Big, fluffy pretzels with gooey, Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese in each bite. This recipe saves time by skipping the tedious boiling step that most pretzels require.
Combine water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the kneading arm or dough hook.
Let rest for 5 minutes.
In another bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, wheat gluten, and salt.
Add 1 cup of the flour mixture to the yeast and mix for a minute or two.
Slowly add the remaining flour mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides.
You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Knead in the Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
Let rest for 15 minutes.
Shaping & Baking
Preheat oven to 425F.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes and shape into a ball.
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
Take each part and roll into an even rope.
Take the ends of the rope and gently draw them together to form a circle.
Twist the ends.
Bring the ends back toward yourself and gently press them down into the dough to form a pretzel.
Beat the egg and water together and pour into a shallow bowl.
Dip the unbaked pretzel into the egg wash to cover all sides, allowing any excess egg to drip off.
Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick baking spray.
Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels with salt.
Bake for 10 minutes, remove the pretzels from the oven and carefully brush with melted butter.
Return to the oven and bake 5 minutes more.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Like Them Extra Cheesy?
If you want the kind of pretzels that drip gooey, melted cheese when you bite into them you can roll the dough into a rectangle.
Cut the rectangle into 8 strips.
Roll a strip of dough out so that it's about the width of two fingers.
Sprinkle more Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese down the center of the dough.
Pull each long side of the strip to the center to cover the cheese and pinch together, making sure to seal the cheese into the dough.
Finish the pretzels as in the instructions above.
Notes
Vary the flavor of the pretzels by using Sargento® Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese.Nutritional values are for general informational purpose only and are not verified. They may vary based on the ingredients, amounts and brands you choose./