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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Breads

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    Sourdough Cheddar Soft Pretzels: Fun Homemade Treat

    Published: Apr 26, 2020 Β· Modified: Jan 25, 2022 by Audrey Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Sourdough Cheddar Soft Pretzels are a savory treat. Soft sourdough bread with cheddar cheese inside and baked on top.

    Sourdough Cheddar Soft Pretzels are a savory cheesy snack with cheese in the pretzel and baked on top.

    sourdough cheddar pretzels on a plate

    My sourdough starter came out of hibernation last week when my fridge died. It was one of the few things I was able to save, hundreds of dollars of food had to be thrown out.

    But, I still have my 15+ year old sourdough starter so that made me not as sad.

    If you need sourdough starter I recommend asking local friends and neighbors if they have any they would be willing to share. Sourdough fans are more than happy to scoop out a little starter for someone else to join their passion.

    If you can't get it that way, you can start your own. My blogging buddy, Erin from The Spiffy Cookie has a great sourdough starter recipe and tutorial. This is basically how I made mine years ago.

    Now on to the pretzels.

    Basically I made a simple sourdough bread recipe and added cheese to the dough before baking.

    Some soft pretzel places just shape it and then bake it... that isn't a pretzel! That is a pretzel shaped breadstick. Pretzels need to be quickly boiled in baking soda water before baking to get that distinctive pretzel taste.

    As for the shaping and rolling this is the method I find the easiest:

    collage of how to roll a pretzel

    Rolling pretzels is pretty easy. Roll it out 16 inches, bring the ends around and cross over 2 inches from the top. Then move the ends back down to overlap the bottom. Be sure to pinch the connection points well so they stay together when boiled.

    Pretzels Everywhere!

    Our family table logo

    It is a pretzel-palooza this week. We are featuring pretzel recipes this week including homemade pretzels and recipes made with pretzels.

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    • Pretzel Croissants by Karen's Kitchen Stories
    • Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
    • Sourdough Cheddar Soft Pretzels by That Recipe
    • Spicy Jalapeno Pretzel Mix by Palatable Pastime

    We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

    sourdough cheddar pretzels on a plate

    Recipe

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup sourdough starter
    • 1 Β½ - 2 cups flour
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
    • 2 cups cheddar cheese (grated)
    • 6 tablespoons baking soda
    • 6 cups water
    • 1 egg white
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • course salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or sliced cheddar cheese for topping (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to the lowest setting possible then turn it off as soon as it is heated.
    • In a medium bowl combine 1 cup of sourdough starter, 1 cup of flour and butter.
    • Spread Β½ cup of flour onto a clean counter top and dump the sourdough mixture on top. Knead in the flour. If the dough is too sticky, gradually add in more flour. My sourdough starter was on the liquid side so I needed 2 full cups.
    • Knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place into a greased bowl that will allow the dough to double in size. Cover with a towel and put in the warm oven to rise, about 1 hour.
    • Punch down the dough and knead in the cheese gently. Don't over do it. Just mix in the cheese.
    • Divide the dough equally into 12 balls. Roll each ball into a 16 inch rope, then shape into a pretzel. Be sure to pinch together the connection points.
      collage of how to roll a pretzel
    • Place on a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Allow to rise for 20 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    • In a large sauce pan bring 6 cups of water and 6 tablespoons baking soda to a boil. Slide pretzels into the water and boil for about 5 seconds a side. Return to the baking sheet.
    • In a small bowl combine egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. Brush on to each pretzel and add toppings of choice except for extra cheese.
    • Bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. If desired, add slices of cheese on top of the pretzels and bake another minute or two until it is melted.

    Other Sourdough Recipes You May Enjoy

    • rosemary sun dried tomato sourdough focaccia in a pan
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    • Sourdough Crepes are a very thin sourdough pancake, or a slightly tangy crepe depending on how you look at it. Very easy to make.
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    • Sourdough Soft Pretzel Bites
    Sourdough Focaccia
    Sourdough Waffles
    Sourdough Crepes
    No Knead Overnight Sourdough Rye Bread
    No Knead Overnight Sourdough Soft Pretzel Bites

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christie Campbell

      April 26, 2020 at 5:08 am

      I'm digging the combo of the sourdough with the pretzel and cheese. I have a started that needs feeding... I might have to try my hand a these.

      Reply
    2. Hezzi-D

      April 26, 2020 at 8:11 am

      Such a great use of a sourdough sstarter! I haven't tried making pretzels yet with sourdough but now I can't wait too!

      Reply
    3. Erin Vasicek

      April 26, 2020 at 8:18 am

      Thanks so much for tagging my starter!

      Reply
    4. Karen

      April 26, 2020 at 9:32 am

      I'm so sorry you lost your groceries! Thank goodness the starter survived. Beautiful pretzels!

      Reply
    5. Inger @ Art of Natural Liivng

      May 03, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Yum sourdough and cheddar -- doesn't get much better. I have made arrangements to get some starter from a friend so...

      Reply

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    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome, I'm Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home dΓ©cor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

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