I’m such a sucker for snacks, you have no idea. I love them so much that I tend to go all out on the snacks themselves, and end up getting so full that I don’t have any room for dinner after that. It happens to me all the time, and because of this, I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting snack recipes. These Quick Bacon Cheddar and Jalapeño Soft Pretzels came about because I had to shoot these quick breadsticks for Genius Kitchen and after I made them, it hit me that that particular recipe would make unbelievable homemade soft pretzels. They’re so much easier to make than the traditional pretzels, with only 20 minutes rising time and no-boiling required. And although, the texture of course, isn’t the same as the classic soft pretzel, this recipe more than gets the job done. The best part is that they’re completely customizable and can get flavored many different ways.
Let’s start by proofing the yeast, which means to wake it up with a bit of warm water and a little bit of sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast and brown sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes to waken up the yeast.
**Tip: You want the yeast to foam up and get frothy, if it doesn’t that means either the water was too hot or too cold. If this happens toss it and start again!**
Add the salt, oil and flour. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.
Bring up the speed and knead on high for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft, somewhat elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
**Tip: This dough is fairly easy enough that you can definitely do it all by hand, just in case you don’t have a stand mixer…a wooden spoon, bowl and a bit of elbow grease will do just fine!**
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until the flour is absorbed and the dough is soft. Cut into 8 equal pieces and cover with a kitchen towel.
Working with one piece at a time, roll out into a 12-inch rope and then shape into a pretzel, transferring to one of the prepared baking sheets.
**Tip: You want to place about 4 pretzels per baking sheet, and make sure to give them enough space to rise. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 20 minutes.**
Brush the tops of the pretzels with melted butter, sprinkle with cheese, and top with bacon and jalapeños. Some of the toppings will fall in the middle of the pretzels, but that’s okay!
Bake until puffed up and golden brown all around, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
The pretzels are great all on their own, but you could also serve them with a side of store-bought ranch dressing on the side for dipping and dunking. Cheese sauce would also be great, if you want to really take them over the top!
Once the pretzels have baked and cooled, you can also place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for about 2 months. To rewarm them, just place them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 3 to 5 minutes.
It’s important to note that while the pretzels are soft, they don’t have that chewy texture with a deep golden brown exterior traditional soft pretzels have. They’re still amazing though and I highly recommend them. You can also top with with hundreds of different toppings and flavor combinations!
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups bread flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 6 strips crispy bacon, finely chopped
- ½ cup pickled jalapeños, drained
- Ranch dressing, for serving
- Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast and brown sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes to waken up the yeast. Add the salt, oil and flour. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Bring up the speed and knead on high for about 5 minutes, until the dough is soft, somewhat elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until the flour is absorbed and the dough is soft. Cut into 8 equal pieces and cover with a kitchen towel. Working with one piece at a time, roll out into a 12-inch rope and then shape into a pretzel, transferring to one of the prepared baking sheets. You want to place about 4 pretzels per baking sheet, and make sure to give them enough space to rise. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 20 minutes.
- Brush the pretzels with melted butter, sprinkle with cheese, and top with bacon and jalapeños. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve with ranch and enjoy!
Made these last night and they were great! I had to roll my dough into much longer ropes to get the shape to allow having the “open areas”. Might be an altitude issue with the dough but that was before even the rising time. The pictures were a great help – I kept letting them bake longer, thinking they needed to be more brown ( hello? reading comprehension, since you mention that, lol). Think I might try them in a mini version and definitely the ‘everything bagel’ option on your site. Thanks.