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You’ll never want to buy pre-made Pretzel Buns again after you try this simple recipe: all you need is 1 bowl + 5 ingredients, and you’re good to go!
Eight Buns. Five Ingredients. One Bowl.
Oh, yes.
I’ve never really been a fan of regular burger buns. Maybe I’m odd, but I just feel like they have a really strange, almost sweet taste to them? And let’s not even talk about the aftertaste…blech.
Pretzel Buns, on the other hand, I can get down with.
Have you ever made your own bread before? You may think the process is intimidating, but I promise – it’s actually SO FUN! And I’m not just saying that because I’m a foodie and love to spend time in my kitchen. There’s just something magical about hiding your ball of dough under a towel for an hour only to discover it’s now doubled and size and fluffy and squishy and….you get my point.
Another great thing about making your own bread is that it is super affordable. Do you have flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and baking soda in your pantry? Great, you can make some bread. Missing an item? Good news: you can probably get it at the store for less than $3.
A lot of store-bought breads (especially burger buns, now that I think of it) are loaded with artificial flavors and preservatives. Did you know a lot of shelf-stable bread in the grocery store has either duck feathers or human hair in it? How is that even acceptable?!
Anyways…let’s just get back to these Pretzel Buns. They promise much happier times.
You can really serve these buns with any little thing your heart desires, but I whipped up some epic Kale Pesto Burgers to wedge in between them, as you can see above. Once that recipe gets posted on the blog, I will be sure to link it here (because, you know, they are delicious and you probably are going to want to make those too).
If you end up making this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram @frommybowl + #frommybowl so I can see your delicious creation!
PrintFluffy One-Bowl Pretzel Buns (Easy Vegan Recipe)
You’ll never want to buy pre-made Pretzel Buns again after you try this simple recipe: all you need is 1 bowl + 5 ingredients, and you’re good to go!
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 122 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (or 1 .25 oz packet)
- 1 cup Warm Water
- 2 tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour, plus more if necessary
- 1 tsp Salt
- Coarse Sea Salt, for sprinkling on top (optional)
- 7 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Baking Soda
Instructions
- Add the Yeast and 1 cup of Warm Water to a large, non-metal bowl. Note: The water should be warm, but not hot. You should be able to comfortably hold your finger in it.
- Sprinkle the Coconut Sugar over top of the Yeast Mixture and briefly stir everything together. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until the Yeast has activated and there is a layer of foam on top of the liquid.
- Begin to slowly add in the All Purpose Flour in ⅓ – ½ cup intervals.
- Once the mixture forms a pancake-like batter, sprinkle another layer of Flour on top of the dough, then sprinkle the Salt on top of the mixture as well. Mix thoroughly.
- Continue to add the remaining flour, until the dough is moist, but not sticky. Once it becomes hard to stir with a spatula, transfer to a floured baking surface and knead with your hands for 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse the bowl out with water, but do not dry. Return the dough to the bowl and turn it around a few times so that it becomes coated with a thin layer of water – this will prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl.
- Cover with a towel and store in a warm place until doubled inside, about 45 – 60 minutes
- Punch the dough down, then form into 6 – 8 even balls (I made 8). Keep in mind these balls will expand further throughout the cooking process.
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Add the Baking Soda and 7 cups of Water to a large pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add each dough ball into the pot. I did three at a time, but if your pot is large, I would recommend you do four.
- Allow each roll to cook for 2 minutes, then flip in the water, and allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the roll from the pot and place onto a baking tray lined with either parchment paper or a silicone mat. Repeat until all of the dough balls have been cooked.
- If desired, cut an “X” into the top of each roll, and sprinkle generously with coarse salt.
- Bake at 400F for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown.
- Serve immediately, or store at room temperature in a bread bag or an airtight container for up to 5 days. These also fare well in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
Coconut Sugar may be substituted for Date Sugar, Granulated Sugar, or Brown Sugar.
Recipe adapted from TheSpruce
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I just made these along with your kale pesto patty recipe, The whole things tastes amazing !!
★★★★★
So happy you liked it!
They’re so delicious and easy to make! They’re very small though. I made six and they couldn’t fit a burger very well. I guess I could try flattening them before I boil.
★★★★★
Depending on what you’re using for the burger portion, adjusting shape could totally help. Glad you enjoyed them!
I never made bread before and not sure if didn’t boil the water long enough because they tasted like baking soda, other than that they came out ok, is it half of cup baking soda to 7 cups of water? Do i need to rinse before I place on the baking sheet? When the water boils, is it supposed to become like a science experiment like a volcano
★★★★
The buns will taste slightly of baking soda, but that is part of the classic “soft pretzel” taste in my opinion! You do not need to rinse them before placing on the baking sheet. And yes, the water will react when you add the baking soda to it – try to reduce the heat to prevent it from boiling over!
This is an amazing recipe! I’m addicted to making it. Thank you so much for posting it!
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks for the review, Catherine! 🙂
could these be baked into “hot dog” bun shapes ?
Yes, that should work!
Well I have never made bread, but wanted to try this. I failed. Twice. The first go around, there was too much flour. The second time, there wasn’t enough. I thought it was OK, but when I punched it after proving, it fell back into the same size it was originally. I tried proving it again, and it just became a sticky mess. Any tips?
Hmm…that is a little tricky, but I think it mostly comes with practice! Also, it sounds like you may have over-proofed the dough if it fell back to its original size.
This turned out to be really easy and super tasty. While making dough has always been a challenge for me, I will press on and hopefully one day, make rolls as beautiful as those pictured. I’ve been eating these up with caramelized onion black bean sliders and loving it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, I’m adding it to my weekly meal plan.
That sounds delicious, Cliff!
Yes. Yes. Yes. I made these yesterday in my weekly meal prep but made the buns smaller (I made 10) so I wouldn’t feel as guilty for eating two or three at a time. These were so easy and so freaking delicious. The only problem is that I couldn’t find a warm place for the dough to rise (cause it’s only 40 F here) but it was okey. Definitely going to make these again. Will probably make a big batch and freeze some. I wonder if I could make a giant bun and then fill it with some of your spinach dip?
★★★★★
Hi Jaiden! That sounds awesome — I think it could work as a giant bun, but you may need to adjust the baking time so the center cooks thoroughly. Let me know if it works for you!
I’ve made these once by hand and once with a bread machine, and they came out amazing both times!!!
If I want to double the recipe, would I just double all the ingredients including the yeast?
★★★★★
Yes, that would work great! Awesome to know they worked in a bread machine too.
How did you make it in the bread machine? Very interested!
How warm does the water need to be? I am always worried I’ll get it too hot and ‘kill’ the yeast. Thanks 🙂
It should be warm, but not so hot that it burns your finger if you hold it in the water for a few seconds
Hi Caitlin! Wondering if you think it would be okay to make the dough a day in advance and refridgerate until I’m ready to bake? Or what the process might look like if I want to prepare the dough a day before making the buns! Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Karli! You can make the dough and keep it wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to boil / bake, you will need to let the dough come to room temperature and rise before you do anything with it.
How can i make this GF? Oats/ Almond Flour? Please let me know. 🙂
Hi Madhuri, unfortunately I have not tested a GF version of this recipe, as the interaction between the yeast and glutinous flower is crucial for these buns.
These are amazing! I am intimidated by baking but this was easy to follow and came out great.
★★★★★
I am completely with you on the sweet taste of burger buns. I am from Australia (our burger buns are not sweet) and when I came over to America I found them so sweet! Will definitely give this recipe a go.
Oooh, another reason for me to travel to Australia! I love it 😉 Thank you Mikaela!
I made them with half white all purpose flour, half whole wheat spelt flour. They came out a bit dense and baking them took about 15 minutes longer, but the taste is absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Just made these and they are CRACK so good!!! 🙂
★★★★★
Yaas, so glad!
Is baking soda…. half cup
Yes, you add the 1/2 cup of Baking Soda to the water. This gives the pretzel coloring and flavor!
Would this work with whole wheat flour?
It should, but keep in mind that the buns will not be as fluffy.
So easy and delicious, thanks!!!
★★★★★
You are so welcome 🙂
Do you think you could use spelt flour in this recipe?
Hi Lindsey! While I imagine it would work, I do think they would be a little more dense. If you test out the recipe and it does work for you with spelt flour, please let me know! 🙂
Can you use baking stevia sugar, rather than the other suggestions?