4-Ingredient Whole Wheat Pretzel Recipe | Traditional Way

16th March 2025

whole wheat pretzel recipe_no dairy no oil no sugar

The Easter is approaching. I start to see lots of bright and pastel yellow Easter decorations at stores (although it started to snow again from yesterday in Oslo, Norway, where I live.) Nevertheless, I am already in an “Easter mood.” I researched Easter cuisine around the world, and a pretzel was one of them. I’ve been binge-watching videos and reading much on how to make pretzels. So here it is. Today I want to show you how to make my 4-ingredient whole wheat pretzel recipe.

Why Try 4-ingredient Whole Wheat Pretzel Recipe

After researching a bit on pretzels and the recipes out there, I realized they were either one or more of these three: difficult, expensive, or unhealthy.

You know, back in the day, people made bread without all these fancy kitchen machines. Nor did they have a huge supply of milk, butter, and eggs around to add in the bread-making. So many traditional recipes involve very simple ingredients like water, yeast, flour, and salt. And so did the traditional pretzel recipe.

Here are the top reasons why you should try this!

1. No-Egg Pretzel Recipe

I’ve seen some modern recipes that use egg wash to brush on the top of the pretzel. They said it is to give the brown color that the pretzels have. But did you know that traditional pretzels have the lye wash bath, which is basically baking soda?

With all the egg-price crisis happening in the US right now, I don’t think we need to use more eggs for pretzels that didn’t even need it in the first place.

2. No-Oil, No-Dairy Pretzel Recipe

The second thing I want to mention about this pretzel recipe is that it has no oil and no dairy. I’ve seen modern pretzel recipes that use milk and butter a little too much. Well, a traditional pretzel recipe could involve a little bit of butter while making them. But not as much as we are doing it now.

I find it quite sad that whenever I am looking for a recipe, there is so much oil and sugar, even when the traditional recipes don’t call for them. Certainly, it would taste better with lots of butter, sugar, and oil. But we are losing the ability to taste the real, simple ingredients. Let’s get them back!

Also, since this pretzel recipe has no dairy, it is great for people with dairy allergies or lactose intolerant.

3. No Machine, No Kneading Needed

As this recipe does not involve butter, you don’t need a kneading machine to mix the dough thoroughly. It also doesn’t need to be kneaded hard with your hands. I really try to be careful not to knead dough so aggressively with my hands, as it can be very tough on my wrists. I cook a lot, so sometimes I use my wrists too hard that it starts to have some aches.

Pretzel doughs are quite dense and hard. Some recipes tell you to use a machine or knead with your own hands for a while. It really doesn’t need to be that difficult! Just mix the dough and leave it for 10-20 minutes while you are making the baking soda wash. The pretzel dough would be soft and nice as we would like if you gave it just a little time on its own!

4. Healthy & Delicious

As it is only made up of whole wheat, water, salt, and yeast, it is very healthy for you. Unlike any pretzels that have added sugar and butter. And you might think it would be not so delicious! No, it is absolutely delicious, especially if you love whole grain flavors like me. It is crisp on the outside, soft and lightly chewy on the inside, with the iconic pretzel smell. It is amazing!

Why Bake Pretzels with Whole Wheat?

Ok, we just talked about why this pretzel recipe is special. But you might be wondering why exactly I am baking the pretzels with 100% whole wheat.

Because whole wheat flour has so many nutrients that our body needs. Moreover, it gives us natural, beautiful, dark colors on pretzels. Some recipes require pretzel soda that gives the pretzels color, but you could honestly just skip that if you want. I skipped pretzel soda because making pretzels with whole wheat would give me darker colors than making them with white flour.

Should we take a look at some health benefits of whole wheat, then?

Health Benefits of Whole Wheat

1. High Fiber Content

Whole wheat flour contains 4-6 times more fiber content than white flour! Whole wheat can contain about 10 to 12 grams of fiber, while white flour contains 2 to 3 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Fiber is very important for our gut health.

2. Rich in Vitamins & Minerals

Whole wheat has bran and germ, which white flour doesn’t have. And in the bran and germ, there are lots of nutrients such as iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, Vitamin E, and B. These vitamins and minerals keep us healthy.

3. Abundant Antioxidants

When you hear the words “antioxidants,” you might think that they exist only in blueberries or spinach. But there are a lot of antioxidants in whole grains too, including our beautiful whole wheat flour! There are phenolic acids and flavonoids, which are phyto-antioxidants that are anti-aging.

Ingredients to Whole Wheat Pretzels

Whole wheat flour
Yeast
Salt
Baking soda

This whole wheat pretzel recipe makes 6 medium-sized pretzels.

Optional Ingredients

These are optional ingredients, but I certainly recommend you try any of the topping variations below.

[ Savory ]

Pearl salt: The classic! I love the white pearl salt on top of the pretzel, as it gives a really nice color contrast and it is packed with umami flavors. I love using pretzel salt like this Sea Salt Superstore pretzel sea salt because it stays white and opaque after the oven, making the iconic pretzel with salt look.
Sesame seeds: While not classic, this is one of my favorite modern seasonings on pretzels. White sesame seeds also add a nice color contrast and mild crunchy and nutty flavor.

[ Sweet ]

Cinnamon & sugar: If you have a sweet tooth, you can mix cinnamon and sugar and bake it for a dessert-like treat.
Chopped almonds & sugar: This is another modern twist, I believe. I’ve seen many pretzel recipes with chopped almonds and sugar coating too. That would be another great sweet pretzel variation.

Steps to Easy Whole Wheat Pretzels

whole wheat pretzel ingredients

1. Prepare all the ingredients.

whole wheat pretzel_dry ingredients

2. Mix the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, salt, and yeast.

whole wheat pretzel dough ingredients

3. Add water to the dry ingredients. Mix roughly until there is no visible dry flour.

whole wheat pretzel dough

4. Leave the dough. It would be a very rough dough.

whole wheat pretzel_baking soda

5. In the meantime, add water to a pot. Add baking soda. The water will become opaque when you first add the baking soda. Stir and start to boil until the water becomes clear. Remove the pot from the heat. Set aside.

how to make whole wheat pretzel dough

6. Take the dough and lightly knead to make a ball. It should be soft and easy to shape now.

whole wheat pretzel recipe shaping dough

7. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. I divided them roughly, as it is a homemade easy pretzel!