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Let’s be honest, pretzel rolls are the better bread. The soft chewy center, the crunchy outside, and the unique flavor make them the perfect dinner roll. Use them as a side dish or as a slider bun – plus they’re EASY to make with a secret ingredient.
Semi-Homemade Pretzel Rolls Recipe
I love starting recipes with a semi-homemade hack and these are no exception! These use frozen dinner rolls so there is no yeast involved, no extra steps!
- It takes half the amount of time and work of making regular dinner rolls with nearly the same results! The trickiest part is waiting to let the dough rise, and thats not complicated whatsoever.
- The ingredients are super simple, you probably already have most of these ingredients in your fridge or pantry!
- If you loved pretzel bread you’re going to absolutely LOVE this recipe – the authentic chew and taste in every bite.
Ingredients Needed
The best part? You can use frozen dinner rolls OR refrigerated biscuits!
- Frozen dinner rolls- Brands such as Rhodes, Sister Schubert’s, or Pepperidge farm all work well.
- Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits– Ensure they are not the flakey kind.
- Baking soda- This is the ingredient that sets apart pretzels from bread. It gives pretzels that brown color and unique flavor.
- Butter– Melt the butter before using.
- Coarse salt- Sea or kosher salt works best.
How to make Pretzel Rolls
For Frozen Dinner Rolls:
- Rising notes- Don’t be fooled, although these are easier than the average pretzel to make, all breads needs to rise. So be sure to allocate enough time to make sure that your pretzels can properly rise. Different types of frozen rolls may have different thawing/rising times so know that there may be some time variance from the recipe.
- Rising the Rolls- Check the back of the package; the Rhodes brand rolls require 3-5 hours of sitting time before baking. Place the frozen rolls on a 9×13” pan, evenly spaced. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until thawed and until they are just under doubled in size (around 3-5 hours depending on what brand of rolls you use.) Be sure to not let the pretzel rolls puff up too much or they will collapse when boiling. Continue below for boiling and baking instructions.
For Refigerated Dinner Rolls:
Follow the same instructions for frozen rolls, they will take less time to rise because they aren’t as cold. Make sure to check the package for a more accurate resting time.
- Boiling- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large pot half way with water and bring it to a boil. Then, add baking soda to the water. When you add the baking soda it will fizz up, this is why its imperative that you leave some room in the pot so it doesn’t boil over. Boil the rolls 2-4 at a time depending on how large your pot is for around 1 minute on each side. Drain with a slotted spoon and evenly place them on the prepped baking sheet.
- Baking- Brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 9-13 minutes or until they are that wonderful golden brown-pretzel color.
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.
Brush butter on the pretzels before and after baking for an extra buttery, succulent pretzel!
Want to make these from scratch? Use my soft pretzel recipe.
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.
Easy Pretzel Rolls
Ingredients
Using frozen dinner rolls:
- 12 frozen dinner rolls such as Rhodes (you can make more or less)
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter melted
- Coarse pretzel sea, or kosher salt
Using refrigerated dinner rolls
- 1 can Grands! Biscuits not flakey
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- Coarse pretzel sea, or kosher salt
Instructions
For frozen dinner rolls:
- Plan ahead. Even though these are “easy” they still require rising time.
- Note that different brands of frozen rolls might have different thaw/rise times. Check the back of your package; the Rhodes ones I use say to let sit for 3-5 hours before baking.
- Place your frozen rolls evenly spaced in a 9×13” pan. (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. This will take about 3-5 hours, depending on how warm it is. I find that turning on the oven and leaving the pan on top will reduce the rising time significantly. Try not to let them puff too much or they will collapse when boiling. Just under double is perfect. Continue below.
For refrigerated dinner rolls:
- Separate rolls.
Instructions for boiling and baking:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.
- Fill a large pot halfway 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, 2-4 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.
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 9-13 minutes or until they are golden brown. (Different rolls will bake in varied time – refrigerated vs. frozen vs. brands.)
Recipe Nutrition
Other Dinner Roll Recipes
Easy Pretzel Rolls are semi-homemade with frozen dinner roll dough! These easy pretzel buns are no fail and the perfect easy side dish.
This all looks very easy and delicious. Can’t wait to try it, however, I have a question on the nutrition you listed. You wrote: 2978mg per roll? That is an incredible amount of sodium, which you wouldn’t even find in a made from scratch pretzel roll. Could that have been a misprint?
Nutrition info isn’t guaranteed to be accurate; it’s calculated by a program automatically.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! These pretzel buns look so mouthwatering. Thank you for sharing!
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Hello! I enjoyed cruising around your website/blog. Your recipe for Pretzel Rolls caught my eye. I always have a can of Grands Biscuits on hand and I had all the other ingredients, so it was a natural. These were fun to make … and, as you said, EASY. We all loved them!! Thanks for sharing!
Oh dear Lord. Now you’re speaking my language. Sold.
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