Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Jalapeno popper stuffed soft pretzels are fluffy, bready, and loaded with cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and fresh jalapenos!
Table of Contents
Stuffed soft pretzels
If you like easy and delicious bread recipes, check out my crusty French bread rolls, rosemary garlic dinner rolls, or my strawberry bead with lemonade frosting.
It’s officially fall season, which means all hearty, delicious meals are back on the table! Cold weather means hearty and warm meals are a must! Soft, warm, oven-baked pretzels are exactly what you need for a tasty treat!
These soft pretzels are stuffed to the brim with jalapeno popper filling, then rolled, shaped, topped with cheddar cheese, and baked until golden perfection! The melted cheese on top really enhances the texture, adding that perfect crunch!
The pretzels are soft, chewy, and have just a slight bite because of the fresh jalapenos. They are absolutely irresistible when they are fresh out of the oven, and they get even more delicious and chewy as they cool!
These homemade pretzels are just so easy to make, so delicious to taste, and are an easy snack to grab. They really are the perfect hand held treats!
Jalapeno popper stuffed pretzel ingredients
- Water
- Sugar
- Active dry yeast
- Salted butter
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Cream cheese
- Jalapeno
- Bacon
- Cheddar cheese
- Baking soda
Chef’s tips
Boil the pretzels
Original pretzels from Germany are commonly boiled in food-grade lye. Nothing against it, I just wanted to go with an easier, more accessible route and use something I could find in a common grocery store, so these pretzels are boiled in baking soda. If you are using an open flame stove, remove the boiling pot of water from the stove, add the baking soda, then return it to the stove. The baking soda is activated by the hot water and it boils aggressively.
Use a large slotted spoon or even a spatula when removing the pretzels from the water. They will be really soft, doughy, and sticky, so you want to work quickly and gently. Try not to poke holes in the dough as you remove them so the filling stays in place.
Boiling the pretzels creates a more chewy dough, just like these New York style bagels. Sooo delish!
Top with cheese
Trust me, you will want to set aside a little more cheese to sprinkle on top of the bagels before you bake them. The cheese will melt and create a crunchy crust on top of the soft pretzels and it’s just so delicious.
How to make jalapeno popper stuffed soft pretzels
Proof the yeast. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer and allow it to get foamy and bubbly for about 5-8 minutes.
Make the dough. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Add the all-purpose flour, butter, and salt to the mixing bowl, then place the stand mixer on medium speed. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled large bowl.
Rise the dough. Place a damp kitchen towel over the bowl and place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to allow it to rise and double in size for 1 hour.
Make the filling. Combine the room temperature cream cheese, chopped jalapeno, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.
Shape the pretzels. Once the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto your work surface and divide it into 8 equal-sized balls. Use your hands to roll the balls into 13″ long cylinders. Use a rolling pin to stretch the dough to 3″ wide X 13″ long. Add the jalapeno popper filling in the center of the dough rectangles, then use your hands to roll the dough into itself. Shape the pretzel by grabbing both ends of the cylinder, stretching them above the center fold, twisting once, then laying the ends over the center fold of the dough.
Boil the pretzels. Preheat to oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Remove the pot of water from the stove, slowly add the baking soda, then place it back on the stove, returning it to a boil. Place the pretzels in the water, one at a time. Use a spoon to continuously splash water onto the top of the pretzel. Use a large slotted spoon or spatula to remove the pretzel, then place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (you will need two).
Bake the pretzels. Sprinkle cheese on top of the pretzels. Bake the pretzels for 18-20 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Mangia!
How to store stuffed pretzels
You can store these soft pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
To reheat these pretzels, place them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
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Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Large bowl
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon or spatula
- 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water 110 degrees
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Jalapeno popper filling
- 4 slices bacon
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 jalapeno chopped, ribs and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
To boil
- 1/3 cup baking soda
For topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Lay the bacon in a cold cast iron pan, then place over medium heat on the stove. Cook the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, then place it on a paper towel lined plate and allow it to cool. Once it has cooled, crumble it and place in a bowl.
- Proof the yeast. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Lightly stir, then allow it to get foamy and bubbly, about 5-8 minutes.
- Make the pretzel dough. Combine the all purpose flour, butter, and salt in the stand mixer bowl, then attach the dough hook. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Rise the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, then drape a damp kitchen towel over the top of the bowl. Place the bowl in a warm, draft free area and allow it to rise for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
- Shape the pretzels. Dump the dough onto your work surface, then divide it into 8 equal sized balls. Stretch and roll the balls into 13" long logs. Use a rolling pin to flatten the logs so they are 3" wide X 13" long. Smear 1-2 heaping tbsp of the jalapeno popper filling into the center of the dough. Roll one edge of the dough over the top of the filling, then pinch to blend the seam. Roll the dough into logs using your hand and your work surface. To shape the pretzels, grab both ends of the dough and stretch them overhead of the center fold of the dough. Twist the ends once, then drape them back down over the center fold. Pinch the ends of the dough into the pretzel to help it keep the shape.
- Boil the pretzels. Preheat to oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Remove the pot from the stovetop and slowly add the baking soda. Bring the pot back to the stove and return to a boil. Add one pretzel to the water at a time, using a spoon to splash the water on to the top of the pretzel. Boil them for 30 seconds each. Use a large slotted spoon or spatula to gently remove them from the water. Place them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the pretzels generously with more cheddar cheese
- Bake the pretzels. Place the baking sheets in the middle rack and the one below it in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets to the pretzels that were facing the front of the oven is now facing the back. Bake for another 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets again so the top one is not on the bottom rack. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Mangia!
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates, for exact values consult a nutritionist.
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