Rosemary Garlic Stuffed Soft Pretzels are filled with gooey mozzarella cheese, full of flavor, easy to make and will impress your dinner guests. They are so delicious that you might want to double the recipe!
Since starting my herb garden, I’ve found myself experimenting with more herbs. I usually have some type of herb garden every year but this year is by far the biggest. The best part is that I planned ahead and put them all in pots so that I can keep them going year round. I’ve got a lamp ready to go for the cold midwestern months for the first time ever so cross your fingers that I can make it happen!
Usually when I experiment with soft pretzels, it’s all about paring them with an amazing dip. However, when I go to one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago, I’m always drawn to the cheese stuffed soft pretzels–mostly after a few drinks (ha!). If you can’t tell by the number of soft pretzel recipes on this blog, I LOVE soft pretzels. So much carb-ey goodness.
I’ve made these Jumbo Soft Pretzel Cheddar Bombs before and to be frank, if you are starting out in the cheese stuffing soft pretzel making and have some concerns, you might want to start there. These Rosemary Garlic Mozzarella Stuffed Soft Pretzels are absolutely delicious. They are full of flavor and every bit worth the effort.
The only real difference in stuffed soft pretzels is the need for a couple extra steps including rolling out each individual pretzel dough wide enough to place the cheese in it, roll it up and crease the seal. Then, continue on with the pretzel making process as usual.
Here’s a few tips for successful cheese-stuffed pretzels:
- Freeze the cheese. It might seem weird but I tried it both ways and almost all of the cheese oozed out of the pretzels before it was golden brown when I didn’t freeze it. Freezing the cheese gives you a little extra time in the oven.
- Make sure you seal the crease in the dough. Pretty simple tip but just pay some extra attention here so that your cheese stays inside the pretzels.
- Bake on parchment paper or a silpat. Some of the cheese will come out. When it does, it will likely bake onto your cookie sheet or stone. It will be a hot mess if you don’t use one of these two options.
Most of all, have fun with it! Pretzel making is a lot of fun and this recipe packs a lot of flavor. So, it’s win-win!
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (approximately 110-115°F) water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk
- 5 oz mozzarella
- 1/3 cup fresh rosemary (don't use dried!)
- 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the warm water, sugar, salt and mix together. Then, add the dry yeast to the top and slightly mix, enough to wet it. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof.
- Then, add in 3/4 of the chopped rosemary and four cups of flour, one cup at a time to the mixture until the dough isn’t sticky and pulls from the sides of the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Place it into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for approximately an hour in a warm place. It will be doubled in size when it is ready.
- While the dough is rising, chop the garlic and set aside. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes, place on a plate and keep in the freezer until ready for use.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Remove the dough and place on a flat surface. Work the dough into a ball and cut into four pieces. Then, cut each of those pieces into thirds.
- Roll out one piece of dough with your hands into a long piece of dough about a foot long. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 2-3 inches wide. Place 3-4 small cubes of cheese on the dough and fold each side over the cheese covering it. Then, pinch together the two creases ensuring that the cheese stays inside the dough!
- Twist the ends together three times and then fold the twisted portion of the pretzel over the rest of the dough so that it looks like a pretzel. Repeat until all of the pretzels are formed.
- In a pot, pour the 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the baking soda. Place a silpat mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside. Beat the egg yolk and also set aside.
- Drop one pretzel at a time into the boiling baking soda mixture for approximately 30 seconds. Remove using a slotted spoon or wok spatula to drain off the excess water. Place on the baking sheet and baste on the yolk. Sprinkle on the garlic and a few pieces of rosemary. Add a pinch of salt to each pretzel. Bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the pretzels from the oven and serve immediately.
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