Yes, you heard that right! Pepperoni and cheese pretzel rollups! You know what I’m talking about! If you’ve ever been to a farmer’s market and walked by those pretzel stands that smell ammaazzzing, then you know. Now, yes, it is a little harder to make these at home, but you certainly get a big bang for your buck and they’re great for a crowd! Plus, kiddos will LOVE these and your house will smell like an Annie Annes (yyeeess!)!
These are great served with spaghetti sauce, cheese sauce, or even spicy mustard! I even use the ‘scraps’ left from these and just make regular pretzels. Plus, I don’t know if it’s just me, but I find kneading dough to be therapeutic. You certainly can use a standing mixer and use the kneading tool but I like to get my hands dirty and knead. I’ve included lots or ‘prep’ shots to help make it easier to make as the instructions might look a little overwhelming, but trust me, these really aren’t that hard to make! So grab some flour and let’s get cooking!
Pepperoni and Cheese Pretzel Rollups
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm milk (approx. 110°, not hotter)
- 2 .75 oz packets of Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 5 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 4-5 cups flour (start at 4 cups and add until dough has a good consistency, will need flour to knead dough as well)
- 1/3 lb thinly sliced large deli pepperoni
- 1/2 lb sliced deli mozzarella cheese (deli mozzarella has less liquid so it works best for this recipes!)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil (for top of dough while it's resting so it doesn't stick)
Water Bath for Pretzels
- 6 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
For Pretzel Tops
- 1/4 cup Himalayan salt or pretzel salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
- In a large microwave safe bowl combine brown sugar and milk and heat up to around 110°. Make sure it doesn't get hotter then 110°. Add two yeast packets, stir to combine and let rest for about 10 minutes or until yeast starts to bloom and get frothy. Add melted butter, salt, and then stir in one cup of flour at a time (start at 4 cups and if it's still to runny add 1/4 a cup at a time). Once dough has formed into a sticky ball, coat counter with a 1/4 cup of flour (and hands) and begin to knead dough. Adding more flour until dough becomes a smooth and elasticy. Form into ball and put back in bowl, coat with olive oil and let sit covered for an hour to an hour and a half until it's at least doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare two baking sheets covered in parchment paper. Remove dough from bowl, coat counter with flour and begin to roll out dough into a large rectangle until it's about half a fingernail thick/quarter inch think (photo to show thickness below). Then evenly place slice of mozzarella topped with two slices of pepperoni. Cut dough into squares and roll up. In a large bowl combine hot water and baking soda, stir until combined. Dip rolled up pretzels in baking soda water and then allow all excess water to drip off before placing on baking sheet. While pretzels are still wet, sprinkle with salt. Place in oven for about ten minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately brush with butter. Enjoy while hot!
