Morning, bakers. Today's the day. Pull up a chair, this thread is home base. Here's how it works. Drop your photos, your questions, and your wins right here in the comments as you go. I'll be in and out all day answering. You don't have to keep up with the clock, jump in whenever you start. Before you start Three recipes, pick your lane: 🥨 Classic yeasted, the fast one, about two hours start to finish 🌾 Sourdough, the flavor play, for those who fed a starter 👧 Kids version, simple bites, pull the little ones in All three are in the Recipe Pantry. The one thing every single one of them needs: the baking soda bath. That's what makes a pretzel a pretzel. Today's rhythm 🕐 Mix and rest your dough 🕑 Shape, don't fight the gluten, let your ropes rest in rotation 🛁 Thirty seconds in the bath, quick in, quick out 🔥 Bake at 425 until deep golden brown 🧈 Butter the second they leave the oven, salt while wet so it sticks Drop in the comments 📸 Your dough, your shaping, your bakes, all of it ❓ Any question, no matter how small 🆘 Stuck? Tag me right here and I'll walk you through it I baked a full batch yesterday and took a pile of notes I'll be sharing all day. First pretzel always looks rough. By your fifth, it clicks. Ugly pretzels taste just as good. Let's bake. 🥨 Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

These just came out of the oven. Look at that color. I’ve been baking and taking notes all day, and I’ve got plenty to share with you guys tomorrow. Real talk on the dough, the bath, the shaping, all of it. Everything I want you to know before you start. For tonight, I’m gonna have a couple. See you in the morning for the bake-along. Bring your questions and your starter if you’re going sourdough. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐

Shaping a pretzel trips up a lot of folks the first time, so here's a short video that walks you right through it. How to roll the rope out, give it the twist, and form that classic pretzel shape. It's from Food52, and they make it look easy, because it is once you've seen it done. https://youtu.be/5Z0qz3HSWto Watch it once, then go roll a practice rope. The first one's always a little rough. By your fifth, it clicks. And remember, bites and buns need no shaping at all if you'd rather skip the twist for now. Saturday we bake these together. Come in ready. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

Pretzel dough is stiffer and drier than the bread dough you’re used to. Press it and it springs right back. First time through, folks think they did something wrong. You didn’t. That firmness is the whole point. It’s what lets you roll long ropes that hold their shape through the bath and into the oven. And if your rope keeps shrinking back on you while you roll, stop fighting it. Cover it, let it rest five to ten minutes, and come on back. The gluten relaxes and it’ll stretch easy. Patience beats muscle every time. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

This week the kitchen smells like pretzels. We’re making soft pretzels from scratch, and I mean the real thing. Chewy crust, soft pillowy inside, deep golden brown. Better than any mall pretzel you’ve ever had. Here’s the thing about a pretzel. What makes it a pretzel isn’t the shape. It’s the bath. Before these go in the oven, they take a quick dip in boiling water with baking soda stirred in. That alkaline bath is what gives you the dark color, the shine, and that chewy pull when you bite in. Skip it and you’ve just got bread shaped like a pretzel. That same bath is the magic behind our pretzel loaf, so if you’ve baked that one with us, you already know the secret. Three ways in this week. Pick the one that fits you: 🥨 Classic Soft Pretzels. Yeasted, start to finish in about two hours. Best entry point. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-soft-pretzels 🥨 Sourdough Soft Pretzels. Naturally leavened, deeper flavor, and you can stretch it overnight. Twists, bites, or buns. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-soft-pretzels 🥨 Kids Can Bake Pretzels. No mixer, built-in science lessons, made for little hands at the counter. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/kids-can-bake-soft-pretzels Saturday we bake together. Working thread opens at 8:00 AM ET. Mix with us, post your photos, ask your questions in real time. No lye. No special equipment. Just baking soda, a pot of water, and your hands. Pull up a stool. Let’s twist. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥