I just finished working on a little project for a friend that had me delving through old pictures (from baby up to high school). It left me feeling depressed. It was a reminder…physical evidence…of the shape I was in during high school. I went for a 3 mile walk right after my picture search, but it’s going to take a lot more than that. Starting tomorrow I’ll do 72 hours on the elliptical, 15,000 squats, 1 billion lunges and 4 million burpees. Oh wait. I have that thing tomorrow. That thing that I can’t get out of.
Shucks!
So maybe I’ll just have a soft pretzel instead. Now THAT I have time for.
These pretzels.
Where do I begin? Well, they’re amazeballs for starters. I know that cheddar seems like an unlikely ingredient, but trust me on this one. The combination of soft pretzel, caramelized apple and melted cheddar works perfectly. And top it with a drizzle of dulce de leche and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Ohmigod. Kara and I each took a bite and died.
In a good way.
In conclusion, I’d take these soft pretzels over my high school bod any day.
Here’s what you’ll need
While the rolls rise a bit, caramelize the apples
Press the dough into rounds and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon
Brush with egg wash
Top with caramelized apples and shredded cheese
Bake, then drizzle with dulce de leche. humina humina humina
- 6 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- sea salt
- ¾ cups sharp cheddar, shredded
- dulce de leche, for drizzling on top
- Place 6 dinner rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet (more if you want more pretzels) and cover with a clean, lightly damp kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter, apple slices, brown sugar and cinnamon to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the apples are soft and caramelized. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the baking soda.
- Lightly press each roll into a disk about 2 inches round. Add the dough rounds to the boiling water, a few at a time, and cook for about 30 seconds. You’ll know they’re done because they will become slightly puffy and float to the top. Remove, individually, with a slotted spoon and place back on the baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the tops of dough rounds with egg wash.
- Place 2 slices of caramelized apple on each pretzel and a tablespoon or so of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle each pretzel lightly with fleur de sel (or sea salt).
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the pretzels are golden brown. Serve immediately with a drizzle of dulce de leche on top.
