Even though they require some time and patience to prepare, pretzels are a great snack at any time. Why not serve some freshly baked ones for dipping or nibbling at your next celebration?
They are a good choice for day trips with your family or to bring with you to dinner parties, because you can easily wrap them up and take them with you.
Did you know that archaeologists found the oldest ever baked pretzel during excavations in Regensburg, Germany in March 2015?
Apparently, it seems someone must have forgotten to turn off the oven – the pretzel survived for 250 years because it was totally carbonized.
I’m absolutely positive that your own baked goods won’t outlast the next century, as the ten pieces you get out of this recipe will be gone long before then.
The type of pretzel described in this recipe is a typical widespread German variety – it is commonly known in Germany as the “lye pretzel.”
Traditionally, this kind is dunked into a lye solution before baking, and it is sprinkled with coarse sea or kosher salt, or caraway seeds.
Boiling in a lye (or sodium hydroxide) solution before baking improves the texture of the dough, and helps to create that brown crust. But lye is caustic, and this can be a dangerous process to take on in one’s home kitchen.
After all, it’s the main ingredient in drain cleaner.
Though it’s diluted significantly when this method is used, the baker should certainly be cautious, and protect her eyes and hands.
Instead of using lye, similar results can be achieved by boiling in a baking soda solution. That’s what I like to do, and the recipe that I share below uses this method.
And yes, all of this is food safe.
Lye pretzels (and those boiled in baking soda) have a crunchy, salty crust outside with fluffy yeast dough inside. Although salted, they can also be enjoyed with sweet spreads like jam or honey.
It may be a matter of taste, but sometimes I really enjoy that mix of salty and sweet!
Nevertheless, there are in fact particular types made especially to satisfy your sweet tooth. The “Martinsbrezel,” baked and sold on St. Martin’s Day, is a famous version here in Germany.
Although the Martinsbrezel is also made of yeast dough, it is covered with coarse sugar and it is bigger than the common salty variety.
Get our puddingbrezel recipe now!
Another relative is the “Puddingbrezel.” This type features vanilla custard within its holes, and the dough is covered with a sugar glaze. They are really popular, and make a perfect accompaniment to coffee or tea.
The recipe below can be adapted to make any of these variations.
Homemade German Soft Lye Pretzels
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 pretzels 1x
Description
In Germany, pretzels are an incredibly diverse treat that can be made to suit different tastes – from the salty soft pretzel with caraway seeds on top to the sweet Martinsbreze. Learn how to make your own lye German-style soft pretzels at home with this simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 lb flour
- 1/2 fresh yeast cube ((21 grams))
- 9 fl oz warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 oz butter (at room temperature)
- 2/3 oz baking soda
- 1–2 tbsp coarse salt ((optional))
- 1–2 tbsp caraway seed ((optional))
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the middle, and crumble the yeast into it.
- Add 3 ½ fl oz water (7 tbsp) and the sugar to the well, and mix it with the yeast and just a bit of the flour, so most of the flour is still dry with the wet mixture in the middle. Cover with a clean dish towel and set the bowl aside in a warm place for approximately 15 minutes.
- Pour the rest of the water into the bowl and add the salt and the butter. Knead everything together, incorporating all of the flour now, until a smooth dough is formed.
- Divide the dough into ten equally sized portions and form each of them into a small ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Dust your countertop with some flour and roll each ball into a long rope of approximately 8 inches. Cover and let rest for another ten minutes.
- Roll over the ropes until they are approximately 24 inches long. It is important that the ends are thinner than the middles – this is called the pretzel’s “tummy.”
- Now you have to wrap the dough into its pretzel shape. This is the most difficult part of the recipe, and your first batch of pretzels might not look the way you want them to. But that’s okay! Just remember to be careful that the dough doesn’t tear apart. Start by placing the rope in front of you horizontally, then take the ends and turn them into of each other once or twice. You can now place the remaining ends next to the pretzel’s tummy, the thicker part of the dough, and gently press down. Let your formed pretzels rest covered for another 30 minutes.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C (convection oven 360°F/180°C ).
- Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, and stir in the baking soda. Dunk each pretzel carefully into the boiling water one at a time, and let it cook for approximately 20 seconds. Take it out with a skimmer, let it drain, and place it on the baking tray.
- Sprinkle some of the coarse salt and/or caraway seeds on each pretzel. This is optional, but for the full batch you should use about 2 tablespoons total of either salt, caraway seed, or a combination of the two. If you like, cut a shallow slice with a sharp knife into the tummy of each pretzel so it will split and burst open as it bakes.
- Fill a baking dish with some hot water and place it on the bottom of your oven. Slide in the baking tray and bake your pretzels for 25 minutes, until they have a light brown crust. Serve hot out of the oven with butter, mustard, or cheese dip.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: German
Keywords: German, Lye, Soft Pretzel, Bavarian,
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Activate the Yeast
First, place your flour in a little pile in the middle of a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the middle. Crumble the yeast into it.
If you don’t have a cube of fresh yeast, other types can be used as well. Check out the handy conversion table in Kendall’s post on everything you need to know about baking with yeast.
You want to combine the yeast with lukewarm water and sugar at this point, to activate it. Stir in the center of your well, incorporating just a little bit of the flour.
Then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it aside in a warm place (like your oven with the light on) for about 15 minutes.
Step 2 – Mix and Knead
Remove the towel and add the rest of the water to the bowl, along with 2 teaspoons of salt and your softened butter. Stir to combine, then knead to form a smooth dough.
Step 3 – Portion
Next, you want to begin shaping your dough. Using a bench scraper, divide it into 10 pieces of equal size and form them into balls as if you were making rolls. Then cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
Step 4 – Roll it Out
Now, you want to start rolling those dough spheres out into logs, and then thinner snakes. The gluten formation is important here – you may find that your dough wants to spring back into place rather than stretching out like you need it to. An extra resting phase is added here, to help this process along.
On a lightly floured countertop with floured hands, roll each ball one at a time into a rope about 8 inches long. Then cover and let rest for ten minutes.
Return to your logs of dough to roll them out even more, this time to a length of about two feet. You don’t want to be perfectly uniform here – the ends of each piece should actually be thicker in the middle than they are at either end.
Step 5 – Shape into Pretzels (Practice Makes Perfect!)
Possibly the most difficult step of the pretzel-making process, it’s time to shape those ropes of dough into their iconic soft pretzel shape.
Everybody’s first attempt turns out a little sloppy, but they’ll still taste great. Don’t be too hard on yourself! Just keep making pretzels, to perfect your technique. Looking at a picture of a pretzel (like those pictured here) can also help a lot during this phase!
To do this part, place one snake of dough in front of you horizontally, and take hold of each end. Bring them together, and then cross them over each other once or twice. Finally, press the ends down on either side in the area of the pretzel’s “tummy” (the thicker portion that makes the rounded base of your pretzels).
Repeat for each of your portioned and rolled out pieces of dough. Then cover them again and let them rest for about 30 minutes.
Step 6 – Boil
In the meantime, you can prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, preheat the oven to 400°F, and prepare your boiling solution.
Boiling pretzels in a mixture of baking soda and water helps to start the cooking process, developing that chewy texture that you’re looking for. And it also helps to create that brown crust that you expect.
Baking soda is alkaline, so a coating of it helps to break down proteins in the dough, encouraging browning.
Combine about 3 ½ cups of water with your baking soda, and bring it up to a boil over high heat. After your pretzels have rested, carefully transfer them to the pot one at a time, cook for about 20 seconds, and remove with a large slotted spoon or skimmer. Let the solution drain off before transferring to the baking sheet.
Step 7 – Season and Bake
However you choose to season your pretzels is up to you, and you can even leave them plain if you like. But I like to use a mixture of coarse salt and caraway seed. Sprinkle some on top of each.
You can also choose to cut a slit across the tummy of each pretzel, so it will split open as it bakes.
To help build up that crust, you also want to get some steam going in your oven if you can. I like to fill a rectangular baking dish with hot water and place it in the bottom of my oven. Other similar techniques involve placing ice cubes on a baking sheet, or spritzing the walls of the oven with water immediately prior to closing the door.
Whatever you decide, put your steam creating plan into place, slice your baking sheets into the oven, and quickly close the door! Bake for about 25 minutes, until your pretzels are firm and brown.
Serve these hot out of the oven with your favorite homemade mustard, or Obatzda cheese dip.
What’s your favorite pretzel accompaniment, during Oktoberfest or on Game Day? Let us know in the comments! And check out some more of our favorite German-style recipes. Here are some of our favorites:
Originally posted April 7th, 2015. Revised and updated August 19th, 2018. Photos by Nina-Kristin Isensee, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.
About Nina-Kristin Isensee
Nina lives in Iserlohn, Germany and holds an MA in Art History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She is currently working as a freelance writer in various fields. She enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and baking. Nina tries to cook from scratch every day when she has the time and enjoys trying out new spices and ingredients, as well as surprising her family with new cake creations.
I love pretzels. I’ve been having german pretzels every week since I was maybe 12. I preferred them over things like burgers and hotdogs, mostly because I liked the taste of salt on their doughy bread. Thanks for the recipe.
I have some questions concerning the Puddingbrezel: Do you change anything about the dough other than the addition of custard & sugar glaze? I would think you would attempt to make the dough itself sweeter or at least have complimentary flavours. I’ve never heard of the Puddingbrezel before.
Well, you wouldn’t dunk the Puddingbrezel into the salt solution so that part is not necessary. And you might replace the water with milk so the dough becomes softer. I would be interested how it worked out if you had a try 🙂
I’m really enjoying reading about all these German recipes – they really do have some of the best food in the world! These pretzels look amazing!
Thank you. I am happy that you like the recipes, I am always searching for some new interesting dishes that might be mostly unknown. But as there are so many local specialties here that there are plenty of ideas left 😉
I’d be interested in knowing a little more about all the different types of “wurst” you have – there seem to be so many varieties and I haven’t a clue what they all are!
You’re right, there are lots of varieties! And while some are quite popular nationwide, others are more of a local delicacy. To numerate them would result in a long list but I can think about an article on the topic with explaining various kinds and their different use or how they suit diverse dishes because some sausages have a tradition of how to eat them too 😉
Rolling the dough into pretzels is tough. Whenever I make pretzels, I just kind of free form them so they don’t always end up looking as good as yours, haha. That said, I’ve never tried the sweet pretzels, they look yummy. I think I’ll give that recipe a go, thanks.
lol Sometimes I watch cooking shows on Create & I recall watching a chef attempt to twist the pretzel in that one fell swoop maneuver they use only to fail time & time again until he was pushed aside by the master. That’s how I feel I’d fair if I gave that one a go.
Aaah. The joy of a good brezn to a weisswurst! That said, my boyfriend did mention that brezn are not quite easy to make, and usually bakers who make them have good experience to get the twist right etc etc. For sure, I was surprised the first time I came to Germany — always used to those tiny pretzels sold with chips and crackers, which I never liked at all. Discovering the goodness of an actual giant sized pretzel was awesome. Though I go a lot for breznstange and other buns of the kind, they’re easy to deal with. 🙂 I will not try the recipe (because they’re so common and cheap around here, much less trouble) but it’s interesting to know that it ain’t so complicated after all!
Oh yes, Weisswurst and brezn are a pouplar pair, especially in Bavaria or when it’s Oktoberfest. And I have to admit that pretzels are quite cheap to buy, that’s the same in Germany too. But if you should have the patience some day, you might want to give it a try after all 😉
Well I would say that you are certainly not alone here, in the whole not liking the smaller pretzels but liking the big ones. I am not one of those people, and I love them both, but I do know a lot of people who are this way. Makes sense, too, because I can see how you cannot like the little ones, but the big soft pretzels are something I would think everyone would have to like. Especially with a little cheese dip…yummy.
Ever since I started visiting this site my entire concept of “the afterlife” has changed. I think my idea of heaven is living in Germany, being able to eat whatever I want… without the weight gain. These pretzels look really good. I agree about the mix of salty and sweet… sometimes I just crave it! But thank you for the recipe and info!
Oh, man, don’t let my kids (even my grown kids) see this or they will be begging me to make these right now. They love big pretzels.
I would like to give this recipe a try sometime (but not today! no time!) to give them a special treat. I will probably have to make a lot of them. I’m pretty sure they’ll want them often, and they will definitely want them for parties.
Hmmm. I’m going to have to teach the girls to make them while I’m at it, so they can make their own, or they’ll keep me up to my elbows in pretzel making.
This is a very telling recipe; pictures and all. Now I see why all my attempts to make pretzels, fell short. So many times rising, just like bread. The “lye” is completely new to me, but apparently a key part of the process. I like the crispy outside, doughy inside you speak of. I like my waffles that way too. The picture of the sliced pretzel, makes it look like a bagel even.
Pretzels are one of my favourite snacks! Really easy to cook and they are very tasty, especially in combination with other ingredients.
Those pretzels covered with coarse sugar look really appealing! I may give this recipe a go sometimes.
Nice idea to have caraway seeds on them. I’ve seen them made in stores, but haven’t tried to make them yet. I do find they are great for dipping in hummus instead of crackers and also pretzels have a longer shelf life. How long does a fresh batch last? Maybe up to a week?
If you want to store them for multiple days, it might be better to freeze them and warm up when you want to. You can also try to store them in an airtight container and wrap with a kitchen towel e.g. because the pretzels will soak due to the coarse salt and lose their crispy taste.
Growing up, in addition to having an easy bake oven, we also had a pretzel making machine, so they’ve always been one of my favorite snacks. I have never heard of the puddingbrezel, but that sounds absolutely yummy, as well as the traditional salty pretzels. I have been looking around at pretzel recipes online, so this caught my eye, and I’m adding them to my collection, so I can try them in the future.
This is something am eager to try out… never indulged in pretzels before, even the ones down at the bakers store, am glad i saved money on that, now i just need to buy the ingredients and make my own homemade pretzels from scratch… i’d love to glaze my pretzels with honey, is that allowed?….i must say the puddingbrezel looks yummy!
That’s great, I hope you enjoy baking your own pretzels soon. Honey glaze sounds tasty, I think you could either coat the lye pretzels with it – for an additional sweet/salty twist – or the puddingbrezel (without salt solution then). I like that idea!
Salty and sweet has probably got to be my absolute favorite combination. I’ve always wanted to try making pretzels but I’ve never known how. I do really enjoy eating them in fairs or on roadside stands, though. Freshly made, just-baked pretzels, wafting off a delectable scent… mmm. The salt is the perfect complement to the chewiness and mild sweetness of the bread. I think I’d like to make some Puddingbrezel after I get a hold of the plain pretzel first, and I’m thinking about making them as a gift for friends and family. They’re certainly cute enough to be a present! I might even make a sweet almond variation, just like the ones that Aunty Em’s makes, which is also my favorite pretzel flavor that they carry. I’m sure this finger food will also be a hit with the kids as snacks! Thanks for the great recipe; I can’t wait to try it out soon.
Hey bellak0, I completely agree with you, salty and sweet is simply a fantastic combination. A clash of flavors always makes for an interesting and invigorating snack. I too am not fantastic at making pretzels, but I do love eating them. This recipe looks like it’s not too hard to make, so I’ll definitely be sure to try it out. The Puddingbrezel also seems like tasty, perhaps I will attempt creating it too.
I would love to try this recipe. I’ve been taking up baking and cooking since I haven’t been doing that too much in the past. I love pretzels. My mother brought me some from Germany a few months back. The baking I’ve done lately has been mostly easy recipes, but I’ve loved making (and eating) them always.
I cannot wait to try these pretzels! My mother and I tried to make some awhile back and they turned out pretty good, but still not as good as getting them in Germany. Whenever I go to Germany, every morning I go to a bakery to get a fresh batch.When I am back in the States I always miss German food and buying freshly made snacks and pastries everyday. In Miami I can go to bakeries but obviously they are full of Hispanic pastries, not my favorite German ones 🙁
Well, I hope this recipe can take you back to Germany imaginary 😉 I really like food that makes you remember a certain place, mood or atmosphere when you eat it. Food can be so much more than just ingestion 🙂
I’m a student and every day I’m making sure to pick up some pretzels from my local store while I’m waiting at the bus stop. I have no idea if they’re following your recipe, but they do taste amazing. You could say I’m addicted to pretzels! Ahh, rehab!
Can’t WAIT to make these!! They look delicious, especially maybe with some really good quality cream cheese, ugh!
Glad you put this recipe here, because I have not thought about making pretzels from scratch recently, until now. And I like the suggestion about having them with coffee.
Oh how I love pretzels!
I was just talking to my kids the other day about making some. We really love to make our own food. We find the things we love at the store, and then we look on the internet for recipes.
I have never heard of a yeast cube, though. Can regular yeast be used and if so, how much? I live in a rural area and I don’t think my local store carries cubes. I will definitely be looking, but wanted to ask just in case.
Well, here in Germany, fresh yeast is sold as a pressed small cube, one cube weighs 42g, so 1/2 would be 21g fresh yeast.
If you don’t use “g” as a measurement, I did some research and I found out that you might also use 0.2oz or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast. (not sure about the fresh one)
I hope you can use these information and try it with dried yeast. I also use the dry variety sometimes and it should work out nicely.
I hope I could help and if so, good luck and enjoy the pretzels 🙂
Wow thanks so much for the recipe! I never knew making pretzels was so easy! I shall never buy a pretzel again. The Puddingbrezel looks very interesting too. It gives the pretzels quite a different twist. I think I’m going to start with the Puddingbrezel first. Wish me luck.
For sure, good luck! Yeah, puddingbrezel are so delicious. I love the contrast between the soft, creamy pudding and the pretzel-dough. Have fun twisting 😉
Soft pretzels are my favorite. I haven’t ever made them, but this recipe makes them see as approachable.
I love pretzels and the pudding pretzels are very unique. I’ve never made my own, but I may give the plain pretzels a try.
I love pretzels! I like dipping them in melted chocolate! Reading this article made me realize something. I’ve always have this notion that pretzels are easy to make. I didn’t know until now that this seemingly simple bread (?) is a bit complicated to make.
Anyway, like of the comments here – I’m also very appreciative of your German-origin recipes! I’m halfway across the world, and the closest I could ever get to authentic German cuisines is through your articles!
Yummy! Pretzels and melted chocolate, I could have one of those right away.
Thank you 🙂 I’m happy that you enjoy reading about these things, I’m sure I will find new interesting foods and distinct recipes to share with you. I hope you will have enough time sometime to try out the pretzels! I think the proper folding is a bit complicated and my first batch looked a bit quirky, but let’s say they were delicious anyway 😉
I’ve never made pretzels but I’ve eaten plenty! I love them as a bar snack, particularly – they go so well with beer! I would definitely try a sweet pretzel but I don’t know if I could be swayed, I’m a savoury girl at heart.
Definitely! Beer and pretzels make a perfect team.
I have thought about preparing the regular salty ones and dunk them into some dark chocolate for a twist. Maybe this is something that could satisfy your sweet cravings, but your savoury side, too 😉
How Would this recipe differ if I wanted to make a hard pretzel instead of soft? Is it just the baking time or do I need to tweak the recipe? Just curious.
I will probably try the soft pretzel, but go for a cinnamon sugar coating instead to make it more of a dessert item instead of a pub or street food. Here’s to hoping I don’t mess it up!
Prezels are definitely tasty, especially with some butter on them or just to dip into some warm soup. Thanks for sharing the recipes!
I’ve not baked the hard ones yet, but you would probably be in need of another recipe. If you bake these ones just longer than required, I think they would not be delicious anymore. They need to be soft inside, so I suppose a recipe with less moisture, or without yeast, would be best. But I haven’t one on hand right now. Maybe we could think of a snacking-article for that.
Cinnamong-sugar sounds yummy, I hope for you, too, that you will enjoy this combination it ends in a lovely result!
Well pretzels might just be my all time favorite snack, so this one is perfect for me. The bigger the better, too, so these look like they will be just fine in my kitchen. I do share some of the concerns of others above though, in that I do like the softer pretzels if I had to choose, although I guess the crispy ones are good too. Either way, I will certainly be enjoying these Thanks for sharing.
Then these ones are the right choice, as they are really soft inside. It’s just the outer surface that’s becoming a bit crispy, but not too much. They are completely different than the little ones you might know from snacking, for example. So whenever you should decide to twist some of these, let’s know how you liked them 😉
To be honest, I’m not really a fan of pretzels. They are a little bit too salty for my opinion… And when it comes to me, a salty type of bread is not the best combination. But I really liked the variation of filling the holes with something, and I prefer something more sweet! 🙂 But still, maybe one day I decide to get out of my comfort zone and decide to try them, and this will definitely be my go-to recipe.
Thanks for sharing!
Right, one should be careful with the consumption of salt per day. You can also decide not to use coarse salt for these, too, and leave the surface plain. It’s definitely an option. I hope you have success with a sweet version, I really like the classic vanilla flavored filling. Enjoy this treat!
Yum! I didn’t realize these were so easy to make, and don’t require a bunch of ingredients. We love these dipped in a side of zesty nacho cheese. I will most definitely be making these soon!
I lived in a German community growing up, and we made these in school. We were told that they were originally made by a monk who was a teacher as a reward for his students for learning their prayers. I think the fun thing is that there are so many things you can do with them or put on them. I wonder how people originally ate them back when they were first created?
That’s right, HappyKoi. These were actually a Christian baked good, because the pretzel looks like a hand that is folded to a prayer. But I have to admit that I don’t know if the monks consumed them in any special way other than we do today 😉
Why did I enter this site when I’m hungry and currently at work? I’m a few hours away from coming home so I’ll have to stay composed, but these german pretzels look really good and fluffy. I remember when my mother did these for me every once in a while when I got back from school, it was a cool suprise.
I really want some pretzels after looking at some of these pictures. I think I might make my own since I wrote down that first recipe.
I enjoy pretzels a lot, and find they are a fun thing to make with other people. I found it very interesting to read about all the different varieties of “brezel” they make. I’m especially intrigued by the the Martinsbrezel. I never would have thought of putting pudding in the holes. They look quite delicious and I’m looking forward to trying this recipe next time the craving for a snack strikes.
One question though, would you use a store bought pudding? I seems like the pudding would have to be quite thick to stay in the holes without gooping out all over you. Do you have a recipe that would work for this? Maybe you will have to put it in another post!
Thank you, I hope you have fun making them some time. The Martinsbrezel is really tasty, it is also much bigger than regular ones, like Saint Martin cut his coat, that pretzel is definitely perfect to share 😉
I use to make pudding at home, but you’re right, it has to be quite thick. Also, puddingbrezel here are sometimes not prepared with lye, they are more like a danish pastry / brioche dough, and the “holes” have a little layer of dough underneath, so the pudding will stay where it should 😉 I think you’re right about doing one special article on that, thanks for the input!
I have never eaten a pretzel because I live in Asia and I have a great fascination with food. I tried to follow this recipe but I wasn’t successful. The pretzels were not sticking together, and they were breaking. Maybe I put too much flour in it? I will try this recipe one more time though because I really wanna taste these yummy pretzels.
These are soo good! I really love fresh pretzels and I have had a hard time making them and having them turn out good in the past. This seems like a really good recipe and I plan on making it pretty soon. Great recipe and post!
The last time I tried to make something like this I just ended up making some kind of donuts, for real. You really need a ton of patience to make them look like in the picture. German food will always be one of my favorite foods due to its exclusivity, indeed. Thank you for sharing this.
I love pretzels – bit, small, sweet, savoury – I’ll eat ’em all! I am going to give this recipe a try at the weekend and bring the results into work next week for the girls in the office.
I made these and they turned out so well! Just like I remember when in the US Army in Germany!
★★★★★
i visited germany a couple yrs back. we had a soft pretzel (gotten at a gas station) with a parmesan cheese filling(i think?)…they were so good!!…do you have a name or recipe for those…..it was in Kaiserslautern.
Käse brezel is a delicious treat, and these can be made with a variety of different cheeses – like Emmentaler, Gouda, or Cheddar – either used as a filling or melted on top. Whereas Parmesan may not be the best option if you’re going for a gooey, melty filling, you can take your pick and make pretzels at home with your favorite variety of cheese.
The easiest method that I’ve found is to shape and boil the dough, cut a few slits on top of each pretzel, then sprinkle your grated cheese on top of that before baking. You may also like our recipe for Bavarian obatzda cheese dip.