Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make Butterfly Soft Pretzels
It’s funny how you can talk to a friend that you have known for over 20 years and they tell you something new. Just when you think you know everything about each other, you instantly understand you still have plenty to learn from each other!
When this one of many inspiring conversations I had with one of my best friends happened recently, I learned about Dollywood’s butterfly soft pretzels and a delicious soft pretzel recipe from the Food Network and it sent me into creation mode.
I finally figured out how to make the butterfly pretzels!
I envisioned rolling out pretzel dough and shaping it into a butterfly in my mind, then put my ideas to work. After many experiments, I finally figured out my own version. Here’s how to make a butterfly soft pretzel.
Each butterfly was a bit different
Butterflies and Dolly Parton
If you’ve never been to Dollywood or don’t know much about Dolly Parton, here’s some information about her and her theme park, which as of 2025, she still owns the controlling share, or 50%. Dolly’s love of the butterfly is a prevalent symbol throughout her park. A butterfly even adorns her perfume bottle lid and you can see it here on Amazon.
I used to visit her hometown of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and the surrounding area many, many times when I lived in Kentucky. I have always felt at peace staying in the mountains there, which is one of the reason why we plan to move to the mountains soon. I hope to make these butterfly pretzels for friends and family once we move.
I cooled mine on a baking rack
I love butterflies too and have written about their lifecycle and how I relate to it in my own life many times here on my website. My butterfly maiden hairstyle tutorial here also tells the story of how the butterfly/metamorphosis has helped me understand myself a little better.
Butterflies are hatching all over Sanibel and match the timing of this tutorial!
My butterfly maiden hairstyle is an easy and quick one that I wear often. See a quick video tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Soft Pretzels
The recipe I used to create these soft pretzels comes from the Food Network’s Alton Brown. My friend said the pretzels turned out perfectly each time he made them using this recipe. After making it myself, it was truly flawless. I had no idea that soft pretzels were boiled in baking soda water prior to baking. This definitely gives it a zing that makes it taste even better than a ball park soft pretzel, according to my husband, who is my official taste tester.
These are similar to the Dollywood soft pretzels, but my own design
What Else Can I Make with The Pretzel Dough?
If you don’t want to make butterflies, you can make regular pretzels which are super easy to make using Alton’s instructions. I tried to make my butterfly pretzels look more like the official Dollywood ones (see them here in an article about the park’s food on People.com) but I could not.
I made regular pretzels too
After many failed attempts on the late Sunday night (I create late into the night sometimes as I have to take advantage when creative ideas strike!), I believe they are made in a factory, but I could be wrong. If someone hand rolls them, then I need to meet that creator! My butterfly soft pretzel version is my own design, so I merely used Dolly’s as inspiration.
You can also roll out the dough, cut it into small chunks for pretzel nuggets, which are great for dunking! My family came up with some dunking ideas and we’ve loved their suggestions (links go out to Walmart or Amazon):
Pizza Sauce (sprinkle the dough with parmesan cheese in the last minute of baking and it will be like a pretzel pizza)
Chocolate (Baker’s has a small container of dipping chocolate that would be easy to use!)
Queso (We LOVE Primal Kitchen’s plant based Queso)
Buffalo Ranch (My husband loves the Keto friendly version from Primal Kitchen)
Beer Cheese or Pub Cheese
Cinnamon and Butter (We like ghee, a clarified butter, as it’s shelf stable)
I’ll definitely work on some more tutorials for soft pretzels as they are very easy to make, taste great, and freeze well too in case you want to make them but don’t want to eat them all at once.
Here’s How to Make Butterfly Soft Pretzels:
Make the Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzel recipe for your dough (get his recipe here on the Food Network)
Spraying my work surface with avocado oil
Spray some oil (I used avocado oil) onto a flat surface (I cleaned my stone countertop for this really well and used it as my creating surface). You may need to respray after each pretzel you make to help the dough not stick. It also helps it roll easier.
I pulled off a small section of the dough after making it, then rolled it on the oiled surface into a long tube shape using both my hands. After many, many attempts, I realized making the dough into a skinny tube that is about 24 inches long is best for the butterfly. Use the image below as a visual for shaping the butterfly in about 8 steps. Pressing to connect all the dough “connections” keeps it locked into shape while boiling.
Steps to make butterfly soft pretzels
Lay the butterflies out onto a parchment (we use this unbleached parchment) lined baking tray while making them. I experimented with making butterflies, nuggets and regular pretzels. I will make more butterfly pretzels in the future as I know my design will get better the more I practice.
A pre-baked butterfly pretzel
As the recipe states, boil water with baking soda for 30 seconds. Place back onto the parchment lined baking tray.
Boiling the pretzel in baking soda water
Apply the watered-down egg yolk to each pretzel (gives it color and a nice sheen) and sprinkle with pretzel salt if desired. I use a silicone basting/pastry brush for this.
Brushing with egg yolk and water
Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Use a spatula to remove from the baking tray and cool on a baking rack.
Post-baked butterfly pretzel
These tasted delicious fresh from the oven, but you can also refrigerate or freeze leftovers. I placed mine in a large plastic container as we have to watch mold on our bread items while living in SWFL and the refrigerator helps with this. They became more dense after refrigerating overnight, but they tasted the same, which was great.
Regular soft pretzel shapes are easy to make too
To freeze, you can wrap them in parchment and then foil. To thaw, you can place them in the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time and eat or then place in an air fryer (we adore our Emeril one) for a few minutes to crisp them back up.
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.