Does everyone else have a soft pretzel obsession like me? I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t keep my hands off of them. Especially when they are still warm out of the oven and served with some mustard. It’s like a match made in heaven. I’m fairly certain the only person who loves soft pretzels more than me is my dad. He’s obsessed. We ordered them at all the fun breweries in Portland on our last trip and did some serious taste testing. It’s a tough job, but we are seriously good at it.
I wanted to whip up a new soft pretzel recipe for you guys for the Super Bowl this weekend. And I got crazy and stuffed the soft pretzels with Pepper Jack cheese. I contemplated mozzarella, fontina and smoked gouda, but everyone on twitter and facebook said Pepper Jack was the way to go… and guess what… they were so spot on.
The kick from the cheese was perfect! And then slather on some mustard on top. I mean it was pretty heavenly. Look how delish they looked fresh outta the oven.
Word to the wise… wait a hot minute or two before consuming these suckers… I burnt my tongue on the first one. Someone got a little excited.
Soft pretzels are actually really easy to make and there is a little bit of down time which works out perfectly when you have other things to whip up for your game day feast. Like guacamole. Guacamole. And more guacamole. In fact, you should make extra chipotle guacamole so you can dip your Pepper Jack stuffed Pretzel INTO the guacamole. #obsessed
Pepper Jack Stuffed Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- vegetable oil for the bowl
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 cup of Pepper Jack cheese cut into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- splash of water
- course sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the yeast, brown sugar and warm water in a mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment. Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Add the melted butter and salt to the mixture and combine.
- Add the all purpose flour while the dough hook is rotating.
- Next add the whole wheat flour and continue to mix until the dough has formed a large mass. This will take a few minutes, so be patient.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and let rest in an oiled bowl for an hour, covered with a kitchen towel.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place a large pot with 10 cups water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the baking soda. The baking soda, will make the water bubble, so add it in batches if you're worried about the pot overflowing.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and break off a little bit of dough, roughly half the size of a golf ball, and flatten it into a disc. Add 1 cube of pepper jack cheese and fold the dough over, pinching in the edges so the cheese is hidden from view and you have a ball of pretzel dough. Repeat this process for the remaining dough.
- Using a slotted spoon, add about 10 of the pretzel bites to the boiling water at a time. Once they rise to the top of the water, should take about 30 seconds, remove with your slotted spoon to a paper towel to dry. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Transfer the pretzel bites to parchment lined baking sheets that you’ve sprayed with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and a splash of water. Brush the tops of each pretzel bite with the egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10-16 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving!
This looks amazing, Gaby. My son adores pretzels and I need to make your soft pretzels for him soon. He’ll love them!
These sound phenomenal and I must make them! Do you really need to spray the parchment paper? I’m not a fan of cooking spray, but if they are impossible to get off without it maybe I can try a little butter or really lightly oil the parchment?
Whooooaaa… these sound absolutely amazing. Must make immediately!
Oh….oh I can’t see straight. Wow.
Holy cow Gaby. Done and done.
The cheese!! What a capture. These look incredible, Gaby.
These look just perfect. Now I need a great mustard……
These look so goooood. May have to make them for the 10th grade superbowl party I’m hosting!
Wonder how this would work in the bread machine on dough setting
oooo I don’t know! I don’t have a bread maker. But if you give it a go- let me know!! What kind of bread maker do you use?
Yum yum yum. I think I would eat these all in one sitting!
These are so fun Gaby!!!
I love pretzel bites and having them stuffed with cheese makes them even better than dipping them.
Whoaaa, this looks so amazing! I can’t believe how simple it is, and those melty ooey gooey cheese really melts in your mouth. Yum!
I’m totally making pretzel bites for game day – yum! PS. I can’t even tell you who is playing in the Superbowl. No idea, whatsoever.
I am 100% in love with these ooey gooey pretzel bites!!!
I want your pretzel in my mouth. Just sayin’
I want your pretzel in my mouth. Wait. What? Awkward 🙂
I’ve used my bread maker to make pretzels and it works great!
Hi there, if i don’t have whole wheat flour handy can i just replace it with bread flour or more AP flour? 🙂 seriously interested in making these. I haven’t tried baking stuffed bread yet and this looks like a pretty good shot for my first time 😀
Hi Vanessa! I’ve never done it with just white flour – but I found a good and reliable resource I think answers your question: http://www.bhg.com/advice/food/baking/can-i-substitute-whole-wheat-flour-for-all-purpose-flour-when-baking/
Let me know how it turns out!
These look amazing! How many pretzel bites does this recipe make?
Gaby!!! These look so amazing I can’t even stand it. Need to make them asap! xoxo
these are freaking brilliant. I LOVE soft pretzels but you completely took them to a whole ‘nother awesome level by stuffing them with cheese!! ahhh
Oh yes! This is SO happening this week.
These sound so good! Perfect party food!
Absolutely loving this, girl! The jack cheese is great!
Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!
How long does this take and how many “bites” does it make? (Sorry if I missed where you wrote that information.)
Also, I assume they are best served warm. Have you ever tried to prepare and perhaps freeze them before the final baking, and then bake from frozen right before you serve them?
Hi Wendy!! I made about 40 bites 🙂 And no, I haven’t ever tried freezing them before. I think that would totally work though! I’ve done it with other doughs, never pretzel, and it’s been fine! I do it with pizza dough all the time 🙂
These sound amazing and I am so trying them this weekend!
Just wondering if you would freeze them before or after they go in the water? I am new to working with dough.
Thanks 🙂
Damn, those sound good!
yummy!!!!!
Pretty sure you nailed it here! These look amazing.
This is a seriously brilliant idea! Did any of the cheese leak out into the boiling pot or did it pretty well stay in? Can’t wait to give it a try (I’ve also been obsessed with pretzels lately, even did a video cooking demo about them this week. So fun!).
Hey Christine! No the cheese stayed in almost perfectly! Just be sure to give the dough a good pinch at the “Seems” so it stays in! Happy cooking 🙂
I’m going to need these very soon – they look delicious!
I love that you used some whole wheat flour, so I can call them healthy!
you’re killing me over here
It’s the calorie girl again! I wonder about or approximately how many calories in one of these.
Hi Amy!
It would depend on the brands of ingredients you use – I’ve found this tool to be helpful if you want to check it out 🙂
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Thanks!
I wonder if this work as a dessert. Instead of cheese use nutella or chocolate chip or peanut butter and replace sea salt with cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar.
Stumbled on this post today and all I gotta say is thank god you started working with Matt and Adam lol
I AM DEAD!! LOLOLOLOL