Giant, Mozzarella Pretzels
These mozzarella pretzels are the BEST. I should know, I am the biggest fan of huge, soft pretzels. These massive, buttery pretzels outrank their crunchy, baked cousins in every possible way… except maybe standards of healthiness. No, these are not clean-eating pretzels that you got in your lunchbox as an alternative to chips. These are big, fluffy, cheesy, salty pretzels- the kind you salivate over at ballparks and stadium events.
Growing up, my mom taught us very early how to bake bread from scratch, and I am hoping to share this special tradition with my own children. These mozzarella pretzels are a fun way to do this.
Getting Your Kids Involved
- Kids can help prepare the yeast for proofing by measuring it out and feeding it with sugar water. [This is a great opportunity to teach them about the chemistry behind baking– yeast being a living thing and feeding off of sugar!]
- Mixing the dry ingredients together is a great task for younger bakers.
- The assembly is the trickiest part here– BUT the dough itself is completely egg-free, so I recommend giving younger children a small sample to mess around with. Doing a tutorial of assembly and instruction to see if they follow is never a terrible idea, but consider letting them just have fun with it.
- Older kids who have an existing interest in baking will really enjoy learning how to make the pretzel shape, and can likely even dip them in the baking soda water. [This step not recommended for younger kids.]
- All kids can help mix the topping and brush it on before enjoying a taste of their creation!
- Note: this dough is SO forgiving you’re not going to overwork it, so it is great for beginners in that respect. The recipe itself has many steps and is time consuming, so younger kids might need to come in and out of it as their attention span allows!
Rosemary Mozzarella Pretzels
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Rapid Rise yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/4 cups AP flour
- 1-3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary use less if you prefer a more basic buttery pretzel
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
For the cooking liquid
- 10 cups water
- 3/4 cup baking soda
For the filling
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg for egg wash
For the topping
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Make the dough
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Proof the yeast. Preheat the oven to 200F. After if preheats, turn it off.
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Mix the sugar and water in a small, oven safe bowl. Add in the yeast, stirring thoroughly.
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Place the bowl in the oven and let sit for 10 minutes with the door open.
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While the yeast is proofing, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
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Add in the softened butter until it is completely mixed with no large chunks.
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Stir in the proofed yeast and rosemary with a wooden spoon.
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Scrape down the bowl and continue to work all ingredients until they come together in a ball.
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Cover the bow with a damp cloth or paper town and let rise for 1 hour.
Prepare the filling
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Mix the mozzarella cheese with the parmesan, salt, and pepper.
Form pretzels
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Prepare a work space with clean countertop, flour, and rolling pin. Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering them in parchment paper. Set ten cups of water to boil on the stove along with 3/4 cup baking soda.
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Using a sharp, underrated knife cut the dough into four equal pieces.
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Cut each of those into two, totaling 8 pieces.
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For each pretzel: roll the dough into a long snake (roughly 1 1/2 feet) and flatten it out with a rolling pin.
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Add 2 tablespoons of filling to the center and close the dough around it. Turn it over and press to create a seal.
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Shape the dough into the letter ‘U’.
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Cross the tops of the ‘U’.
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Bring the tops down over the loop to create your traditional pretzel shape.
Boil
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Drop each pretzel CAREFULLY into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Let each pretzel float for about 30 seconds before removing it carefully and returning it to the baking sheet.
Bake
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Preheat the oven to 425F. Whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water.
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Brush each pretzel with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
Topping
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While the pretzels are baking, create the topping by mixing the melted butter with rosemary, parmesan, garlic salt, and pepper.
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When the pretzels are done baking, drizzle with the topping and serve immediately.
