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
Soft Pretzels with Caramelized Apples and Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- sea salt
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- dulce de leche, for drizzling on top
Instructions
- 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.