Cheddar Chive Pretzels
These are quite literally ~everything. Chive infused pretzel dough, rolled out and stuffed with Cabot cheddar, topped with everything bagel seasoning. A little extra? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely.
Makes 6 stuffed pretzels (or 6 regular pretzels if you skip the fillings!)
For the dough:
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp active dry or instant yeast
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
Fillings and toppings:
About 4oz sharp Cabot cheddar (1/2 of an 8oz block)
1 egg (for the egg wash right before baking)
Everything bagel seasoning or pretzel salt
For boiling the pretzels:
Large stovetop pot
1/4 cup baking soda dissolved into 7-8 cups warm water
Rolled out pretzel with cheese pressed into it prior to pinching closed & final shaping.
The final shaped pretzels ready for their baking soda bath.
In a small bowl or measuring cup mix together the brown sugar, warm milk and yeast. Let it sit until frothy, about 5 minutes. If using instant yeast, skip this step and add the yeast to the flour. You may still want to dissolve the brown sugar into the warm milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together salt, flour, and chives.
When the yeast mixture is foamy, combine it with all the other ingredients (including the 2 tbsp of oil) and give everything a good mix. You can either knead it using the dough hook & stand mixer, or knead by hand until you have a nice smooth ball.
Let it rise in a lightly oiled bowl (covered) for 1 hour or until doubled in size. While the dough rests, slice your cheese into very thin matchstick-like strips (see photo above for example or the tutorial on Instagram).
Whole you’re waiting you can also dissolve the 1/4 cup of baking soda into a large pot of water (about 7-8 cups). Don’t turn it on yet, but it’s good to have it ready. You can also line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper to have those ready to go!
Once the dough has doubled, gently deflate and turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide it into 6 equal pieces. At this point you can also pre-heat the oven to 450F and turn the burner on low under the baking soda/water pot.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out into a long rope (about 14 inches long). Flatten it down using the palm of your hand, then add the cheese matchsticks along the center. Press the cheese down slightly and then pinch the dough closed VERY firmly up and around the cheese (see photo below for example).
Pinching the dough up and around the cheese to seal shut.
7. Once you’ve firmly sealed the cheese into the dough, roll the rope back and forth a bit to make sure it’s not sticking. Flip it over (seam side down) and shape into a pretzel. The easiest way to do this is to watch a few videos! I have several toward the end of the pretzel tutorial on my Instagram page.
8. Roll out, stuff, and shape all 6 pretzels. Transfer each to the parchment lined baking sheets as you finish them. Dunk each of them into the warm baking soda water just for a few second each. This helps get the that lovely pretzel crust.
9. Once you’ve dunked all the pretzels and returned them to the baking sheets, brush them with the egg wash (1 egg scrambled + 1 tbsp water). Sprinkle on the everything bagel seasoning and bake for about 15 minutes, checking occasionally for doneness after 12 minutes. Let them cool a bit and then enjoy!
I’d love to see your creations! Tag @nokneadtoworry on Instagram.
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