It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a stuffed pretzel recipe with you. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been eating them, though! As soon as I made these pesto parmesan stuffed soft pretzels, I knew I had to share them with you.
So I refrained myself (and my husband!) from eating them up right away and managed to finally take pictures of them!
Soft, chewy pretzels with a rich, creamy pesto parmesan filling. I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, soft pretzels really are easy to make. Really. Of course, I got help from my favorite Red Star Platinum Yeast.
You just mix this no-fail yeast in with the dry ingredients. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you have “proofed” the yeast correctly. Told you it was easy.
Once you have your dough ready, you roll out each piece and spoon the filling in. Shape into pretzels, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle on the toppings. Bake. Eat.
That was a super condensed version of the instructions below, but I wanted you to see that the long list of instructions doesn’t mean “difficult.” I was just trying to be thorough.
The filling is a combination of cream cheese, basil pesto, and grated parmesan cheese. That’s it. Simple but loaded with flavor. A bit more parmesan cheese is sprinkled over the top right before baking and adds the right amount of salty cheesiness.
Make sure you serve the pretzels with extra pesto. They taste amazing when you dip them warm into the pesto! Have I convinced you to make soft pretzels yet?! 😉
Be sure to check out Red Star Yeast’s Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and/or Google Plus pages for more recipe inspiration and baking tips!
- For the Pretzels
- 4 1/2 – 5 C bread flour
- 1 pkg Red Star Platinum Yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 C water, warmed to 120-130 degrees F
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- For the Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 C prepared basil pesto
- 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
- For the Water Bath and Topping
- 10 C water
- 2/3 C baking soda
- 1 egg
- coarse sea salt
- grated parmesan cheese
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 C flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water and butter. With mixer on low, add additional 1 1/2 cups of flour. If mixture is still too wet, add up to another additional 1/2 cup flour. Beat with paddle attachment until dough starts to form.
- Switch out paddle attachment for dough hook and knead dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until dough is smooth and pulls away from edges of bowl.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl that has been sprayed with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Roll dough in the bottom to coat all sides. Cover and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot for an hour or until doubled in size.
- While dough is rising, prepare filling. Stir together cream cheese, pesto, and parmesan cheese until well combined.
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bring water and baking soda to a boil over medium heat. Beat egg in a small bowl.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into an approximate 20 x 3 inch rectangle. Spread about 2 tablespoons of filling along the bottom of rectangle. Gently roll dough up lengthwise into a rope, pinching ends tightly to prevent filling from spilling out. Gently roll out 1-2 more inches. Shape into a pretzel and press ends down.
- Gently place pretzels one by one into boiling water. Allow to boil 50 seconds, flipping them halfway through boiling time.
- Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush egg wash over the top of each pretzel. Sprinkle with salt and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.
- Allow pretzels to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating.
This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast. As always, all opinions are still 100% my own. Thanks for supporting brands that make A Kitchen Addiction possible!
Tyanne
Wednesday 9th of February 2022
Super great recipe! I just stuffed mine with mozzarella and pesto. It was so oooooo good.
Team J
Wednesday 20th of May 2015
What an amazing idea. I am going to pin this and try it later :)
Natalie @ In Natalie's Shoes
Monday 27th of April 2015
WOW! This recipe sounds amazing! It's been a while since I've had a soft pretzel.. Might need to make this soon!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
These are my kinda pretzels! I love sweet pretzels, but I ADORE salty, savory ones and these look simply delicious! Love the parm and pesto filling! Way better than the mall!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
These are just perfect little pillows of goodness. I can just taste how warm and soft they are from here. And the pesto! Yes to that as well. Yes to all of it. Send me a dozen!