Soft Pretzel with Bacon and Cheese (Ditsch Copycat Schinken-Käse Brezelstange)

Method10 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Mix 7 g active dry yeast and 15 g brown sugar with 275 g barely warm dough water. Stand for 5 minutes until the yeast begins to bubble.

   Activate Yeast · 5 minUses 7 grams active dry yeast (1 little pouch) · 15 grams brown sugar (use regular sugar if you don't gave brown sugar) · 275 grams lukewarm water

2. 2

   Step 2: Combine the prepared yeast mixture with 500 g sifted flour, 10 g dough salt and 30 g softened butter. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

   Knead pretzel dough until elastic · 10 minUses bubbly sweetened yeast-water mixture · 500 grams all-purpose flour · 30 grams butter · 10 grams salt

3. 3

   Step 3: Cover and rise in a warm spot for 1–2 hours until doubled, OR prepare the dough the night before and keep it refrigerated. Choose one proof route.

   Warm bulk proof until doubled; overnight fridge route differs · 120 minUses kneaded pretzel dough

4. 4

   Step 4: Preheat the oven to 420°F /215°C. Prepare 2 baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment rated for that oven temperature.

5. 5

   Step 5: Divide the risen dough into 16 equal pieces: halve it, form 2 logs and cut each log into 8 pieces.

   Uses risen pretzel dough

6. 6

   Step 6: Roll each piece into a 10-inch /25 cm log with tapered ends. Place 2 logs together for each double-log stick, making 8 paired sticks. Cover and rest in a warm spot for 20 minutes.

   Rest Dough Logs · 20 minUses sixteen equal dough portions

7. 7

   Step 7: Using food-grade lye (20 g) only, wear suitable chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection and work with ventilation and nonreactive bowl/skimmer. Gradually stir the 20 g lye into the 500 ml cold bath water; never add water to dry lye. Avoid splashes and contact with the solution. Dip one paired stick at a time for about 10 seconds, drain with the skimmer and put on the lined trays.

   Uses eight rested paired dough sticks · 500 ml cold water for lye bath · 20 g food-grade lye for the 500 ml cold-water bath

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Top the dipped sticks with 100 g shredded Swiss cheese and 150 g small-diced trimmed bacon, distributed across all 8 sticks.

   Uses dipped drained pretzel sticks · 100 grams Swiss cheese · 150 g thick-cut bacon, excess fat trimmed and small-diced

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Bake on the middle rack at 420°F /215°C for 20–25 minutes until the pretzel dough and small bacon pieces are cooked and the topping is browned. Serve warm or cooled, ideally the same day.

   Bake Pretzels · 25 minUses bacon-cheese-topped dipped raw pretzel sticks

   
10. 10

    Step 10: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. For reheating, lightly wet the already baked sticks with the separate water supply and bake at 350°F /180°C for 5–8 minutes until hot.

    Reheat baked bacon-cheese pretzels · 8 minUses baked bacon-cheese pretzel sticks · Separate water as needed to lightly wet leftover baked pretzels before reheating