The sugar just jump starts the yeast by providing a little food – no dif on the outcome but they might rise a little faster with that headstart. Make sense?
And do try the paczki- they’re quite the project and pretty stinkin’ delicious. Another good one is the sticky bun bread I recently wrote about.
Can’t wait to make this. I made the most amazing discovery today – bratwurst on a pretzel bun thanks to Milwaukee Brat Company. Sooo delisioso! I have had them on hamburgers… must be something about the combination with the brat. Fortunately, I was able to look up your blog at the grocery store. and when you mentioned Alton – I knew this was a good recipe, the real deal. Thanks so much!
BLESS YOU, BLESS YOU, BLESS YOU!! I’ve been looking for an amazing recipe like this, and girl – you NAILED IT! I had to adjust for heat in my oven & changed some size to make bigger for sandwiches. THey totally rock – THANK YOU!! I’ve been looking for something like this for over 2 years for the bretzel, and a good pretzel recipe for over 4 – so THANK YOU!!
Hi, I found your blog via David Lebovitz’s tweets during his Chicago visit. Your “about” section is such an inspiration to me.
I finally made these pretzel rolls tonight, and I accidentally forgot the melted butter until everything was already mixed. The resulting dough was a little shaggy looking, and I was a little skeptical each step of the way but in the end, they somehow baked up nicely! I can’t wait to make these again. Thank you for posing this recipe with your experiences.
How do you measure your flour? Scoop and Dump or spoon it into your measuring cups? Thinking of making these over the weekend, but will only have bread flour available…do you foresee any problems with this over all-purpose? It looks like a great recipe!
I scoop and scrape to level. Truthfully, most of what I personally work with is in weights – ounces or more likely grams. I find scales much easier to use but realize not everyone has one so my recipes here are written in the typical American cups and teaspoon measures. I don’t think you’ll have a problem at all with bread flour. It’s bread – the higher protein in bread flour is usually a desirable thing.
Thank you so much. I prefer measuring by grams too, but I’m at my in-laws for the weekend and won’t have a scale. 😦 I’ll come back to let you know how they turned out!
Tuned out great. I need to work on sealing the seams as some of the rolls had “exploded bottoms” (as coined by my 11 yo daughter). Big hit with ~most~ of my in-laws. Thanks again. I’ve already shared this post with several family and friends.
These look fantastic, I’m planning on making them tomorrow 🙂 I love pretzels, but it is sometimes a little difficult to find them here in Australia. Thank you for the recipe!
I have one question about the shaping – is it essential to do the ‘pinch and seal’ method, or can you just little roll them on the counter top (cupping the dough) like with other bread rolls?
The pinch and seal part creates a nice round roll. Basically you’re taken that outer gluten “skin” and stretching it around the roll making a tight round. I’ve found just the cupping part doesn’t quite do it and they come out of the poach a little misshapen. Try both and let us know how it works. Have fun
Tried both methods, and the pinch and seal is definitely the way to go! Thanks for the advice (and they’re delicious – I’ve eaten three already!) 🙂
Cant wait to try these…and to poach a large thin baguette, you could use a Lasagna pan just set your tea kettle on and pour boiling water in it and stir in your soda should work just fine…you can set the pan over your burners on low to keep it hot….I shall attempt this!
I tried these today and was very pleased. Thanks so much for sharing. Of course I’ll tell everyone I found it here. 🙂
I WILL attempt to make these!!! I haven’t stopped thinking about pretzel rolls since seeing Kuma’s Corner on a Food Network show. They look amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe :o)
I tried so hard to screw these up. I actually had in mind some of the pretzel dogs (my fast food weakness! Wienerschnitzel with the upgraded all-beef dog and pretzel bun) in mind, but … Well, I started off with rapid rise yeast, and for the first batch grabbed a cup and a quarter of water, so when the mixer pulled everything together, “silky” isn’t exactly how I’d have described it. I threw in another quarter cup and let the mixer beat the snot out of the first batch with not too much hope for its recovery, while I measured up everything for a second batch. Sure enough, the first batch did come together, but I was worried about the extra kneading doing funky things to the texture so I made the second anyway. Since I didn’t want to invest too much time in the first dough, but was too stubborn to totally write it off, I let it all rise in an ill-conceived, super tough to poach (well, sliding it into the water was fine, but flipping it over half a minute later was splashy nonsense) single loaf. I had, meanwhile, so cluttered the counter that rolling thin lovely ropes to wrap the hot dogs out of that second batch was an impossibility, so they got kind of fat, lumpy snakes, and I made just eight dinner rolls with the rest… and you know what? Everything turned out lovely. Perfect! I slashed a couple of the rolls and didn’t others, and they were all picture gorgeous. The dogs, while somewhat less photogenic, were perfectly textured deliciousness. And the megapretzeloaf? Torn apart and gleefully consumed warm with butter.
If I can still end up with this much deliciousness after those missteps, I simply have to try more of your recipes. You rule!
I’ve been asked by a friend to be interviewed for her food blog and she’d like me to share some favorite recipes. I’d like to contact you about permission to use this. I believe you are able to see my email address. If not, let me know here and I’ll put it in a comment.
If you could contact me, I’d be ever so grateful.
(PS. I’m the same Kevin from the June 16 comment)
Can’t wait to try these…my mom is German and this is a staple where she lives. Had a question about the “bath”–is it okay to put them in a big pot of simmering water (with baking soda)…..sort of let them bob around like dumplings? Or, if better in a skillet, should the water come up halfway on the rolls. Thanks! Can’t wait to try. I am not sure where I will find pretzel salt though!
Absolutely! I have a large shallow pan that makes it a bit easier – can do more at once, use less water, easy access – but use whatever you have. No worries.
It can be. The first step is simply to make sure your yeast is alive, rather then go through the whole process and realize that no matter what you do, that dough will never rise. The sugar will certainly help it foam faster as it provides food and energy for the yeast. Is it necessary to do so? Not really. If the yeast is dead, it’s dead and the sugar won’t help it.
Oh, meant to ask. By 100% wheat flour did you mean 100% of the flour was whole wheat flower? How’d that turn out? I never have great success with a 100% quantity of whole wheat because it produces such a heavy dense bread. Curious. And margarine is fine. I’m a butter gal but that’s cool too.
Don’t use an aluminum pan for the poaching. Baking soda will react with the aluminum. I don’t think it will hurt you but it will turn the pan black and might add a nasty acrid taste to the rolls.
Can’t wait to try these! :p
So glad to have found this post! I work at a gourmet grocery and saw preztel rolls for the first time last night and thought the same as you. I have made the Alton Brown soft pretzel recipe before and it was great so I’m glad to know it can be adapted. Pretzel rolls with Brats anyone?!
I do believe I adore you forever now!!! This is the easiest and best recipe I have seen for my favorite pretzel rolls…The whole article is wonderful, sharing your personality to the readers…It feels familiar, comfy, and I can’t wait to share this recipe and link with my family and friends…Bless You, Sugar…This recipe totally ROCKS…
I’ve made these half a dozen times since finding your recipe and method a few months ago. They are such a hit! I use them for burgers and sandwiches and alongside any Sunday dinner. The best/favorite so far has been Bombay Sloppy Joes on them. Thank you, THANK YOU for posting this and for all the troubleshooting help you provide. I never had any problems, but it is nice that you are so willing to provide your expertise to those who did. You time and talents are greatly appreciated!
I’m on this. … I’m thinking a pre-bake and freeze… and then spring them on everybody for Thanksgiving left-overs…. you DID say they survive freezing pretty well…….
I made mine today. I realized too late that I didn’t have parchment paper so I used waxed paper..not a good idea. They stuck to the wax paper. My family didn’t care we just cut the bottoms off and gobbled them up. I am going to make them again and again. Thanks for posting a clear recipe. Christine
OMG these were amazing-thanks so much for posting! We ate them with grainy German mustard, slightly melty Jarlsberg cheese, homemade onion jam and crispy bacon-beyond delicious! Could possibly be the best thing we’ve ever put in our mouths 🙂
You have no idea how happy this comment makes me 🙂 Glad you liked them. They are pretty stinkin’ delicious.
I am excited to try these. We live in Germany and we can buy these at the village bakery. We are going to miss them and the traditional pretzels when we move back to the States so I must learn to mark them. Didn’t want to mess with food grade lye so I’m glad there’s another solution to get that essential dark brown crust.
I love making these! They are so so so good and my family looooves them. I want to make a whole bunch for a party but I’m unable to make them the day of or the day before. What do you suggest for making them ahead of time? Make and freeze or is there a way to make the dough and freeze that and bake them the day off? Thanks for your help!
Well, they really are at their best the day they’re made but you can certainly try freezing them. I reheat in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel. They can be a little chewy though. I’ve never tried freezing them unbaked and finishing them the day of but it’s worth a shot. What if you made them the night before, shaped and put them into the fridge, covered, overnight? Then the next day a quick poach, egg wash and bake?
I ended up making them ahead and freezing them. I’m going to warm them up in the oven before making sandwiches with them for a party this weekend! I shared your recipe on my blog with some of my in process pics -http://yellowsuitcasestudio.blogspot.com/2012/02/pretzel-rolls-recipe.html Thanks again!
SO I found your recipe and have been so excited to try these. I was super excited, but they ended up being flat. I realized I used the quick rise yeast, which may be the problem, but I am more convinced I did somethin wrong during the poaching. They rose great through the 2nd rise and then seemed to go flat when I picked them up and poached them. How do you manage to get them in the pan of water with flattening them and turning them. Hoping they still taste good, but we will see! Any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I think what happened is that after shaping, they rose a bit too much. Some others in the comments above have run into similar problems. What happens is the yeast just runs out of oomph – it hits that hot water and gives the last bit of what it’s got so there’s nothing left for the final burst in the oven (aka “ovenspring”.) The quick rise yeast moves especially fast (hence the name) so try cutting back the rise times and see if that helps.
Awesome Stresscake!!!!! I love pretzels and have made Alton Browns recipe before. Then I started to look for pretzel roll recipes and I found yours. Success on the first try. Followed your recipe exactly, except I made 12 larger rolls, instead of 18 smaller ones and also had to settle for Kosher Salt since i didn’t have pretzel salt on hand. About to cook a burger to put on a roll now.
Thanks…
wow! I’ve made these three times in the last 2 weeks. We’ve just gobbled them up. We ate them plain, we ate them with burgers… The last time I stuffed them with pepperoni, cheese & tomato sauce. YUM.
I’ve made them with quick yeast but just skipped the step where you let it sit in the water until they foam – instead just mixing all the ingredients together, and it has worked great.
Thanks so much.
Came out great! Thank you for the recipe. I recently moved to NH from Germany and missed the good old pretzel rolls (“Laugenbrötchen”). Now I can bake them myself and they not only taste fantastic, they also look damn pretty:
Thank you!
These look sooo awesome. We will be making these thanks for the recipe!
Okay, first time with a Kitchen Aid, first time baking at high altitude (4500 feet), first time with this recipe … and they turned out AWESOME! They didn’t rise quite as much as I thought they would, but that could either be an altitude thing or plain old inexperienced-baker-syndrome.
There are no pretzel buns to be found in my area (Northern Nevada), and I haven’t had any luck in the CA Bay area either. This recipe was such a find – thank you, thank you, thank you!
Just made these this morning. They turned out great and so… good!
Thank you for sharing.
My sister in law handed me a bag of Costco pretzel slider rolls coyly getting my attention with her “your mission-should you choose to accept–learn how to make the-best-rolls-ever. You have three weeks to complete this mission” Smitten by her flattery I dumbly said, “OK”. So thanks, I am starting with you. Alton is my go-to man for every online search. Since you have already tweaked it, I will thank you again.
Wow! Like @EmmaB said in her comment i know these from Switzerland. I am a swiss guy who moved to Canada about 15 years ago and have been lamenting the loss of my beloved pretzel rolls here in Canada. Only a few place carry them – and even then they are extremely expensive. So thank you for putting in the time to tweak Alton’s recipe – all of us Swissies living abroad appreciate it!
Just wanted to let you know this is a kick-ass recipe. I have been making it for a year now, and it beats the pretzel rolls at my local bakery hands down!! Oh yeah, and the good best part?? I live in Austria, on the border of Germany and Switzerland….. these beat the bakers in all three countries! Well done! My friends are officially in awe of their American neighbor, thanks to your recipe!
Thanks! I’m pretty fond of them too. Took me a while to get them right so I appreciate your kind words.
We made goat cheese, arugula, roasted red pepper, and chipotle-mayo sandwiches with these. Then we wrapped them up, and it was all we ate for a 16-hour road-trip, and basically every time we had one along the way, we got excited all over again. Thanks for the great, easy-to-understand recipe!
I just made these and they’re soooo yummy.
Thanks for the detailed recipe with pictures. I like that you explained how and why the rolls are shaped into balls by stretching and pinching. I’m a why person and it makes me more willing to follow directions and not skip steps!
Just pulled a batch out of the oven – I make them a little larger for sandwiches/hamburgers. Hubby made some pulled pork last night and I made some spicy jalapeno slaw so think I’ll have a pulled pork & spicy slaw sandwich on a pretzel roll! Yum!
These are really good rolls. I have such a hard time with yeast but came out really good. Thank you
WONDERFUL! Here’s a picture of some of my results. http://imgur.com/kVZy8O9. I couldn’t figure out what step #8 was about so I skipped it.
Step #8 is about rolling the dough into a nice tight shape. It takes some practice to get the technique down but the texture of the finished roll will be much better for it.
I haven’t even finished reading this post but I think I love you and your lovely pretzely rolls of goodness 🙂
I made these over the weekend and loved them! I’ve linked your blog in my latest post! Thanks for sharing, they’re a big hit!
I’m so excited to find this! I love, love, love pretzel rolls & I’ve been searching for a good but easy pretzel roll recipe for a long time. I can’t wait to try them tomorrow for the burgers I was already planning for dinner. I’m not a super experienced bread maker & rarely have the time for all the steps to bread making, so I tend to “cheat” by using my bread machine (*horrors*! Ha!). Sooo…I’m kinda excited to see if I can get it to work out for me. I’ll let you know! 😉
Thank you so much for this post of Pretzel Rolls. I new all the techniques, O just never put them together to make pretzel rolls. Mine turned out better then ever before.
Thank you again,
Enid
True Story. I recently traveled 20 miles to purchase Pretzel rolls while my bratwurst simmered… to find the store closed. I could have made these in that time. We shan’t be without our pretzel rolls again! ty
Made These instead of the traditional dinner roll for thanksgiving dinner. They are delightful, perfectly soft with a perfect chew! Delicious!
I found this recipe on Pinterest after just having my first ever pretzel roll on Christmas Eve. I have a batch in the oven right now – I can hardly wait to taste them!
I made these tonight and the dough didn’t rise the second time and in the oven they just stayed little balls. Any idea what I did?
Elise – hmmmm … Sounds like your yeast lost its power by the time it hit the oven. That can happen if the dough is overproof. But tell me this – did the dough rise to twice its size before you shaped the rolls? Was there some oomph in that yeast to start?
Making these for the 2nd time right now – in the oven! Just want to say thanks for the great recipe and detailed instructions. I can see this blog post has been around for a while (found it via pinterest) – there’s a reason why. They are so fun to make and the results are beautiful and delicious.
HELP!!! My sister and I have made this recipe twice now. The recipe is amazing, and they taste great. However, every time we take them out after the second rise to poach them, just taking them off of the parchment lined pan makes the risen dough deflate like a balloon! How do we prevent this? Our rolls are just coming out like pancakes and we are doing everything right and being super gentle! 😦
I’ve got an easy solution for you: next time, try proofing them a bit less. I have a feeling they’re ever so slightly over proofed. If they were to go right in the oven, they’d probably be fine but since you need to handle them a bit, they need to be just a touch sturdier. I don’t have a specific time to give, as it depends on your conditions, but take a look maybe 15 minutes earlier. Remember the heat from the poaching and the oven will provide an oomph in their rise too. They need a bit more structure to handle all the handling. Make sense? Have faith!
Great, thanks! We’ll try it again!
These
Were
Awesome.
Thank you!
Subbed a tsp of sugar for a tsp pilsner malt, 1/4 cup dry milk and added about 3 + tbsp water(dry up here in Alaska).
Just because it was on the shelf 🙂
I also use wet fingers to shape, makes it easier to seal. I don’t use floured boards anymore, wet hands with dry dough and life is easy. Steams off anyway.
Thank you so much again.
I just used this recipe for my first ever attempt at pretzel bread.Amazing success! I did use a baking soda bath for half of it, and food grade lye bath for the other half. Hands down, the lye bath worked better, and has much more of the traditional pretzel flavor. I was VERY careful with it – no splashing or splattering. THIS IS A FANTASTIC RECIPE!
glad to hear! Also glad to hear you worked with the lye. That’s my preference as well, but I figure most won’t want to bother. Baking soda makes a pretty good roll and is much easier to find. but now pretzel salt, that’s where I think folks should spend their effort. Kosher just ain’t the same.
If I did a big boule could I have a pretzel bread loaf?
Hmmmm. Good question. I haven’t tried it. The rolls are poached in a baking soda/water solution which gives them the distinct color and texture. Poaching a boule would be a challenge but you can try it. Or a spray or brush with the baking soda solution on the boule instead might work.
Hello,
First of all, incredible how after 8 years this post is still alive and kicking. Chapeau! I’m sooo obsessed by the pretzel buns, I’ve tried so much, it’s almost, but not quite yet. Before I try yours, one question.As French, I use grams and not cups. Alton brown says 22 ounces flour, which is 623 grams, you say 4 1/2 cups flour, whitch is 576 grams. And if I convert 4 1/2 cups flour in ounces, its 18 and not 22 as in A. Brown recipe. Can you confirm your amount of flour, to obtain the consistency you describe here? Thanks in advance
Hi! 8 years and it’s still the most popular post, week after week, after all this time. Go figure. So … my KitchenPro app tells me that 4 1/2 cups of AP flour = 19 3/4 ounces = 562.5 grams. Which is none of what you’ve listed above. I’d go by feel – add the 563 grams and see how it feels. Its is silky and smooth? If yes, all good. If not, add more flour until you get a smooth, silky cohesive dough. Sound like a plan?
Thank you very much for your prompt response. I’m not sure I can rely on my feeling since every time I have the feeling it’s right but it doesn’t succeed exactly as expected. So I’ll try to use as explained, meaning I’ll use cups (I also have a set of cup, 1/2 and so on at home). Now, do you fill the cup exactly until the top and dense, or more loose?
you scoop then scrape across the top with a flat thing, like the flat side of butter knife, to even. Never pack or tap to compact.