You guys…
I think this is seriously one of my favorite recipes of all time!
The May theme for Bread Bakes is “Stuffed,” and when it was announced, I scoured Pinterest for ideas. Then, I remembered, I already had an awesome stuffed bread recipe pinned – Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns from Yammies Noshery.
It’s been on my Pinterest board for the longest time. I’ve just been chickening out on making them. Jess is the bread baker in this family…usually. Yeast breads scare me a little! So, I kept putting off testing this recipe.
But we have success! Sweet, sweet success. Actually, savory success in this case!
If you usually don’t bake yeast breads, don’t worry! This is a pretty forgiving recipe. I made a perfect batch for the Mayweather – Pacquiao and everyone at our little party loved them. A few tips:
- Don’t be afraid to really stuff them. The dough will rise a lot in the oven, so add so much filling that they are nearly overflowing.
- Be careful when you cut the cross in the top, that you don’t cut so deep you hit filling. The cheese will ooze out everywhere.
- You can use other fillings – pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni would be delicious, or try ham and Swiss cheese for a completely different variation.
Instead of using dried herbs for the butter that tops these buns off, I used the Italian Herb Paste made by Gourmet Garden.
They sent me a bunch of their herb pastes and other goodies to review for an upcoming event we’re part of – Hot Summer Eats! It’s coming in June, and you aren’t going to want to miss it if you are a fan of summertime recipes. Stay tuned!
Without further ado, here’s the recipe:
These stuffed pretzel buns will have your friends and family begging for another batch.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (2 packets) active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 2 cups warm water
- 3/4 cup cooked and chopped bacon pieces
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning or Italian herb paste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Coarse salt
Instructions
- Warm the milk to about 110 degrees in the microwave or on the stovetop. The milk should be warm to the touch, but not so warn that you can't comfortably have a finger in it. If the milk gets too hot, allow to cool slightly before moving on to the next step.
- Add the yeast and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sugar, salt, and butter for the buns for the yeast mixture and stir gently to combine.
- Add flour a little at a time, mixing to combine. Get in there with your hands and knead to make sure the flour is fully combined.
- Knead the dough for about ten minutes, then cover with a damp cloth.
- Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 12 - 15 small balls.
- Create flat disks from the balls and add some of the mixture to the middle. Pinch to close and form a ball.
- Combine the water and baking soda in a bowl and dunk each bun.
- Place bun on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut two slits in a cross shape on the top of each bun.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Combine all topping ingredients (except salt) and brush on top of each bun. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately, while warm.
Notes
Try other fillings, like slices of ham and Swiss cheese or pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.
Big thanks to Jenni of Pastry Chef Online for hosting Bread Bakers this month!
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme.
Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com
Here are all of the awesome blogs playing along this month:
Sweet Breads
- Chocolate Caramel Stuffed Monkey Bread from Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story
- Cinnamon Roll Quickbread from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
- Cream Pan – Japanese Custard Filled Buns from Shireen at Ruchik Randhap
- Figgy Olive Oil and Sesame Challah from Sarah at What Smells So Good?
- Jam filled Danish Pastries from Holly at A Baker’s House
- No-Knead Apricot Sweet Rolls from Renee at Magnolia Days
Savory Breads
- Baked Peas Kachori from Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
- Cauliflower, Paneer & Peas Stromboli from Priya at I Camp in my Kitchen
- Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns from Allison at The PinterTest Kitchen
- Cheesy Pizza Wheels from Tara at Noshing with the Nolands
- Chicken Stuffed Casserole Bread from Vimala at Cooking Club
- Cuban Sandwich-Stuffed Cuban Bread from Jenni at Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online
- Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Adam at Bakers and Best
- Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Heather at Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
- Jamaican Meat Loaf from Kelly of Passion Kneaded
- Paneer Kulchi from Anshie at Spice Roots
- Prosciutto, Salami and Mozzarella Stromboli from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Russian Pirozhki from Mireille at Chef Mireille’s East West Realm
- Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Buns from Pavani at Cook’s Hideout
- Stuffed Bazlama – Turkish Bread from Sneha at Sneha’s Recipe
- Stuffed Black Garlic Monkey Bread from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Stuffed Pretzel Bites from Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Tiganopsomo – Feta-Stuffed Fried Bread from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Zucchini and Goat Cheese Stuffed Bread from Aisha at La cocina de Aisha
Do you have a favorite stuffed bread recipe?
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Bring on the bacon! And cheese too. Very nice buns.
Man, those look good. That’s just everything that is delicious (like cheese and salt and bread, and BACON…) No wonder they were a hit!! I would try them, although I haven’t had a lot of luck with yeast. Glad that you mentioned I should try anyway:)
They really weren’t bad. I’m usually not lucky with yeast breads either – that’s more of my sister’s domain. But they turned out great and were not hard at all!
Bacon and cheese! What’s not to love!! Terrific option for breakfast!! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! What’s not to like here, nice job!
I am not a boxing fan, but I’d have happily come to your party just to eat these little guys. So cheesy and good! I like the herb topping too–nice!
Haha, I’m not a huge boxing fan either…I was in it for the food and drinks! :-p
Bacon and cheese in a bun sounds ideal to me! I can’t believe you waited so long to make these! I often do that with a pinned recipe and then, when I finally make it, I am sad for all the missed days I could have been eating it. That will not happen with this one.
Bacon and cheese was perfect then add pretzel bread….Heavenly!!!
This was my first instinct to make pretzel buns, yours look amazing!!
They look yummy!
Bacon!!!! Cheese!!! Yum! The inside looks to die for!
Oh gosh, I am hungry now! I think these look great for a party, too, perfect to make ahead and serve to a crowd.
that melted cheese is just too much to resist
These look amazing. Perfect pick me ups for a party. Gooey cheese makes me hungry.
Those pretzel buns look so cheesy & yummy!!
Great minds think alike! Your cheese and bacon pretzel buns sounds so good!
Nicely done Buns… I too love to use herbs in my bread…
Pretzels with BACON?? Thee still my heart!
Aww , that gooey cheese, makes me drool!!! Perfectly done !!!
Yum, these look amazing! I love that oozy, yummy looking filling.