Our Most-Saved Oktoberfest Recipe Is a Pub Grub Delicacy

Although I have never been to Oktoberfest, I live vicariously through my phone every year. Of course, some restaurants and bars in the United States, especially Bavarian-style establishments, take Oktoberfest very seriously—you can catch a little of the festival magic there. 

But if you’re looking to take the festival home, we have plenty of recipes geared toward Oktoberfest. Our most saved Oktoberfest recipe of all-time is a classic German creation and a crowd-pleasing party appetizer: It’s a soft homemade pretzel, and it’s one of our best dough recipes on Allrecipes. 

This recipe is buttery, salty, and chewy. It has all the parts of a traditional soft pretzel, and many home cooks say this recipe tops the best mall pretzel you’ve ever tasted.

How to Make a Homemade Soft Pretzel

The recipe gives a full rundown on how to make the dough, how to shape the pretzel, and how to bake it to perfection. Pretzels might sound like a handful, but it’s easier than you think.

The recipe uses all the necessary ingredients for making a soft pretzel: warm water, active dry yeast, sugar, salt, flour, and of course, a baking soda wash.

You’ll find the full, step-by-step instructions (with photos!) on the recipe, but here’s a quick overview of what you’ll find:

1. Once the dough is made and kneaded into a ball, place it in a bowl coated in oil and turn the dough over to coat all sides. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour.
2. Prepare a baking soda wash by pouring hot water into a large bowl and stir until dissolved. This will be used to dunk your pretzels into. Once the dough is ready to shape, divide it into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece in a rope of dough. If you divide the dough into rectangles, this will help when you roll them into ropes.
3. To do this, gently push down as well as forward and backward with both hands to squeeze the dough into a long piece. Once it has enough length to shape, twist the dough to make a pretzel. Soak your pretzels in a baking soda wash, then bake in the oven for about 8 minutes.

There are so many ways to serve soft pretzels, but one of the best ways is to use beer cheese. And since we’re celebrating Oktoberfest with this pretzel, it’s only fitting that the dip uses a little bit of beer. I like a soft pretzel with pretty much any dip though, so if you are looking for a fun dip or sauce to make, here are five easy party dips to try.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

The Allrecipes community loves this recipe. It has over 2000 reviews and 1,900 5-star ratings. I think it’s partly because most people love a soft pretzel, and this recipe will top some of the best you’ve come across in restaurants and pubs.

• “WOW! These pretzels are absolutely amazing. They were soft and chewy on the inside, awesome flavor, with that great authentic thin “pretzel” crust on the outside,” says reviewer loves2cook. “I spooned the melted butter over them after baking which soaked in and was just perfect.”
• “Very easy and good. I used to be a manager at a pretzel shop years ago and this is how we made them,” says reviewer EXALTADONAI. “After dipping the pretzel in the baking soda/water mixture, place on a dish towel or layer of paper towels to dry the bottom off, this will help prevent the bottoms burning… I use tongs to dip the face of the pretzel in a pie plate of melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.”

More Oktoberfest Inspiration