When guests invite themselves, you occasionally need a few snacks to keep them quiet. After all, you don’t want to be rude and serve nothing but hard liquor. For situations like this, we’ve started keeping a stash of frozen pretzel sticks in the freezer. They aren’t intended just for baking plain pretzel sticks – we like using them to make the kind of Pretzel Sticks Pull Apart Bread with Cheese Dip shown in the photos. A pull-apart bread like this is perfect when you need to feed a few hungry guests.
Theoretically, you could just put out a bag of chips or gummy bears for your guests. For most guests, that would be perfectly adequate. Unfortunately, we’ve somehow set a precedent where people expect a bit more than just chips or other store-bought snacks. It probably has to do with the fact that I run this food blog and constantly post photos of food on social media for everyone to see… Great Expectations you could say! (not the movie)
Oh well. So, no bagged chips in this house. But there’s no need to make things harder than necessary, right? Even for the nicest guests in the world, I rarely spend a long time in the kitchen – at least not when the plan is just to have a few drinks and to chat. Frozen pretzel sticks are perfect for this. You can keep them in the freezer for ages and just grab them quickly when needed. You can whip up a delicious pull-apart bread with them in no time and simply place it on the table for your guests so everyone can help themselves. Almost like chips, only better.
In theory you can serve a pull-apart bread (also known as monkey bread or »Zupfbrot« in Germany) with a simple dip. A spicy tomato sauce or something made with sour cream and herbs would go really well, for instance. But you could also jazz things up a bit by preparing the bread with a small oven cheese, like I did here. That way, you’ve essentially got a cheese dip built right into the bread. It makes the whole process easier… even if it might not look like that at first.
Making this pull-apart bread is incredibly easy. You simply let the pretzel sticks thaw a little, chop them up, and then shape them into little balls. Then, you coat the balls in various seeds or seasoning blends and stack them around the oven cheese in a baking dish. Pop it in the oven, and a few minutes later you’ve got a fantastic snack for munching and dipping. The effort involved is truly minimal.
This recipe is part of the »Bake Together – The Baking Surprise« series with my dear blogger friend Andrea from Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte. Once a month, we pick a theme and bake (or cook) something accordingly. More or less together, because we’re live far apart. But we definitely surprise each other with the results. This month, the theme was pull-apart bread. That was probably already obvious from all my rambling and the photos up here.
I think my pretzel stick pull-apart bread fits the bill perfectly. I’d say I nailed the theme 100%, and without a huge amount of effort. That’s precisely the kind of baking recipe I prefer these days. My blog readers are always happy with simpler recipes, too. The kind of recipes that don’t require too many ingredients or unnecessary bells and whistles.
While we’re on the subject of simple recipes and snacks – have you ever tried Honey Mustard Pretzel Bites made in an Air Fryer? You can buy similar pretzel bites in supermarkets, but those always have a bit too much added sugar in my opinion. In my recipe, I tried to use a little less sugar. If you have an Air Fryer sitting at home, you should definitely give these a try. You can also prepare the pretzel bites in various flavors – ideal for entertaining guests.
If you’re looking for something a bit more unusual when it comes to snacks – how about Deep-fried Pickles? Never tried them or perhaps never even heard of them? Well, you’re likely not alone there, but they are truly delicious. Especially with the tasty ranch dip that we serve with them…
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
some olive oil for greasing
6 frozen pretzel sticks, partially thawed
2–3 tbsp. black sesame seeds*
2–3 tbsp. white sesame seeds*
2–3 tbsp. poppy seeds*
2–3 tbsp. »everything but the bagel« seasoning* (easy to make yourself)
1 small oven cheese (6.4 oz./180g)
etwas Olivenöl zum Einfetten
6 TK-Laugenstangen, angetaut
2-3 EL schwarzer Sesam*
2-3 EL weißer Sesam*
2-3 EL Mohn (gemahlen)*
2-3 EL »Everything but the bagel« Würzmischung* (kann man auch gut selbst machen)
1 kleiner Ofenkäse (180g)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Place the frozen pretzel sticks on a sheet of baking parchment and let them thaw for about 15-20 minutes. The pretzel sticks should be mostly thawed but may still be firm in the centers.
2. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). Grease a 25cm cast-iron skillet* or a similarly sized springform tin with olive oil and set aside.
3. Cut the thawed pretzel sticks into roughly five equal-sized pieces each and shape the pieces into balls. It’s fine if the dough pieces look more like misshapen rocks than balls. Add the two types of sesame seeds, the poppy seeds, and the bagel seasoning to separate small bowls. Roll the balls separately in the seeds and the seasoning until they are completely coated. You can also leave some of the balls »naked«.
4. Place the oven-baked cheese (including its wooden box) in the center of the cast-iron skillet or springform tin and arrange the coated dough balls around the cheese in a mixed pattern. Place the skillet/springform tin in the center of the oven and bake the pull-apart bread and cheese for about 10 minutes. After this first baking time, cut into the cheese and fold back the rind to expose the melted inside. Return the skillet/springform tin to the oven and bake for another 10–11 minutes. Remove the finished pull-apart bread and cheese from the oven and serve immediately. If you are placing the cast-iron skillet on the table – be careful, it will be very hot!
1. Die TK-Laugenstangen auf ein Stück Backpapier legen und für etwa 15-20 Minuten auftauen lassen. Die Laugenstangen sollten weitestgehend aufgetaut sein, dürfen im Kern aber noch fest sein.
2. Den Ofen auf 210°C (410°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine etwa 25cm große gusseiserne Pfanne* oder eine ähnlich große Springform mit Olivenöl einfetten und zur Seite stellen.
3. Die angetauten Laugenstangen in jeweils etwa fünf gleichgroße Stücke schneiden und diese Stücke dann zu Kugeln formen – wenn die Teigstücke eher nach unförmigen Steinen aussehen, ist das auch ok. Beide Sesamsorten, den Mohn und die Bagel-Würzmischung getrennt voneinander in kleine Schälchen füllen. Die Kugeln in den unterschiedlichen Saaten und der Würzmischung rollen, bis sie vollkommen damit bedeckt sind. Ein Teil der Kugeln darf auch nackt bleiben.
4. Den Ofenkäse (mitsamt Holzschälchen) in die Mitte der gusseisernen Pfanne oder die Backform setzen und die dekorierten Kugeln bunt gemischt um den Käse anordnen. Die Pfanne/Backform in die Mitte des Ofens stellen und das Zupfbrot und den Käse für etwa 10 Minuten backen. Nach der ersten Runde im Ofen den Käse einschneiden und die Schale des Käses nach außen schlagen, um das Innere des Käses freizulegen. Die Pfanne/Backform zurück in den Ofen schieben und noch einmal etwa 10-11 Minuten backen. Das fertige Zupfbrot mit dem Käse zum Dippen aus dem Ofen holen und direkt servieren. Wer eine gusseiserne Pfanne benutzt – Vorsicht, sehr heiß!
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Pretzel Sticks Pull Apart Bread with Cheese Dip
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you are having guests over and need a quick snack – try this delicious pull-apart bread with cheese dip that’s made with frozen pretzel sticks. So good!
Ingredients
some olive oil for greasing
6 frozen pretzel sticks, partially thawed
2–3 tbsp. black sesame seeds*
2–3 tbsp. white sesame seeds*
2–3 tbsp. poppy seeds*
2–3 tbsp. »everything but the bagel« seasoning* (easy to make yourself)
1 small oven cheese (6.4 oz./180g)
Instructions
1. Place the frozen pretzel sticks on a sheet of baking parchment and let them thaw for about 15-20 minutes. The pretzel sticks should be mostly thawed but may still be firm in the centers.
2. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). Grease a 25cm cast-iron skillet* or a similarly sized springform tin with olive oil and set aside.
3. Cut the thawed pretzel sticks into roughly five equal-sized pieces each and shape the pieces into balls. It’s fine if the dough pieces look more like misshapen rocks than balls. Add the two types of sesame seeds, the poppy seeds, and the bagel seasoning to separate small bowls. Roll the balls separately in the seeds and the seasoning until they are completely coated. You can also leave some of the balls »naked«.
4. Place the oven-baked cheese (including its wooden box) in the center of the cast-iron skillet or springform tin and arrange the coated dough balls around the cheese in a mixed pattern. Place the skillet/springform tin in the center of the oven and bake the pull-apart bread and cheese for about 10 minutes. After this first baking time, cut into the cheese and fold back the rind to expose the melted inside. Return the skillet/springform tin to the oven and bake for another 10–11 minutes. Remove the finished pull-apart bread and cheese from the oven and serve immediately. If you are placing the cast-iron skillet on the table – be careful, it will be very hot!
Notes
Get your bake on!
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