Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

Pepperoni Pizza Pretzel Hand Pies….and a GIVEAWAY! {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

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I’ve said this before, but…I suck at homemade bread recipes. Or, more accurately, I suck at recipes that involve yeast. Some people have a black thumb when it comes to plants, I have black hands when it comes to yeast. My dough never rises nearly as much as it ought to, and I always, always over-knead everything, so my breads inevitably come out dense and heavy. No light, fluffy loaves or buns over here, folks. Never. Not once. OK, maybe once – the first time I made monkey bread from scratch the dough was perfect, but that sight has rarely been seen in my kitchen since.

PicMonkey CollageWhich is really tragic and depressing, because we love bread, and it would be nice not to have to run to the store every time we get a craving. I need help, y’all. Lots of help. So naturally, when I was asked to try out Fleischman’s Simply Homemade baking mix (just add water and oil!), I was all “SIGN ME UP!!!” All the ingredients in one easy box = chewy, fluffy pretzels in less than hour? That’s like bread-making for dummies! And since I’m a bread-making dummy….well, perfect.

And guys? This stuff is the BEST EVER. The box comes with yeast, pretzel mix, baking soda, and pretzel salt. All you have to do is dump the yeast/pretzel mix in a bowl with warm water and oil, mix a little, wait a little (25 minutes vs. the usual 2 hours), follow some simple instructions on the back of the box, and boom – homemade pretzels. Fast, easy, and delicious. And if, instead of making actual pretzels you decide to make pretzel hand pies stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, and savory sauce….well, then you’ve got yourself something special.

Do you love pepperoni pizza? Do you, like me, secretly love going to the mall because it gives you an excuse to indulge in a gigantic soft pretzel at Auntie Annie’s? Then you will love these hand pies because biting into one of these is like sinking your teeth into an Auntie Annie’s pretzel stuffed with pepperoni pizza. Soft and chewy pretzel on the outside, cheesy, meaty pizza on the inside. Can’t go wrong there…

** This is a sponsored post, and I was provided with free samples; however, all opinions are my own.

PRETZEL CREATIONS GIVEAWAY!

I’m still feeling the flush of victory from my pretzel-making success, and I want to share the wealth. So if you would also like to know the joys of super easy, fuss-free homemade pretzel making, see entry details below! The winner will be selected randomly, and will receive two prizes – (1) one package of Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Baking Mix (Pretzel Creations), and (2) a three-piece set of stackable mixing bowls. This giveaway and associated prizes are sponsored by Just Putzing Around the Kitchen, not Fleischmann’s.

  • To enter the giveaway, leave me a comment telling me what you would make with your Pretzel Creations baking mix.
  • To earn up to THREE bonus entries, do one (or all!) of the following and leave me separate comments below telling me what you did:
    (1) Subscribe to my blog using the RSS feed icon in the sidebar (if you are already subscribed, leave a comment saying that!).
    (2) Like Just Putzing Around the Kitchen on Facebook.
    (3) Follow Just Putzing Around the Kitchen on Twitter.
  • Giveaway will end at 5pm this coming Sunday, October 27.

** Congratulations to Debra Lee, giveaway winner! 

Pepperoni Pizza Pretzel Hand Pies (Inspired by Girl vs. Dough’s recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Baking Mix (Pretzel Creations)
  • 3/4 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees F)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Pizza sauce
  • Mozzarella (fresh sliced or grated)
  • Mini pepperoni slices
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Combine pretzel mix and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in very warm water and oil.  Stir until thoroughly combined.  (Dough may be stiff; use hands if desired).
  2. Cover dough and let rise 25 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.  (Dough will not double in size)
  3. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4 inch thickness.
  4. Using a biscuit cutter or small drinking glass, cut out circles of dough.
    ** Mine were about 2-1/2 inches across – size can vary, just depends on how big you want your hand pies to be.
  5. Spoon about 1-2 tsp marinara sauce onto the center of about half your dough circles.
  6. Top your sauced circles with mozzarella and pepperonis
    ** You can use as much as you want here – be careful not to over-fill or they will leak in the oven. 
  7. Gently place un-sauced dough circles on top of each loaded-down half. Using a fork, firmly press down on the edges to seal each hand pie all around.
    ** I ended up with exactly 9 hand pies.
  8. Place sealed hand pie on a greased baking sheet.  Cover everything with towel to prevent them from drying out.
  9. Preheat oven to 400°F
  10. Combine 6 cups water with baking soda in a large deep saucepan until water boils (mixture will be foamy).
  11. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, carefully dip sealed hand pies (1 to 2 at a time) into the boiling water for about 30 seconds.
  12. Remove boiled pies from water and place back on baking sheet (keep each pie about 1 inch apart).  Repeat until all have been dipped/boiled.
  13. In a small bowl, beat together egg yolk and water. Lightly brush this egg wash over the top of each hand pie.
  14. Sprinkle the tops of each hand pie with your packet of pretzel salt.
  15. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until pies are golden brown and puffed.
  16. Cool slightly, then enjoy!

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Comments

  2. I have exactly the same problem making bread! I have tried so many bread recipes and techniques coming to the conclusion that it is just me. This recipe looks awesome and I am going to try to find a box of that baking mix to try it out.

    Reply

  7. I’d make some sort of pasty, beef and veggies, or maybe filled it with taco beef and cheese! The possibilities are endless!! I like on Facebook and Follow on Twitter @PeaceAshleyLove, tried subscribing to the rss feed but had problems! Do you have a link?

    Reply

    • For some reason the RSS button thingy isn’t working anymore, but if you copy/paste the link into feedly or any other reader it should still work 🙂

      Reply

  12. Let me just start out by saying…pretzel. pizza . hand pies. If that doesn’t sound like the greatest foodie invention ever I’m not sure what does. I am completely sold on this idea and will not be settled until I try it. If I won the giveaway I would certainly replicate your genius, but other ideas that are bouncing around my head include other such pretzel sandwich vehicles (maybe even something relating to a fried ham and egg breakfast ooo) among a slurry of sweet dessert options (perhaps a pretzel based brownie bar with salted caramel drizzle?).

    Reply

  13. I would make your pretzel pizza hand pies and dip in pizza sauce (or pasta sauce as I always have pasta sauce on hand) as I ate. I made mini apple pies/apple pie cookies over the weekend and it’s the perfect size for a snack! They’re delicious, but I love savory things even more.

    Reply

  27. I’m not a creative cook so if wasn’t for recipes, I’d live on bread and water. I would love to make your recipe. Or pretzels.

    Reply

  30. Great idea that I can’t wait to try. My 8th grade son is a creative cook too and he is always looking for new ideas to make on his Boy Scout Campouts. This would be a fun group idea too where each kid/person can bring ingredients and they make their own stuffing – Ham and Swiss, bbq and cooked chicken bits, cheddar and cooked beef, or veggie options for vegans etc. Yum!

    Reply

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