FROZEN CHEESE FILLED PRETZELS RECIPES

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir flour, yeast, salt and sugar with whisk. Add 1 cup warm water; stir to combine, slowly adding additional water as necessary to make dough easy to handle.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with oil. Place dough bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray; let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together all of the filling ingredients.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Using floured rolling pin, roll to 16x12-inch rectangle. Using pizza cutter, cut dough crosswise into 8 (2- x 12-inch) strips. Spoon cheese mixture down center of each dough strip. Press dough over filling, pinching edges and ends to seal. Gently press or roll each rope to 15-inch length.
• To make pretzel shape, form each rope into U shape. Twist ends twice. Overlap twisted ends to form X shape; press together where dough touches. Pick ends up and place on rounded portion of U shape. Tuck one end under dough; place other end on top of dough.
• In medium microwavable bowl, microwave 2 cups water on High 2 minutes or until hot. Add baking soda; stir until dissolved. Dip each pretzel, one at a time, into water mixture. Immediately remove from water with large pancake turner; place on cooling rack. Let stand at room temperature, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir egg and 1 tablespoon water with fork. Brush pretzels with egg mixture; sprinkle with sea salt. Carefully transfer to cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cooling rack, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
• Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer (see cooks note if you do not have a stand mixer), sprinkle yeast over top, add sugar and stir. Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes. Once it is nice and foamy, it is ready.
• Meanwhile cut cheese into 36 even pieces, less than ½ ounce each. Fill an 8-quart pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl beat egg and 2 tablespoons water with a fork. Set aside. Sprinkle clean countertop with 1/4 cup flour.
• Add flour and salt to mixer. Knead for 3- 5 minutes until the dough comes together in one ball. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, if the bread is too sticky to come together. The dough should be tacky when you pull it out of the mixer, not sticky.
• Place dough on a floured countertop and knead in flour until it is no longer tacky, just a minute or two. Form dough into a ball. We are going to cut this ball into 36 (somewhat) even pieces. First, quarter the ball of dough. Roll each quarter into a fat log. Cut that into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a log and cut it into 3 pieces. When you are done you will have 36 pieces.
• Roll each dough piece (one at a time) into a ball and then flatten it into a circle. Add a piece of cheese in the center. Carefully pull each side over the cheese to create a ‘cheese package’ then roll the dough into a ball. Be careful to make sure you can not see the cheese through the dough. Tap fingers in flour, pinch any tears and roll again. Set aside and repeat until all you have 36 stuffed dough balls.
• Carefully, a sprinkle at a time, add baking soda to boiling water. USE CAUTION: IT WILL BUBBLE UP. Place dough balls into boil water a few at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds. Place on parchment paper to cool and repeat.
• Arrange all pretzel balls on parchment so they are not touching. Brush egg-wash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops are browned.
• The ooey-gooey cheese may escape some of your pretzel bombs. That is a beautiful thing! Scoop all that cheesy goodness up onto the plate and serve. Your guests will go crazy over them.
• Enjoy!
• You can mix the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer. Add water, yeast, and sugar. Once the yeast blooms stir in the salt and the flour. Mix with a spoon. Turn dough out onto the floured countertop and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky. Proceed with remaining instructions.
• You can use 36 frozen dinner rolls (I use Rhodes) in place of the dough recipe.