Homemade Pretzels with Cheese Dip

Learn to make homemade soft pretzels with a creamy Bavarian-inspired cheese dip. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or parties, with easy step-by-step instructions.

From Austrian Bakeries to London Bread Aisles

No matter how small a village in Austria is, two things are always guaranteed: a butcher and a bakery. Fresh meat and freshly baked bread are central to daily life. So when I first arrived in London, the limited bread options came as a shock. White, brown, or seeded – sometimes a “plain roll”, but even that wasn’t what I was used to.

Austrian Rolls vs. British Rolls

The rolls I grew up with, Semmel, are crisp on the outside and soft, fluffy on the inside. They come in two shapes:

• Round rolls with five slashes in the dough, making them easy to break into segments.
• Long rolls with a single slash in the middle, splitting into two halves after baking – perfect for frankfurters.

In Austria, buying bread is almost a daily ritual. You either visit your local bakery or get a delivery to your doorstep for breakfast that morning – often still warm. Leftover rolls aren’t wasted; they’re repurposed into dumplings or breadcrumbs.

A World of Bread

What I took for granted in Austria was walking into a bakery and seeing rows upon rows of breads. Different flours, seeds, methods, and countless shapes – round, long, braided, rings… some stuffed, others infused with beer, onion, or bacon. That’s just the savoury section. Sweet and seasonal breads are an entire chapter on their own.

Each bread has a name, and everyone knows the taste, ingredients, and shape it represents. We collectively call them Weckerl, a word I’ve never found an exact English translation for. Even dark rye loaves have subtle distinctions: crust crunchiness, types of seeds or seasonings, and regional variations named after nearby mountains or rivers.

My Favourite: Lye Bread

With so many choices, it’s hard to pick a favourite – but mine is lye bread, the dough behind traditional soft pretzels. I was overjoyed when Pret A Manger once sold pretzels – a small taste of Austrian-style bakery in London. Unfortunately, they no longer do.

Thankfully, German discounters and Artisan bakeries are becoming more common on UK high streets, so bread options are no longer so limited.

Making Pretzels at Home

I won’t sugarcoat it – pretzels take time and effort. But the results are golden, fluffy, chewy, and so rewarding. They’re wonderful on their own, but even better as party snacks with a dip.

My favourites are:

• Bavarian-inspired cheese dip (recipe below)
• Liptauer, a popular spiced Austrian sandwich spread

The Steps

1. Mix the dough and knead well. Let it proof until doubled in size.
2. Shape the pretzels: Divide into 8-10 pieces, roll into long sausages, twist into pretzel shapes, and seal the ends with a bit of water.
3. Rest again: Cover with a cloth for 10 minutes to relax and puff up.
4. The magic step: Boil in a solution of simmering water with a few tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda for about 1 minute each. This step – the alkaline bath – is what gives pretzels their deep colour and chewy crust.
5. Top and bake: Sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame, or poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown.

A Weekend Baking Project

This isn’t a recipe for a quick-fix snack. But if you enjoy baking, pretzels are a rewarding way to spend a weekend afternoon – with a delicious savoury reward at the end. Serve them warm, dip in cheese, and enjoy a taste of Austria at home.

Watch the video below to see it being made:

Homemade Pretzels with Cheese Dip

Servings

8 – 10

pretzel

Learn to make homemade soft pretzels with a creamy Bavarian-inspired cheese dip. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or parties, with easy step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients

• Pretzel dough

• 600g plain white flour

• 2tsp salt

• 2 packets (14g) dried yeast

• 400ml milk, room temperature

• Cheese dip

• 1 small white onion

• Chives (or greens of spring onions)

• 200g brie or camembert

• 100g cheese triangles (6 triangles)

• 1tsp sweet paprika

• Splash of beer, optional

Directions

• Pretzel
• Mix all the ingredients into a dough and knead thoroughly. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
• Knead again, then divide into 8 – 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, twist into a pretzel shape, and seal the ends with a little water (see video for guidance).
• Cover with a cloth and let rest for 10 minutes so the dough can relax and puff up.
• Bring a pot of water to a simmer and add a few tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda. Boil each pretzel for about 1 minute.
  This alkaline bath gives pretzels their deep colour and chewy crust.
• Sprinkle with coarse salt, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cheese dip
• Mix all the ingredients in a food processor. Optional: add a splash of beer to thin to your desired consistency.