Stuffed Bunny Tail Pretzel Bites

♫ Listening to: It's Not Just Me by Let's Eat Grandma ♫

I was inspired to make these when I saw that Peaceful Provisions posted stuffed pretzels on their instagram this morning. I’ve never made pretzels before so I veganized a recipe from sally’s baking addiction, and stuffed them with my homemade bacon and violife cheddar cheese. This recipe is so easy and quick! Since it’s almost easter, I decided they look like bunny tails. Don’t they? I mean now that I said it? Miso the cute kawaii bunny is modeling them just to help make my case. I’ve also stuffed these with my homemade pepperoni, and they were equally as good.

This recipe makes approximately 16 pretzel bite bunny tails (depending on the size you make them).

Vegan Stuffed Soft Pretzel Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups filtered water heated to 110º
• 1 packet or 2 teaspoons of yeast
• 1 ½ tablespoons raw sugar or sucanat
• ½ tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon nooch
• 3 ½ - 4 cups unbleached flour
• ¼ - ½ cup baking soda
• 4 strips of vegan bacon cut into small pieces
• ½ package of grated vegan cheddar cheese (I used violife cheddar)
• sea salt crystals (I use pink salt, because it has more nutrients in it.)

Vegan Stuffed Soft Pretzel Directions

total time: less than an hour

Whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water and let it sit while you start measuring out your flour and oiling your large bowl.

Add the first cup of flour and mix on low until no more flour tries to fly out. Then increase the speed. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook, but you can certainly to these steps by hand or in a food processor with the S blade, if you don’t have a stand mixer.

Add the ½ tablespoon pink sea salt (or any salt you have), 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (aka nooch).

Add the second cup of flour, starting slowly at first and increasing speed when the flour starts to incorporate.

Add the third cup of flour, using the same method.

Add the fourth cup of flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is the perfect consistency - not too dry, but not sticking to the stand mixer bowl or to your hands. You want it to form a nice smooth ball around the dough hook.

Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for 15-20 minutes. If your house is colder than 80º, you should set the bowl on the stove while your oven heats up. (I’ve also set the bowl on top of my clothes dryer while it was running.)

Heat your oven to 400º, and bring a large pot of water to boil.

Add some baking soda to the water…like a quarter to a half cup, depending on how much water you have in your pot.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces–or as many bunny tails as you want to make, adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your hands. (Make sure you don’t leave the towel you used to cover the dough on the stove or you might start a fire like I did. Who knew kitchen towels were so flammable???)

Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten with your hands until you have a thin flat circle.

Fill the center of the circle with vegan bacon and cheese (or whatever toppings you prefer).

Seal the ends together in the center by pinching them together.

Set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the pinched side down.

Boil 1-3 pretzel bites at a time, by placing them into the pot and boiling for 15-20 seconds. I used a slotted spatula to dip them and retrieve them from the boiling water. A slotted spoon works too, if you have one. When they come out of the bath, set them back on the parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Sprinkle with sea salt as soon as they come out of the bath.

Bake the boiled pretzels for 10-13 minutes, depending how brown you like your bunny tails. I baked some for 10 minutes and some for 13, so you can see the difference when you look at the picture. Both taste equally delicious in my opinion.

Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before eating.