Savory & Sweet Stuffed Soft Pretzels & Pretzel bites
Sweet or savory, these German-style stuffed soft pretzels and pretzel bites hit the spot for a hearty quick snack. This post covers a variety of ingredients to use to stuff your favorite pretzel dough using everything from cheese to Nutella and chocolate chips along with mustard and peanut butter and jelly. Regardless of the filling, as long as you include the proper technique for the different filling textures, the possibilities are near endless.
Servings: 10 pretzels
Ingredients
- pretzel dough
Dipping Solution:
- 45 g ¼ cup baking soda
- 944 ml 4 cups cold water
Optional Dough Fillings:
- cheese low moisture (not fresh) like sharp cheddar, Colby jack, Gruyère, mozzarella, etc. (¼ inch diced)
- mustard yellow, stone ground, spicy brown, etc.
- chocolate chips semi-sweet, dark, milk, white, butterscotch, etc.
- Nutella
- nut or seed butter peanut butter, sunflower butter, etc.
- fruit jam or preserves strawberry, cherry, apricot, etc.
Optional Toppings:
- pretzel salt coarse salt or flake salt
- mix of cinnamon and granulated sugar
- melted chocolate to drizzle over the tops or for dipping like chocolate covered pretzels
Instructions
Prepare the Dipping Solution for All Filled Pretzels & Pretzel Bites:
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the baking soda evenly over the liner.
- Bake the baking soda for 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside until needed in the recipe.TIP: Baking the baking soda increases the alkaline value to resemble the pH of the traditional lye solution used in making German pretzels. If you can find it, you can use lye solution, but baking soda works and may be more convenient.
Initial Divide & Shape for All Filled Pretzels & Pretzel Bites:
- Scoop the dough out onto an unfloured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 “equal” pieces by weighing or eyeballing the portions. (if the total weight is about 820 g, divided by 10 is 82 g per dough piece).TIP: An unfloured work surface provides friction making it easier to roll out and shape the dough.
- Roll each dough piece into logs about the length of a sausage. Place each log on a plate (side by side) and cover with a towel.TIPS: Rolling the dough pieces into short logs first allows them to adjust to that size before rolling them much thinner. Covering the dough prevents a crust from forming as they sit.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining each with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- Remove one dough log and cover the remaining with the towel. Place your hands (side by side) in the center of the sausage-size roll and roll along the work surface pushing your hands out rolling until the dough reaches at least a 17-inch-long rope.
- With a rolling pin, place it perpendicular in the center of the rope and roll the dough flat out to one end. Return the rolling pin back to the center and roll flat in the opposite direction. Then, place the rolling pin parallel to the dough on top (add flour as needed) and roll back and forth all the way down from one end to the other to reach a flat 2-inch-wide strip of dough.
Cheese Stuffed Pretzels:
- Dice cheese into ¼ - inch cubes. Toss them in a little flour to coat. Place the diced cheese in a line along the center of the dough strip. Lay the cheese side by side from one end to the other. Leave a ½- to 1-inch space from the ends.TIPS: If the cheese is too thick and long, it will be difficult to shape into a smooth rounded pretzel. Tossing the cheese in flour helps to absorb the liquid/grease as the cheese melts helping to prevent oozing.
- Fold both dough short ends over the cheese and press to seal the edges. Then, fold both long edges over the cheese and pinch to seal to enclose the cheese. Move all the way down the strip to the other end. Gently roll the log along the work surface to smooth out and seal the roll completely.TIP: Consider gently pressing the cheese down into the dough making it a little easier to manipulate as you seal the long edges.
- With the sealed crease facing up towards the sealing, form a “U” shape with the dough. Lift the ends and cross them over 2 times. Pull the ends down to touch the bottom “corners” of the “U” to make the pretzel shape. Press to seal the ends to the body of the “U”.TIP: Placing the sealed crease up will help to eliminate cheese from oozing out during baking since the crease is a weak spot that might split open during baking.
- Lift and place each pretzel about an inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Cover the pretzels with a towel to prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Continue rolling, filling, and shaping the pretzels with remaining dough pieces.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours or overnight.TIP: Freezing the pretzels with cheese firms the cheese and helps to prevent the cheese from melting out of the dough as it bakes. The frozen dough makes it easier to lift and place in the alkaline solution prior to baking.
Chocolate Chip Stuffed Pretzels:
- Roll the rope a little longer to 20 inches in length while keeping the 2 inches in diameter.
- Place any flavor of regular size chocolate chips lined side by side down the long dough strip. Leave a ½- to 1-inch space from the ends.
- Fold the dough short ends over the chocolate chips and pinch to seal the edges. Then, fold both long edges over the chocolate chips and pinch to seal enclosing the chocolate. Gently roll the log along the work surface to smooth out and seal the roll completely.
- Form a “U” shape with the dough. Lift the ends and cross them over 2 times. Pull the ends down to touch the bottom “corners” of the “U” to make the pretzel shape. Press to seal the ends to the body of the “U”.
- Lift and place each pretzel about an inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Cover with a towel to prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Continue rolling, filling, and shaping the pretzels with remaining dough pieces.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.TIP: Freezing the pretzels makes it easier to lift and place in the alkaline solution prior to baking.
Mustard/ Condiment/ Nutella/ Nut Butter/ Jam/ Thick Paste/ or Cream Stuffed Pretzels:
- Roll the rope a little longer to 20 inches in length while keeping the 2 inches in diameter.
- Use a knife to place a very thin strip of mustard or other condiment, nut butter, or jam down the center of each flat dough strip leaving a ½- to 1-inch space from the ends.TIP: Mustard and nut butters have strong overpowering flavors, so you only need a very small amount. I find a squeeze bottle tip too large for the small amount needed.
- Fold dough short ends over the mustard or condiment and press to seal the edges. Then, fold both long edges over the condiment and pinch to seal enclosing the filling. Gently roll the log along the work surface to smooth out and seal the roll completely.
- Form a “U” shape with the dough. Lift the ends and cross them over 2 times. Pull the ends down to touch the bottom “corners” of the “U” to make the pretzel shape. Press to seal the ends to the body of the “U”.
- Lift and place each pretzel about an inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Cover with a towel to prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Continue rolling, filling, and shaping the pretzels with remaining dough pieces.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.TIP: Freezing the pretzels makes it easier to lift and place in the alkaline solution prior to baking.
All Stuffed Pretzel Bites:
- Roll the rope a little longer to 20 inches in length while keeping the 2 inches in diameter.
- Decide what you want to fill your pretzel bites. You can fill them all with the same filling or use a variety of fillings. For each of the fillings, leave a 1-inch space in between each filling to allow enough space to cut into separate bites. While laying down the fillings, leave a ½-inch space from each end. For chocolate chips, place 4-5 bunched up in a ½-inch square space. You can add three to four ¼-inch cubes of cheese, a small ¼ tsp dollop of mustard, Nutella, nut butter, or jam. You can even add a small dollop of fruit jam on top of the nut butter for a peanut butter and jelly-style pretzel bite. Each dough strip will yield 8-10 pretzel bites.
- Fold each short edge over the nearest filling. Press to seal over the filling. Then, move down the log pulling up the long edges to seal them at the top to enclose each filling. Pinch as necessary to seal. As you move down to seal the roll, use a finger to flatten down the 1-inch empty space in between each filling to mark where to cut and separate each pretzel bite. TIP: If you forget to mark as you go, it will be very difficult to discern the "empty" space between the creamy fillings as they are soft.
- After sealing all the way down, use a knife or bench scraper to cut in the center of each flattened section to separate each bite. Pinch to ensure a seal at each end of each bite.TIP: The pinched ends will result in each pretzel bite resembling individually wrapped candies.
- Lift and place each filled and sealed pretzel bite with the sealed/seam side down on the lined baking sheet. Cover the pretzel bites with a towel to prevent a crust from forming on the dough. Continue rolling, filling, and shaping the pretzel bites with remaining dough pieces.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.TIP: Freezing the pretzels makes it easier to lift and place in the alkaline solution prior to baking.
Dip, Top, & Bake for All Stuffed Soft Pretzels & Pretzel Bites:
- Preheat the oven to 450˚F (232˚C).
- For the dipping solution, add the baked baking soda to a large wide-mouth bowl or stock pot and pour in 4 cups cold water while stirring to dissolve the baking soda. Continue to stir until the baking soda has dissolved completely and the water is clear.
- Remove one of the baking sheets from the freezer. Lift one or two pretzel(s) or a handful of pretzel bites and place in the dipping solution. Allow to sit in the solution for 30 seconds per side or 1 minute total. Flip or remove pretzels using 2 slotted spoons or forks to allow excess liquid to drip and to prevent touching the solution. Return dipped pretzels and pretzel bites to the baking sheet. Ensure the pretzel bites are seam side down on the baking sheet.TIP: Alkaline solution is very salty and can irritate the skin.
- Sprinkle coarse, pretzel, or flake salt over the tops of each pretzel or pretzel bite as desired. If you want a sweet version, sprinkle a mix of cinnamon and sugar.TIP: For other toppings, you can sprinkle on seeds (poppy, pumpkin, white or black sesame, Nigella, caraway, etc.), seasonings (onion flakes, everything bagel, etc.), or grated cheese prior to baking.
- Bake the pretzels for 25-30 minutes or until dark brown. Begin checking the pretzels at 20 minutes. The pretzel bites will take 5 minutes less to bake. So, you may want to remove them between 20-25 minutes. TIPS: I prefer to bake one pan at a time to ensure an even bake and browning. As one pan bakes, you can prepare the next by dipping and topping the remaining pretzels. Also, consider placing all pretzel bites on one baking sheet and all pretzels on another. Bake them separately to eliminate removing any of them at different times during baking.
Video
Notes
Storing Suggestions:
For these filled pretzels, store sealed in a bag or container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, place them in a sealed bag or container in the freezer for several months. Remove as desired and heat in the microwave until heated through.
Make-Ahead Suggestion (If Short on Time & Energy):
- Day 1: Make the pretzel dough and store covered in a large bowl in the fridge.
- Day 2: Roll, fill, and shape the pretzel and pretzel bites- store on baking sheet in freezer.
- Day 3: Dip, bake, and eat stuffed pretzels.