National Pretzel Day is April 26, a fitting day to honor the twisted, salty, chewy bread that works equally well from a mall kiosk or your own oven. Making them at home is a rewarding project, and the payoff is a warm pretzel that no packaged version can match.

Soft or hard, both count

Pretzels come in two great forms. The soft pretzel is warm, chewy, and best eaten fresh, ideally within an hour of baking. The hard pretzel is the crunchy, shelf-stable snack that lives in the pantry and pairs with everything from beer to peanut butter. They share the same signature knot and the same deep, toasty flavor, but they scratch very different itches. Today is a fine excuse to enjoy both.

The bath that makes the pretzel

The single thing that turns bread dough into a real pretzel is a quick dip in an alkaline solution before baking. This is what creates the glossy mahogany crust and the distinctive chewy skin. At home, the safe and easy route is a simmering bath of water and baking soda. Serious bakers use food-grade lye for the most authentic color and flavor, but that requires careful handling and gloves. Whichever you choose, skipping this step gives you a plain roll shaped like a pretzel rather than the real thing.

Twisting technique

Shaping is easier than it looks. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, form a wide U, cross the ends over each other twice near the top, then fold them down and press onto the bottom curve. Do not worry about perfection; even a slightly lopsided pretzel bakes up beautifully. After the bath, sprinkle on coarse salt while the surface is still wet so the crystals grip and survive the oven.

A warm pretzel, pulled apart and dunked in mustard, is one of the simple joys of baking.

Mustard and beyond

Part of the fun of pretzel day is the dipping. Mustard is the traditional partner, and setting out a sharp stone-ground version alongside a sweet honey mustard covers a lot of ground. A warm cheese sauce turns pretzels into a proper appetizer, and for the sweet-toothed, cinnamon sugar on a buttered soft pretzel is a bakery classic. Legend holds that pretzels trace back centuries to European monks, but you do not need the history to appreciate one fresh from your own oven.

How to celebrate

  1. 1
    Bake soft pretzels

    A batch of homemade soft pretzels is easier than it looks and tastes incredible warm. Make a basic yeast dough, let it rise, then roll ropes and twist them into shape. The whole process is a fun weekend project and fills the kitchen with a bakery smell.

  2. 2
    Do not skip the bath

    The deep brown color and chewy skin come from a quick dip in an alkaline bath before baking. A baking-soda-and-water simmer is the safe home method; dedicated bakers use food-grade lye for the most authentic result. Either way, it is what makes a pretzel taste like a pretzel.

  3. 3
    Salt while wet

    Sprinkle coarse pretzel salt on right after the bath, while the surface is still tacky, so it sticks through baking. Regular table salt dissolves and disappears, so it is worth buying the big-crystal kind. Press it on gently so it stays put.

  4. 4
    Set out the mustards

    Pretzels and mustard are a classic pairing, so put out a few kinds. A sharp stone-ground mustard, a sweet-hot honey mustard, and a warm cheese sauce cover every mood. Dipping is half the fun.