{
  "schemaVersion": 3,
  "rankingVersion": "v1",
  "rankingMethod": "CrowdScore lift-over-site with shrinkage; public claim is rank order only",
  "generatedAt": "2026-09-01T21:18:40.847Z",
  "origin": "https://guddish.com",
  "page": "https://guddish.com/soft-pretzels.html",
  "dish": {
    "key": "soft-pretzels",
    "label": "Soft Pretzels"
  },
  "cookValidated": true,
  "product": "guddish",
  "guddish": {
    "name": "GüdDish Soft Pretzels",
    "url": "https://guddish.com/soft-pretzels.html",
    "yield": "8 pretzels",
    "times": {
      "prepMin": 30,
      "cookMin": 20,
      "totalMin": 110
    },
    "ingredients": [
      "1 1/2 cups warm water, plus more for the baking soda bath",
      "2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted",
      "4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting",
      "1/3 cup baking soda",
      "1 tablespoon sugar",
      "2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast",
      "2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus coarse salt for topping"
    ],
    "steps": [
      {
        "n": 1,
        "text": "Warm the water until it feels just warm to the touch, not hot.\nIn a large bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water with the sugar. Let it sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.\nStir in the melted butter and salt.\nAdd the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.\nCover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour."
      },
      {
        "n": 2,
        "text": "Heat the oven to 450°F. Set out two baking sheets.\nPunch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces.\nRoll each piece into a rope about 20 inches long.\nShape each rope into a pretzel: make a U, cross the ends once, and press them onto the bottom curve."
      },
      {
        "n": 3,
        "text": "Bring 8 cups water and the baking soda to a gentle simmer in a wide pot.\nWorking a few at a time, lower each pretzel into the bath for 20 to 30 seconds.\nLift out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly, and set on the baking sheets.\nSprinkle with coarse salt while the surface is still wet."
      },
      {
        "n": 4,
        "text": "Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until deep golden brown.\nCool a few minutes on the sheet, then serve warm."
      }
    ]
  },
  "answer": {
    "type": "guddish",
    "name": "GüdDish Soft Pretzels",
    "url": "https://guddish.com/soft-pretzels.html"
  },
  "rankingAnswer": {
    "rank": 1,
    "name": "Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels",
    "site": "foodnetwork.com",
    "url": "https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/almost-famous-soft-pretzels-recipe-1972733",
    "rating5": 4.8,
    "ratingCount": 206,
    "liftOverSite": 0.41846600457010386,
    "siteBaseline": 4.371377053571399
  },
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "name": "Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "foodnetwork.com",
      "url": "https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/almost-famous-soft-pretzels-recipe-1972733",
      "rating5": 4.8,
      "ratingCount": 206,
      "liftOverSite": 0.41846600457010386,
      "siteBaseline": 4.371377053571399,
      "tier": "legendary"
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "name": "Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "thestayathomechef.com",
      "url": "https://thestayathomechef.com/soft-pretzels/",
      "rating5": 4.97,
      "ratingCount": 103,
      "liftOverSite": 0.3605724251567981,
      "siteBaseline": 4.591924059058892,
      "tier": "epic"
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "name": "Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "onceuponachef.com",
      "url": "https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/soft-pretzels.html",
      "rating5": 4.9,
      "ratingCount": 147,
      "liftOverSite": 0.30546379376102895,
      "siteBaseline": 4.584146281281114,
      "tier": "epic"
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "name": "Auntie's Delicious Soft Pretzels, Amish Recipe",
      "site": "food.com",
      "url": "https://www.food.com/recipe/aunties-delicious-soft-pretzels-amish-recipe-45006",
      "rating5": 4.79,
      "ratingCount": 144,
      "liftOverSite": 0.30622805951031484,
      "siteBaseline": 4.473139021756689,
      "tier": "epic"
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "name": "Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "sallysbakingaddiction.com",
      "url": "https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-homemade-soft-pretzels/",
      "rating5": 4.8,
      "ratingCount": 832,
      "liftOverSite": 0.22560900647378457,
      "siteBaseline": 4.5730351701700025,
      "tier": "epic"
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "name": "Buttery Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "modernhoney.com",
      "url": "https://www.modernhoney.com/buttery-soft-pretzels/",
      "rating5": 4.98,
      "ratingCount": 39,
      "liftOverSite": 0.3429915537129533,
      "siteBaseline": 4.593035170170002,
      "tier": "amazing"
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "name": "Hot Buttered Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "kingarthurbaking.com",
      "url": "https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/hot-buttered-soft-pretzels-recipe",
      "rating5": 4.8,
      "ratingCount": 535,
      "liftOverSite": 0.22486330362786777,
      "siteBaseline": 4.5730351701700025,
      "tier": "amazing"
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "name": "Basic Soft Pretzels",
      "site": "pinchofyum.com",
      "url": "https://pinchofyum.com/basic-soft-pretzels",
      "rating5": 5,
      "ratingCount": 21,
      "liftOverSite": 0.32690749076012615,
      "siteBaseline": 4.595257392392225,
      "tier": "amazing"
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "name": "Homemade Soft Pretzels (Buttery Soft Pretzels)",
      "site": "allrecipes.com",
      "url": "https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24272/buttery-soft-pretzels/",
      "rating5": 4.7,
      "ratingCount": 2600,
      "liftOverSite": 0.13781091994122097,
      "siteBaseline": 4.561924059058892,
      "tier": "amazing"
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "name": "Oven Baked Soft Pretzel",
      "site": "spendwithpennies.com",
      "url": "https://www.spendwithpennies.com/oven-baked-soft-pretzels/",
      "rating5": 4.84,
      "ratingCount": 56,
      "liftOverSite": 0.24100232100968721,
      "siteBaseline": 4.577479614614447,
      "tier": "amazing"
    }
  ],
  "corpus": {
    "nRated": 68,
    "nSites": 27,
    "totalVotes": 6203,
    "confidenceOverall": 0.8407098718945784,
    "pRunnerUpWins": 0.1285022741792321,
    "pipelineVersion": "2.1",
    "scoredAt": "2026-08-20T16:52:23.986Z",
    "contenderMinVotes": 8,
    "poolSize": 68
  },
  "status": {
    "freeze": null,
    "frozenAt": null,
    "reSyncedAt": null,
    "knownGaps": []
  },
  "method": "https://guddish.com/method.html",
  "coverage": "https://guddish.com/coverage.html"
}